"And now I run to Gomel"
Alexei Patrusov is 38 years old, of which he has been “living on the run” for almost five years. In order to win marathons and ultramarathons, the labor protection engineer of the Mogilev Carriage Depot trains daily. He says that long-distance races not only develop endurance, but also give you the opportunity to listen to yourself, open up internal resources. He, for example, began to compose poetry on the way.
Racket, barbell and ... cinema
Alexey has been friendly with sports since childhood. In his youth, he went to the tennis section, and when he saw the film "Forrest Gump", he decided - he had to run:
- For what? As the protagonist of the film said, "because you want to." I started from five kilometers, reached 16. And then I “tied up” because of severe pain in my knee. As a result, he retired for 18 years.
I remembered running when I received my second education. According to the first - after the Belarusian-Russian University - he is a process engineer. At the Belarusian State University of Transport, he studied as a labor protection specialist. Alexei recalls:
- There was free time, but I didn’t want to stick to my mobile phone or watching TV after lectures. Went to the stadium. Pulled up, pushed up. Having learned that a sports blogger from Russia lifted a 100-kilogram barbell 100 times, he caught fire: I want it too! I could only handle a 40-kilogram weight. He took up health: proper nutrition, no sweets. And repeated the result. The bar gives a load on the muscles of the arms and shoulders. I decided to "pump" my legs and started running. Colleagues constantly participated in industry sports competitions among the structural divisions of the Belarusian Railways, in marathons, and in Gomel I became friends with the guys who regularly went on a “date with asphalt”.
All obstacles are in the head
Alexey was dissatisfied with the results of the first Olympics:
“We only had to run a kilometer. The participants overtook me for a circle, then returned and cheered me up. An understanding came: we must prepare for the start not only mentally, but also physically. Then races for five, seven, 15 kilometers, but the first marathon - 42 kilometers around Mogilev - did not last. Although there are 900 meters left to the finish line.
Deciding to prove to himself and the rest that a person who goes to the goal can do anything, two years later the marathon runner overcame the distance. In winter, in the Grodno region, he took first place in the republican marathon dedicated to the Year of Peace and Creation:
- In the five years that I have been running, I have learned to conserve my strength, distribute it competently over the entire distance, and I give preference to those that are over 42 kilometers. I also realized: all the obstacles are in the head. To achieve what you want, you must believe in yourself and strive for a dream.
The Right Motivation
Alexey does not run for the sake of awards. He is a participant (and often the initiator) of patriotic actions and marathons. In July 2021, he ran 900 kilometers, winning the #23daysMogilev sports event:
- So much (from July 3 to July 26, 1941) the heroic defense of the city on the Dnieper lasted. It is much more interesting not just to wind kilometers, but to visit places of historical significance at the same time. On the way, I take selfies, talk about the Buinichsky field, who Kutepov is, after whom the street in the city is named, about the Zemlyanka memorial complex on the Mogilev-Chausy highway.
In one of the marathons of the “#23daysMogilev” action, son Andrey, who at that time was 12 years old, ran with Alexei. Before Krichev, Patrusov Sr. ran 85 kilometers, his heir rode 105 kilometers on a bicycle:
- It was not easy: the heat is 35 degrees. They cheered each other, poured water. They tried for a noble goal: they wanted to honor the memory of artilleryman Nikolai Sirotinin, who died exactly 80 years ago. On July 17, 1941, a 19-year-old boy entered into combat with a column of fascist tanks.
A year earlier, the athlete had an idea: in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, run 75 marathons. Implemented. For the sake of participating in one of the ultramarathons - from Mogilev to Bobruisk (about 120 kilometers) - a friend Dmitry came to him from Moscow, whose grandfather was a pilot, liberated Belarus, died near Bobruisk. The race was held in his honor.
Alexey shares information from marathon distances with subscribers - he has about 700 of them - on his social media page.
Sports, creative, creative
But the main fans are the wife and children. They are the first to put likes, and when someone asks Anastasia where her husband is, she laughs: he ran away again.
You can’t find him at home on weekdays: during the day - work, in the evenings - training. Relatives do not mind. In the Patrusov family, everything is “in sports”. The wife herself was involved in athletics in her youth. 13-year-old Andrei is fond of triathlon, 11-year-old Tanya - athletics and dancing, seven-year-old Katya - gymnastics, four-year-old Masha also dreams of her. Andrei and Katya also play the balalaika, and their father dedicates poems to their beloved ones.
Alexei has a good sense of humor. He admits that he likes to puzzle others:
- I often take a minibus to the outskirts of the city and, leaving, I say: “Well, that’s it, and now I’m running to Gomel.” That's what they called me - Man-minibus.
Route - all Belarus
Last year, while participating in the 100-kilometer marathon, Aleksey noticed that the white sneaker had turned brown. He took it off, and there was blood inside.
- It is recommended to change sneakers after every thousand kilometers of run - otherwise the legs suffer. But there is no money for well-known brands, no sponsors either, I'm not a professional, but an amateur. I buy in stock. Stopped a couple of ten.
Difficulties harden him. At first, he ran 500–600 kilometers a year. Set a goal: to increase the distance. In 2019, he overcame 3.5 thousand, in 2020 - 6.5 thousand, in 2021 there was a slight decline - 4.3 thousand, but last year he pulled himself up - 7 thousand. There are 335 marathons and ultramarathons behind the Minibus Man. In total, he overcame more than 22 thousand kilometers! Alexey shares his plans:
- Russian Maxim Kurmysh ran about 10 thousand kilometers in 14 months - from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok. Ruslan Shakin circled almost the entire globe, took part in the extreme marathon "Pole of Cold", where the air temperature is minus 50 degrees. We will communicate with them in messengers, they inspire me! What do I want? Run all over Belarus!
