VLADIVOSTOK, May 28 (RIA Novosti's Anatoly Ilyukhov) -The Russian-British "Great Russian Way" running relay race started off Saturday in Vladivostok. It is to cross Russia coast to coast, from Vladivostok in the Pacific to St.Petersburg in the Baltic where it is scheduled to finish on September 8.
According to Valentin Balakhnichev, president of Russia's track-and-field federation, the 11,000 km race is going to be an unprecedented event in world history.
The relay consists of 15 stages, each of a week-long duration. It is going to take two teams, Russian and British, one week to run a stage.
Overall, the teams comprise 280 runners. They are expected to be joined by amateur participants at each stage. The latter will be able to run a distance of optional length to demonstrate their allegiance to the Olympic motto "Join to be part of the Games not a victor".
The relay features a number of officials in either team, with the former UK Ambassador in Russia Sir Roderic Lyne, for example, noticed at the start line in Vladivostok on Saturday.
The Russian team comprises many well-known athletes, winners of major international marathon competitions, including world and European championships. The British team is composed of running fans and includes students, military officers, and sports veterans.
Bruce Tulloh, a famous trainer and former European champion, has coached the British team for the super marathon. The team is personally supervised by Sir Sebastian Coe, a two-times Olympic champion and former world record holder.
