The nationwide Green Marathon race organized by Sberbank, General Partner of the XXII Winter Olympic Games in 2014, Sochi gathered more than 42,000 participants. The event was dedicated to the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Public marathons were held in 42 Russian cities including St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, Ulan-Ude, Omsk, Perm, Kaliningrad and much more. The total number of participants and guests amounted to 76,000 people.

The distance for the Green Marathon is just 4,200 meters, which enables everyone irrespective of their running experience or age to take part in the race and feel involved in the Sochi Olympic movement. There were many family teams consisting of three generations, which demonstrated the intergenerational continuity of Olympic traditions not only in the capitals of 1980 and 2014 Games, but across the whole country.

In each of the participating cities the marathon finished with tree planting, holding up the tradition of creating Sberbank parkways in the city parks and public gardens as part of the ecological heritage of the Sochi 2014 Games. The Green Marathon project is carried out within the Sochi 2014 Environmental Protection Program aimed at specific actions propagating the principles of sustainable development and helping the eco-movement across the country gain momentum.

“We hold this unique event for the second time,” said German Gref, the President and Chairman of Board of Sberbank. “Last year we had 30,000 participants and 20,000 people who came to support them. This year we managed to attract 42,000 people as participants only. We are proud that the movement supporting the public sport and healthy lifestyle is actively developing and we are happy to be a part of the Olympics. Our Olympic motto is Movement to Achievements. We do not rest on our laurels: we aim at moving forward, development and perfection. Taking part in the Green Marathon, we all make another step to new achievements.”

Dmitrii Chernyshenko, President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee: “The Green Marathon is a unique project that every citizen of our country can support, thus making his or her contribution to the ecological heritage of the Games. The event that was held within the Sochi 2014 Environmental Protection Program is a successful initiative of our long-term partner Sberbank; they not only give all those who wish to participate an opportunity to join healthy lifestyle, but also to take care of the environment.”