Runday

Runday (Ukrainian: Рандей) is a Ukrainian national community running initiative that organizes free, timed 5 km runs every weekend in cities across the country. It was founded in 2016 by Iain Bearder, a British expatriate living in Ukraine, together with his friend Oleksandr Ruzhytskyi. The pair had first attempted to bring the British Parkrun model to Ukraine, but were turned down by Parkrun's UK leadership, so they launched their own volunteer-driven format instead. The very first Runday run took place in 2016 on Trukhaniv Island in Kyiv, where Bearder later served as head organizer; a second Kyiv location, Obolon Runday, followed. Runday is explicitly non-competitive. Participants may run or walk the 5 km course, take part with children or pets, or use a wheelchair, and there are no age restrictions. The stated aim is to bring together people interested in running rather than to stage races. Each participant has a personal account on the Runday website where they can check their results, and the site publishes statistics for each individual run location as well as an all-time results table. From its Kyiv origins the idea spread to other Ukrainian cities, including Ternopil, Lviv, Odesa, Mariupol, Kolomyia, Kharkiv, Sievierodonetsk and Kramatorsk. In Odesa's Taras Shevchenko Park, Runday held its first English-language run. During the COVID-19 quarantine period, Runday temporarily moved online with "Runday Solo Run," which allowed participants to complete the distance at any convenient time between Friday and Sunday, submit a form, and appear in the results table. Runday is organized by runners and volunteers themselves. Each location has several organizational roles, including a run director and a volunteer coordinator, and volunteers take on tasks such as manning checkpoints, recording times and results, and running or cycling alongside participants for safety. To take part, runners must register on the organization's website. On 15 December 2017, Runday was officially registered as a public organization. The brand also runs themed events, including an annual Santa Run on the last Saturday before New Year, an anti-discrimination run first held in autumn 2016, a "Ukraine Without Tobacco" run in 2018, and a "Run for Peace and Justice" held in 2018 in cooperation with UNDP Ukraine.

Runday was created in 2016 by Iain Bearder, a British national living in Ukraine, and his friend Oleksandr Ruzhytskyi. Before launching Runday, the two had tried to establish Parkrun in Ukraine, but the British leadership of Parkrun refused them. They therefore developed their own free, volunteer-run weekly 5 km format. The first Runday run was held in 2016 on Trukhaniv Island in Kyiv, a location where Bearder later became the head organizer. A second Kyiv running location, Obolon Runday, was subsequently established. The idea then spread to other Ukrainian cities, including Ternopil, Lviv, Odesa, Mariupol, Kolomyia, Kharkiv, Sievierodonetsk and Kramatorsk. In Odesa, in Taras Shevchenko Park, Runday held its first English-language run over the 5 km distance. On 15 December 2017, Runday was officially registered as a public organization. During the COVID-19 quarantine, Runday temporarily moved its runs online under the name Runday Solo Run, allowing participants to complete the distance at any convenient time from Friday to Sunday, fill in a form, and be included in the results table. Runday is organized by the runners and volunteers themselves. Each location has several organizational roles, including a run director and a volunteer coordinator. Volunteers also take on specific roles: some stand at checkpoints, record times and results, while others run or cycle alongside participants to ensure safety. To participate in the runs, one must register on the organization's website. Beyond the regular weekly runs, Runday has organized themed events. On the last Saturday before New Year, all Runday locations traditionally hold Santa Claus runs (Santa Run), for which runners are invited to come in New Year costumes; after the run there is usually a contest for the best costume and the most charismatic Santa. These Santa Run events have often attracted media attention, for example in 2016 when TSN produced a photo report from the event. In autumn 2016, the first annual anti-discrimination run was held, aimed at drawing attention to legal and social inequality in society, under the slogan "Run not away from, but against discrimination!" Participants shared personal stories about experiences of discrimination, and after the run one could receive expert advice on how to respond and where to turn if subjected to discrimination; on 5 May 2018, 10 Ukrainian cities joined the campaign. On 19 May 2018, the "Ukraine Without Tobacco" run took place as part of World No Tobacco Day, held in 5 Ukrainian cities, with participation by deputies and public opinion leaders; in Kyiv, specialists were on hand during the run to advise on smoking addiction and measure the level of carbon monoxide in the lungs. In spring 2018, Runday began cooperation with UNDP Ukraine, which helped open new running locations in Ukrainian cities; on 26 May 2018, thanks to this cooperation, the "Run for Peace and Equality" was held in ten cities.

• 2020

  During COVID-19 quarantine, runs moved online as Runday Solo Run.

• 2018

  Anti-discrimination run campaign joined by 10 Ukrainian cities on 5 May.

• 2018

  "Ukraine Without Tobacco" run held on 19 May in 5 cities as part of World No Tobacco Day.

• 2018

  Cooperation with UNDP Ukraine began; "Run for Peace and Equality" held in ten cities on 26 May.

• 2017

  Runday officially registered as a public organization on 15 December.

• 2016

  Runday founded by Iain Bearder and Oleksandr Ruzhytskyi; first run held on Trukhaniv Island in Kyiv.

• 2016

  First annual anti-discrimination run held in autumn.

• 2016

  Santa Run held on the last Saturday before New Year, covered by TSN.

Free, inclusive, volunteer-organized community running for all paces, ages and abilities; explicitly non-competitive.

• Weekly 5 km timed run

  Free, volunteer-organized, non-competitive 5 km run held every weekend at multiple locations across Ukraine.

• Personal runner account

  Online account on the Runday website where participants can check their results.

• Location and all-time statistics

  Statistics for each run location and an all-time results table published on the website.

• Runday Solo Run

  Online format during quarantine allowing participants to run the distance at any time from Friday to Sunday and submit results.

1. 1Щосуботи о 09:00 — Rundayrunday.org
2. 2Про Runday — безкоштовні щотижневі забіги на 5 км в Україніrunday.org
3. 3Runday — Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Рандей — Вікіпедіяuk.wikipedia.org