Over 500 runners lined up at the start line of VATAHA’s third annual Run for Ukraine, with another hundred spectators jubilantly cheering them on.
Held annually to commemorate Ukraine’s fallen heroes, casualties of war and destroyed cities caused by russia’s aggression, VATAHA hosted its third memorial run that brings Dutch, Ukrainian and international supporters of Ukraine together to commemorate Ukraine’s severe losses and celebrate their resilience. This year’s edition was even more special as it fell on 24 August, Ukraine’s Independence Day.
Besides destroyed cities and fallen heroes, this year’s focus was on Ukraine’s lost “people of culture” – the very writers, journalists, photographers and musicians who kept Ukrainian art and culture alive against russian aggression.
Demand was high for this year’s charity run, as each year’s edition has attracted more and more runners and media attention. Representatives from not only the Ukrainian, but also representatives from Germany, the UK and US, Cyprus, Australia, Lithuania and Malta and Norway donned the blue and yellow to cross the finish line.
In advance of the big day, an additional 50 people signed up to run proxy from their hometowns from as far as Maastricht, Amsterdam, Milan, Dublin and Kyiv.
Two proxy runners in Maastricht dedicated their run to fallen heroes.
In 2018, a fallen Ukrainian soldier’s father founded a memorial run on August 26, the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine, which commemorates Ukraine’s struggle for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Hyping up the crowd
Like every year, participants did not run for themselves, but instead in the memory of a lost loved one, were randomly assigned a Ukrainian creative to run for, or sprinted for a city under siege. And yet, this year’s Ukrainian Independence Day felt all the more special, as it fell exactly on a Saturday.
At the strike of 2:00PM, the excited buzz of hundreds of runners and even more spectators fell to a whisper when Veronika Morska, finalist of the Children’s Eurovision Song Contest from the Netherlands, sang the Ukrainian national anthem.
The Hague’s sports alderman Robert van Asten and Haag Athletiek’s chairman Pierre Heinen reaffirmed the Netherlands’ strong support for the Ukrainian cause. And in return, Yurii Herashchenko, Defense Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine in the Netherlands, voiced his gratitude for our Dutch allies’ continued support.
Artivism: what VATAHA does best
First and foremost, the memorial run was a run. “But this year’s Run for Ukraine is dedicated to the people of culture taken by the war, and their invaluable contribution to manifesting our traditions and culture at home and abroad,” says VATAHA co-founder Oksana Savchuk.
While our runners pushed themselves through the serene beauty of the Westduinpark, VATAHA had 11 culture-related stations for spectators to visit. Mums Theater kepts our youngest entertained with arts and sports activities, giving the adults the time to walk through a black-and-white portrait exhibition of fallen people of culture and their stories. The installation was curated by Christian van der Kooy, based on the loss monitoring project from PEN Ukraine.
Ukrainian multidisciplinary artist Anastasiia Prokofieva exhibited her “Fragments of Resilience” clay flowers installation, sculpted from clay from Slovyansk in the Donetsk region that represent the transformation of collective grief and loss.
“Encouraging the participants to take the clay flowers home had a huge emotional impact,” said Prokofieva. “People weren’t just crying because they were sad, but rather because they could be free. Free to show their emotions in an appropriate context. It was like art therapy.”
VATAHA’s ongoing Nets for Freedom project was also on full display, as part of a participatory art installation called “Shelter for Freedom” by Daria Pugachova.
Physical and mental health
Demand for therapy in war-stricken Ukraine is rising as the Soviet stigma of mental health continues to shatter. Empatia by Opora Foundation organized various activities and informed participants of the free mental health resources it offers to Ukrainians – in their own language.
“Our organization provides relief to overbooked Dutch mental healthcare facilities. We’re helping Ukrainians to get help, and we’re helping Ukrainian psychologists to get employed. It’s a win-win-win situation,” explained Empatia communications manager Daria Delawar.
And still, russia’s attacks on Ukrainians’ health and well-being are most visible in the injuries and missing limbs of Ukraine’s bravest defenders. Although some of the war veterans initially had concerns about whether they could complete the 2 km walk, they were deeply inspired after successfully finishing the distance.
“It’s essential for them to feel that the people around them see their strength and resilience, not their injuries. While they are still on the path to recovery and there are challenges, their spirit remains unbroken. We are all incredibly proud of their courage and determination,” said Kateryna Novozhylova, from Netherlands for Ukraine Foundation (NL4UA).
Poetry around your neck
Each participant who crossed the finish line took a unique piece of Ukrainian artwork home: the medal. Designed by Ukrainian artist Marichka Petrochko, the medals were inscribed with the inspiring poem of Lina Kostenko, summarizing the spirit of the run at its very core:
“And everything in life we must endure
For every finish line becomes a start,
The future’s path we cannot see or chart
And tears for days gone by should not restart”
VATAHA’s deepest thanks goes out to HAAG Athletiek, Vindo Solar, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Netherlands, NLT, Empatia from the OPORA Foundation, Netherlands for Ukraine Foundation, Ukrainian Diaspora, dried products company Born, and of course, VATAHA’s own dedicated volunteers.
By Anni Schleicher
August 25, 2024