Belarus Hosts Its First Patriot Winter Obstacle Race

On 9 February 2019, the first Patriot winter obstacle race was held at the Stalin Line Historical and Cultural Complex with the support of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus. The event was also supported by the Border Guard Service and the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.

Over the 6+ km course, participants faced 24 obstacles of varying difficulty, including carrying heavy objects, negotiating barbed wire, flipping tyres and traversing monkey bars.
Every participant and spectator had a choice: spend the day off in front of a computer monitor (or smartphone or tablet), or experience incredible emotions and prove to themselves and their friends that there is more to life than the sofa and a device. I must honestly admit that I expected fewer participants who were so enthusiastic about a healthy lifestyle. After all, it is one thing to talk about the benefits of healthy living on a blog, but quite another to run 6 km across rough terrain and tackle obstacles yourself.
Well done to them! Armed with my camera, I tried to walk around as many obstacles as possible — walk, that is, rather than run like they did. They ran, struggled, started again and kept on fighting! Now that is true fitness! I found myself wondering why we need a nuclear power plant. If these people were given the right conditions, they could generate enough energy not only for Belarus and Europe, but with some left over for countries in Africa and Asia as well.
The organisers announced that ‘all obstacles along the course would be straightforward and manageable for most participants’. Taking them at their word, even Motya the Clown decided to enter the race. Yet despite their apparent simplicity, the obstacles proved very challenging in practice. Many cleared them at the first attempt, while others needed several tries. There was no limit on the number of attempts, but strength and willpower were finite. Even if a participant failed to clear an obstacle, the rules allowed them to continue after completing 20 penalty burpees — an exercise combining a jump, plank and press-up, which somehow reminded me of my army days.
Some competitors took part as a family. Typically, the man would clear an obstacle first and, instead of continuing in pursuit of an individual victory, wait for his wife or girlfriend to clear it too so that they could carry on together. Sometimes it was the other way round.
The organisers prepared several unexpected surprises for the competitors. Not everyone is used to tackling an obstacle course to the sound of machine-gun fire and explosions. But this was the Stalin Line, so the obstacles had to be made as challenging as possible. What a thrill it was! Security was excellent, as always. No incidents were reported during the race.

The winners were separated by only narrow margins.

The prizes were awarded as follows:

Men’s Category
1. Igor Gorbunov — 0:39:40
2. Ruslan Strashkevich — 0:40:41
3. Vasily Streltsov — 0:40:48

Women’s Category
1. Tatyana Pekhtereva — 0:51:53 (a mother of two!)
2. Diana Gilevich — 0:58:28
3. Nadezhda Bogorodova — 1:03:21

The top three finishers in both the men’s and women’s races received cash prizes:
1st place — 150 roubles
2nd place — 100 roubles
3rd place — 50 roubles
Alexander Metla delivered the winners to the awards area in spectacular fashion aboard a BMD, with speed and plenty of drifting.

Alexander Metla, Stalin Line
‘We are constantly striving to devise and stage events in new formats, offering visitors to the complex something different. These events are always linked to military-patriotic education, healthy living and pride in our homeland. Of course, they do not always pay for themselves commercially, but the competitors’ emotions and sense of pride cannot be measured in money alone. What matters most is being in good spirits and having the determination to change your life for the better!’

Photo Report: Patriot Race, 9 February 2019
Full Photo Report
View the album on VKontakte
View the album on Facebook

More photos from the reenactment: