Andrey Okhlopkov, ICEF Student and LIFESTART Curator, Ran Kazan Marathon
In early May, more than thirty students and staff of the HSE University, and among them Rector, competed in the Kazan Marathon. Its participants ran distances from 3 km to marathon and were on cheering points, offering words of encouragement that put a smile even on the faces of the weariest of runners. Among them was Andrey Okhlopkov, an ICEF student who curates the student organization LIFESTART.
In the Kazan Marathon, the HSE Run Club members joined thousands of runners. As with many mass runs of this kind, experienced athletes competed along with amateurs and first-time runners. The team of HSE were easy to discern among all other runners on the track: they wore the branded T-shirts of their club, colored white and blue – the HSE University colors.
The three cheering points – aptly located at kilometre 18, 32 and 41 – marked a watershed for many of the participants: kilometre 18 is where Half Marathon runners are to pick up the pace, kilometre 32 is where they are running low on energy, and kilometre 41 is where they gather strength for final push. As a cheering team our runners, who had done shorter distances just shortly before, did their best to encourage the other HSE runners by shouting “Faster, HSE, Stronger,” waving flags and high-fiving. As many as several runners crossed the finish line with the flag of HSE.
Andrey Okhlopkov, who is in his third year of ICEF International Programme in Economics and Finance, did a 10 km race in Kazan.
An experienced skier and biathlete, Andrey follows a special cross-country skiing programme. But, this year Moscow remained almost snow free and Andrey had to switch to running, which, as known, can pose risks to knee health. His training sessions sometimes had to be suspended due to weather conditions. Nevertheless, in early April, Andrey Okhlopkov successfully completed his winter season by skiing a half marathon in Khanty-Mansiysk.
“It came as a surprise to get invited by my friends to Kazan to run a 10 km race,” says Andrey. “Last time I did a serious distance of more than one kilometre was in high school four years ago. But that’s exactly why I became interested in running this marathon. There wasn’t enough time to do special training — the only run I did, though, was an 800 m race in HSE Dorm Olympics — but I knew I was fit enough to compete.”
Andrey’s pacing strategy was this: run most of the distance at a steady pace and accelerate during the last kilometre. It did prove to be effective.
Here’s Andrey’s impressions of the marathon:
“I am very grateful to HSE, its management, Teachers’ Run Club and all involved, for the great support they are giving to sports at large and our running community in particular. I can’t think of anything more inspiring than spotting, in the middle of a race, the cheering team of HSE and hearing them cry out words of encouragement!
And another thing that I personally find truly unique is how HSE arranged the Moscow-Kazan-Moscow transfer for the contestants.”
When asked if there is an effective way to juggle sports, workouts and studying at ICEF, Andrey said:
“It’s a hard question to answer. I’m far from being perfect in this regard. The most important thing here is to prioritise properly and set yourself rules like, “I will train minimum 3 or 4 times a week” or “When I must choose between study and sporting event, I will choose study.” Prioritising can really help here.
But, on the other side, regular exercise can significantly boost productivity and concentration. So for me effective learning and sports go hand in hand.”
Andrey’s opinion is based on his excellent academic performance (he joined the optional advanced learning programme ICEF Academia and became one of its prize winners), years-long practice of endurance sports (skiing and biathlon) and experience as an organizer and curator of the student organization LIFESTART.
“LIFESTART is a multi-field organization dedicated to promoting sports and healthy lifestyle among the HSE student community,” says Andrey. “Its ruling principle is that sports and healthy living should be easily accessible to all, not only to professional athletes.
LIFESTART operates within three main fields: sports and sporting events, media block, and promoting healthy living, the latter started just recently. The first of these three fields is run by a task force that arranges running events together with HSE Teachers’ Run Club and HSE Students’ Run Club.
The Media Block deserves a special mention. Over the past year, it has evolved from a small team who simply talked about LIFESTART and its events on social media, into a full-fledged, university-wide channel covering nearly all HSE’s sporting societies. It is a highly popular channel.”
LIFESTART has become a vibrant venue that brings together students with various sport pursuits – not only athletes, but also those who are interested in covering or organizing sporting events or exploring scientifically the impact of sports. LIFESTART currently has a team of 50, serving also as a great venue for communication.
Andrey Okhlopkov emphasizes:
“What drives our members is the desire to do good for the community of their alma mater. Our longest-serving members are the people who are strongly interested in what they do and engage in it selflessly.”
After the race the contestants had the time to see Kazan – its Kremlin, Kazanka Embankment, and the iconic landmarks seen along the running route. On their bus ride back to Moscow’s Pokrovka, they shared impressions, discussed results and planned their next trip to Saint-Petersburg for the White Nights Marathon.
