Kyiv is the perfect city for running

Here are some of the best trails for runners to explore

There’s only one thing that a runner needs: space. Okay, maybe good running shoes, too. But spatially speaking, not many world capitals boast as much free, open, unoccupied space as Kyiv does. Parks, wide pavements, green boulevards, hilly roads, a small island, and a river embankment — central Kyiv is a huge, picturesque treadmill where nature coexists with Soviet concrete buildings and glassy skyscrapers.

Isn’t that simply runnable?

Today, I want to share some of my favourite routes in the city and take you on a remote visual journey through them.

So, let’s go for a run?

The Green Path

In general, each of these routes is a green path. Green is aplenty in many parts of Kyiv. This particular green path goes through Park Vichnoi Slavy, and what can be greener than a park? Only a forest. There are some foresty parks in Kyiv, but they are further removed from the centre. This green path, however, lies in the oldest part of the city. I live just five minutes from this place and it’s my regular morning running route.

Pictures and drawings made by me

I begin to jog through a yard where leaves, trees, bushes, and other green things grew out of control and turned into a…