Russia is the largest country on our planet!
The nation of over 17 million km² stretches across two continents and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Sport is an important tool for international representation in Russia.
Russia is one of the strongest nations in the world in both summer and winter sports. However, the country suffers greatly from systematic doping. Thus, at the end of 2015, the World Athletics Federation (IAAF) excluded Russia from all major international events in the future. These include world championships, European championships and Olympic Games. Only a few selected track and field athletes were then allowed to compete under a neutral flag at these title fights.
The biggest running events in Russia
There are surprisingly few very large running events in Russia. Of course, there are also some attractive city marathons. In addition, it is also worthwhile to participate in one or the other landscape run in Russia. Especially in the very cool regions there are some challenging but scenically impressive events.
But back to the big city. A well-known Russian event is the White Nights International Marathon in St. Petersburg. The race is held annually in the summer. More than 3,000 runners take part in the marathon. This is very impressive for Russian standards. The course passes many sights of the city. Start and finish are at Dvortsovaya Square.
The biggest marathon in Russia
There is also a marathon in the capital Moscow, the Moscow Marathon. The marathon celebrated its premiere only in 2013. Usually, Russian athletes can be found at the very front of the field of participants. With more than 5,000 finishers, it is the largest marathon in the country.
But you can also run marathons in Siberia. The best example is the Siberian International Marathon in Omsk. Including fringe events, the event, which is usually held at the beginning of August, has around 6,000 finishers.
Extremely cold, but also extremely beautiful
In Russia, some places have temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius. And indeed, running events are held even under such extreme conditions. The best example is the Baikal Ice Marathon, which calls itself the world's fastest ice marathon. Here you run the 42.195 kilometers on frozen lakes at partly icy temperatures.
Another icy highlight is the Siberian Ice Half Marathon. This half marathon is held in Omsk at the beginning of the year. You should dress warmly here in any case.
All Running Races in Russia (sorted by date) can be found in the following overview:
Running competitions 2026 in Russia
Vladivostok Marathon (Wladiwostok-Marathon)
 | 26.09.2026 ? |
| |
 | Vladivostok |
 | 42,2 km / 21,1 km / 10 km / 5 km / 1 km |
Go to the running calendar Russia
More sports in Russia:
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