and maintain a healthy lifestyle but also gives a sense of freedom and self-fulfilment. A passion for running and sport became a source of inspiration for these women, and they decided to turn this passion into something more. Combining their love for sport and entrepreneurial spirit, they formed the Running History team, which brought us together with a common goal - to create a community that inspires people to run and achieve their sporting goals.
Having arrived in Abkhazia by chance two years ago, Anastasia was immediately fascinated by everything the country had to offer: she was surprised by Abkhazia's nature, its national colours, its delicious food and the beautiful traditions of its people. But there was a big gap in the country's sporting culture - there were no mass running events in the Republic of Abkhazia. As a result, a fascinating idea was born - to combine the sport of running with the hospitality of Abkhazia - so Running History decided to organise an international marathon for all runners, professionals and amateurs, in this country.
Anastasia and Elena asked for help from the best Russian marathon organisers, the "Running Community". The next step was to coordinate the event with the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia. It was a complicated process that required overcoming various difficulties, problems and disagreements, but thanks to the team's persistence and determination, they managed to get approval and support.
Vahan Amichba is one of the key people behind the creation of Marathon in such a challenging region. Supporting the idea personally and as a businessman, he managed to successfully connect the organisers of the Marathon, representatives of the Government of Abkhazia, the best specialists in organising public sporting events in the Russian Federation and potential sponsors. All this led to the conclusion of an agreement between the RA State Committee for Sport and Running History LLC and gave a start to the plans to organise the marathon.
Tarasch Mironovich Khagba is a person who has also become part of the history of the Sukhumi Marathon in the Republic of Abkhazia, a man with an unusual vision who believed in the power of sport and its ability to unite people. Thanks to his energy and determination, the idea of creating a marathon in Abkhazia was approved by the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia.
Boris Bartsits, President of the Triathlon Federation and a well-known sports figure, also contributed greatly to the promotion of the idea of the Sukhumi Marathon in the Government of Abkhazia. Using his experience, professional knowledge and personal connections, Boris managed to attract the attention and support of the Government members and minimise all the necessary procedures for approval of the Sukhumi Marathon. Thanks to him, the Marathon will become not only a sports event, but also a platform for promoting Abkhazia as a sports and tourist destination.
The creation of such a large-scale project would not have been possible without the concrete personal assistance of a large number of people driven by enthusiasm. Therefore, the Sukhum-Marathon was possible only through productive communication, bringing together the connections, contacts and capabilities of all interested parties. It was the theory of "Six Handshakes" that proved to work, bringing together people who shared the idea and were ready to help realise it. And as a result of hard work, cooperation between the two countries and professional training, the project started to be implemented!
The Sukhum-Marathon is a new unique point on the world map of running events. Its goal is not only to demonstrate the beauty of Abkhazia, but also to attract the attention of international audience to this amazing city and its history. The Sukhum-Marathon will become a landmark event for Abkhazia, which will bring it recognition from the international running community, increase the economic activity and investment attractiveness of the region, and accelerate the development of tourism and sports.
The marathon also contributes to the promotion of public health, sports culture and an active lifestyle, and has a favourable impact on the country's economy and the development of small businesses. All this makes the Sukhum-Marathon an example of successful use of a sporting event to achieve versatile development and improve the image of the Republic of Abkhazia.
We aim to turn the Sukhum-Marathon into a regular recognisable event that will become an annual tradition for runners from all over the world.
We are really proud to create the first Sukhumi Marathon. It will be an extraordinary event and we hope to see you at the most beautiful start on 27 October 2024. Let's run together, feeling all the beauty and emotions of this unique Marathon.
Join us and enjoy running and the nature of Abkhazia!