The Routes, The Maps, The Stats . . .

For those of you who were wondering what we meant when we said we were putting together a running guide to the world, well, it goes a little something like this. Check out the excerpt from the Moscow chapter below:

Moscow Run #1 – The Moscow River
Russia’s running community loves its legends about the inspiration that strikes runners on
the path between Park Kulturi (Парк Културы – formerly Gorky Park) and the Sparrow Hills
(Воробьевы Горы – Vorobyovi Gori). Some runners have had visions, others have had revelations,
and the author of Бег Спаси (Byeg Spasi – Running Saves) claims to have had his entire
narrative come into his head while on this route. Believe what you will, but even Boris Prokopiev,
the editor-in-chief of Бег и Мы (Byeg i Mui), Russia’s main running magazine, calls this
his favorite Moscow run. The route features a great river path lined with a serene forest on one
side of it, with views towards great city vistas on the other. So you’ll probably enjoy it too.
 
All route possibilities for this run start from Vorobyovi Gori metro station, three stops south of
the circle line on the red line. The station is actually in the middle of the Moscow River; you’ll
want to head for the exit on the south side.

1. Start your run at the base of the stairs at the metro exit.

2. Head northeast on the riverfront path (when you are facing the river, this will be to
the right). Continue for as long as you like, passing such sites as:
  ➢ Andreyevsky Monastery (.75 mi / 1.2 km): It may be tough to pick out this
enclave between the trees, but this institution, founded in 1648, was one of
Moscow’s first teaching seminaries.
  ➢ Russian Academy of Sciences (above Andreyevsky): If you think this building
is funny-looking from afar, just wait till you get close to it! It’s almost worth
detouring from the run to do so. Try to satisfy yourself with staying the course
and simply contemplating the great minds that have worked behind those
strange windows.
  ➢ Third-Ring Bridge (.81 mi / 1.3 km): Moscow is a city built on rings. The Third
Ring is known for being rather large, particularly busy, and unusually ugly.
  ➢ Not-Boring Gardens (1.1 mi / 1.75 km): We don’t make up names at BTG. Not-
Boring, or “Neskychni”, is the oldest park in Moscow. This former tsar’s estate is
home to the Green Theater, one of the largest amphitheaters in Europe (seats
15,000).
  ➢ Park Kulturi (1.83 mi / 2.94 km): This park, formerly known as Gorky, is still
home to one of the most popular amusement parks in Moscow. If you’re lucky,
you may be able to continue running through the park all the way to the
Krimsky Bridge (4 km / 2.5 mi). Usually, though, the path is usually closed off
where the park begins.

3. Turn around and return to Vorobyovi Gori metro station, taking in the view of Moscow
State University as you cruise along (3.64 mi / 5.86 km).

4. Got more energy? Go the other way! There’s more path all the way up to the Setun’
River (add 3.45 mi / 5.55 km). On the opposite bank you’ll see:
  ➢ Lyzhniki Stadium: Home of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games, in which the
US captured medals in . . . oh, right.
  ➢ Novodevichy Monastery: You’ll glimpse its glittering gold domes at the
turnaround point of your run. Novodeivichy is home to the second-most
important burial grounds in Russia (the first being the Kremlin walls). Among
those laid to rest here are the writers Nikolai Gogol, Mikhail Bulgakov, and
Vladimir Mayakovsky, as well as politicians Nikita Khrushchev and, more recently, Boris Yeltsin.

5. Return to Vorobyovi Gori metro station (7.09 mi / 11.41 km with first portion).



Distance:    3.64 mi / 5.86 km (out-and-back to Titovsky Proyezd, at beginning of Park Kulturi)                     5 mi / 8 km (out-and-back to Krimsky Bridge, at end of Park Kulturi, if open)
        3.45 mi / 5.55 km (out-and-back to Setun’ River, in opposite direction) 
        1.5 mi / 2.25 km (add on up to MGU lookout)

Expect:        Flat asphalt terrain until hill climb to Moscow State University – then dirt and steep.

Best Time to Run:  Any time

Navigation:    Easy – stick to the river

Checkpoints:       
    ➢    Vorobyovi Gori Metro Station (Воробьевы Горы)
    ➢    Andreevsky Monastery / Third-Ring Bridge
    ➢    Not-Boring Gardens (Нескучный Сад – Neskychni Sad)
    ➢    Russian Academy of Sciences (Академия Наук – Akademiya Nayk)
    ➢    Park Kylturi (Парк Културы)
    ➢    Moscow State University (МГУ – MGU)
    ➢    Lyzhniki Stadium (Лужники)
    ➢    Novodevichy Monastery (Новодевичий Монастырь)
    ➢    Setun’ (Ceтунь) River