Milan Miletich: running as active meditation Milan Miletich: “For me, an ironman is a person who helped lift a neighbor’s washing machine to the third floor” Tatyana Vorotilina, a cyborg girl: “A kick with a metal leg is very effective”

27.06.2021

The author of the diary talked to the most charismatic coach of the running party, Milan Miletich, the finisher of the trail races and the Ironman race, and asked about the socialization and psychology of the athlete.

— Milan, tell us about your new project.

- I know about running, I understand about functional training - I was with you earlier in training, but socialization - what is it about?

“There is a lot of physical contact and communication between people. People are starting to get to know each other. 120-130 people come to us now on weekends, 40-50 on weekdays. It is winter now, and in the spring and summer we expect 200-300 people.

- Are you two leading with Polina? Or are you alone?

(Polina Syrovatskaya, trainer, CCM in sports aerobics - ed.)

“Sometimes me, sometimes she, sometimes we are together.

How do you manage to keep the attention of so many people?

- You know, it depends on the coach. Some lead only small groups, while Polina and I are good at doing large ones. The coach should be quite charismatic, a bit of a showman.

— Well, you're doing great, judging by the photos. Tell us about the pajama party format, how did it come about?..

— I did something similar in Belgrade a few years ago and I wanted to try it here. You see, in Moscow people are constantly under stress, depression, a lot of work. I think they are influenced by the community around them, of course, they need to relax a little. This is the time when people can goof around, run around in pajamas, make friends and everything.

- Well, it's winter, how does it all happen?

- We run around the street for 5-10 minutes, then we go indoors. You can't freeze. The problem is that people who work 10 hours in offices, then go to the subway, then home, lose their relationship not only with each other, but also with nature.

Imagine a beautiful romantic summer rain. People are worried: “Oh, how are we going to train?!”. The same with the cold. You can train on the street, you just need to understand that this is not bad, this is normal. In order for the body to adapt to such conditions, you just need to move. Of course, if you haven't trained for six months and decide to go for a run on the first of February, then you shouldn't run 10 km right away.

- You've been teaching for a long time. How do people change during training?

“It's a matter of psychology. Let me ask you a question: why do most people start exercising?

- They want movement, they want to change something in themselves ...

- Approximately 80% of people begin to exercise to lose weight or improve physical fitness. Why do they want it? To look better. Why do they need it? To please yourself or someone else. What for? To get emotions from a potential partner. But what happens? You come to the party to lose weight, to feel better, to be healthier. But there the ego immediately begins to speak: how much do you run, what is your speed, and if you didn’t run a half marathon, then you don’t understand anything about running, and if you didn’t run a marathon, then ... and so on.

The person is lost. He enters the sport to get emotional and ends up training like a horse to get Facebook attention, likes, comments on how much he has run and how cool he is. The person trains harder. And we know that training hard is not healthy. Someone who runs 4-5 times a week for 5 km is much healthier than someone who trains 6-7 times a week and runs 15 km. Both physically and psychologically.

Nobody asks marathon and ultramarathon girls when they last cycled, when they last had sex. People are not interested, they are interested in the result. We live in a culture of capitalism. “Faster, stronger, higher” is the slogan of modern capitalism. In capitalism, the result is important. When you train for results, it's self-destructive. You destroy your body at the expense of the result. If people were more passive, if they went in for sports for psychophysical happiness, it would be much better.

- And where is the line beyond which - destruction?

- When you come to training, you get emotions from people. They hug you, they smile at you. A person who is emotionally and physically happier, who has Good friends, such a person does not train omnipotently. He trains at the expense of mental and physical health. For example, you brush your teeth twice a day. Do you post about it on Facebook?

- No, what is there to post about - this is a routine, a habit ...

- ... this is automatism at the expense of health. It happens with running, with sports. We teach people that when you feel psychophysically happier, the result is no longer important to you. Yes, there is such a feature in people - to find out how much I can? This is good, but constantly training at the expense of the result is a matter of community and the culture in which we grew up. Because the community dictates that we show results. Actually it's bad.

- Do you think that a person is destroyed by the fact that he trains for the result? Does he become unhappy in the future?

“It’s not only bad for the person himself. It's bad for the community, it's bad for nature. See what constant progress has done in our culture? We destroyed our world to prove that we are the coolest. Constant progress and results. We are destroying nature, we are destroying man as a spiritual being, and we remain like physical horses, where the spiritual is not important, but the physical is important. Now less and less people communicate, show emotions. Too much ego. Let's take ironman. Me too Ironman . I gave away all my medals, all my T-shirts. And you look at these people who have passed [the race], who go to training in T-shirts Ironman and are very proud of it. But when they come to practice, they cannot do three minutes of the exercises that our girls do. I lower them to the ground, I say: guys, don't be proud of the result, there is nothing good here. My grandmother spent 50 years of her life working in the field - hard physical work 12 hours a day. At the end of the day, she came home to feed her family. She didn't get a t-shirt and a medal, didn't get any title iron -grandma - it was a way of life. And now you pedaled, swam, ran - you are the king!

A person must develop spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and not just physically.

For me, an ironman is a person who helped raise a neighbor washing machine to the third floor. Who took the garbage from the street and threw it into the container. This is Ironman. Your athletic performance will not make you a better person.

How do you achieve this in training? You somehow tell people, they say, guys, relax, we are not here for the result.

— No, I don't say anything. I can give a lecture on the topic of psychology in sports, and in training, believe it or not, I don’t say anything, but people just become happier, they hug, get emotions, after training they go to the cinema, to the theater, although they met four classes ago. They are already starting to make friends with each other, becoming emotionally happier, and they no longer need the result as such.

You say you are free. At first they were paid, then subscriptions were canceled. How so? TV » we are preparing two teams Rebook for the "Become Human" race, but we're more fooling around than training (laughs).

My philosophy is not to compete. I can make a team, but they won't compete either. I will say: guys, enjoy the process and don't worry about the result. You got one very cool thing, much better than a stupid result - you got a team, you got friends. If you look at the culture in which we grew up - girls and boys - what do we see? Boys constantly compete with each other, play war, and girls stand together, communicate, do something creative. We want to make it much better for everyone - less testosterone, less performance, more happiness, more creativity.

Interviewed by Yulia Kuskova.
Photo: Instagram

A master of sports in cycling, a running coach, a former (as far as possible) special forces soldier, a Serb who was born in a country that no longer exists - Yugoslavia - traveled around the world for a long time and opened the Nula social project in Moscow, and then - the jogging club "Capital "(together with the guys from the Moscow Marathon). In interviews, he often talks about how running is a means, not an end, but we know little about him. And while this man is changing the image of Moscow running, the editors of Stride Mag decided to find out who Milan Miletich is.

S. How did the war (including the siege of Sarajevo during the breakup of Yugoslavia that started in 1991) affect your childhood?

M. I have a very good ear, and I dreamed of studying at a music school, but I did not manage to enter there because of the war - I was very young then, I was 10-11 years old. Dad was at war, in Croatia and Bosnia, and my brothers and I, like all children, spent enough time at home, because lawlessness and hooliganism reigned on the street. But there was something funny in this situation, because when the country is quite poor, you learn to improvise in children's games, you learn to make do with a minimum of toys on the street. It was interesting enough. The country was poor (as it is now), but the poorer the people, the stronger they stick together. I feel that the first war helped me understand that I don't need much to be happy. The second time the country was bombed during wars for Kosovo and I went to the army. Then I was already an eighteen-year-old teenager.

S. Tell me, please, why did you join the special forces? It seemed like a logical way to make money, in connection with the war?

M. When I graduated from college, as we call high school, I really wanted to get into the faculty physical culture. I was a hyperactive child, so I did not turn out to be a diligent student, I could not count on free education, and I began to look for a job. My dad and grandfather worked in a printing house - dad was a senior foreman, he studied in Germany. He was very famous among typographers in Serbia. My father expected me to do this, but it was not my thing, I didn’t really like standing over the car. I am a social person - I like to chat with people, and cars are not my thing. And the salary there was small, so I worked as much as was enough to pay for my studies at the university, and left. And the competition for special forces was just opened, where in 2001 it was possible to “raise” 1000-1500 euros. Like any teenager, I had a romantic idea of the army, war and true friendship - I read Remarque too much. And I chose SWAT. And so, on the first day of the competition, there were 640 of us, then there was a selection process, and 80 of us remained. Then six months of training, and we were left with 50 people.

S. Was it some kind of sports test?

M. This is called psycho-physical selection. You sleep minimally, you are minimally fed, you are constantly under psychophysical stress, and in the first ten days, in principle, 50 percent of people fall off. The most stubborn survive. Moreover, these are always unexpected people.

Judging by American films, the commandos are such hard-boiled guys. But in real spetsnaz, pitching "falls off" first. And a man who doesn't look like a commando, when you give him a gun, shoots like he was born with it.

S. I read that your dad wanted you to be a footballer, but it didn't work out, probably because you were chubby. How was it really?

M. Until I was 16, I was just a "barrel". Plus, like many at this age, I had problems with coordination. Here he stood at the gate. And all the guys in the team were already adults, thin, with good coordination and played football great. Dad always taught the guys to play football, devoted more time to them, and I, his child, stood at the gate. As a small child, it was painful and insulting for me. That everyone is talented, but I'm really bad. Because of this, football and basketball are not mine, although now I can, of course, play. But it developed as I got older. And then he went in for cyclic sports. I tried everything there.

S. Why were these sports suitable for you? What did you see in them, what did you understand: is this mine?

M. I can't say exactly. I really enjoyed spending time outdoors. In that sense, the bike is great. It gave me a feeling of freedom, loneliness. There are always people next to you, a constant exchange of information, and this is the moment when you are alone for three hours. You sit on it and ride on the street for four to six hours. Fresh air, sun, rain - it doesn't matter, just pedal, enjoy training, nature, good company. The same run. You can think or not think at all, but relax and get into a meditative state. And it heals.

S. Why did you go to France at the time? Why didn't you stay in Serbia?

M. I graduated from the sports department, and I could no longer work in special forces, and now, finally, sports, great love. So much enthusiasm and desire. I resigned with a pure soul (although my dad cursed because I had the opportunity to continue my career as an officer - a good salary and so on). I started going from club to club and saying that I am very cool, I do my job well and I can make people champions. But in any club they were interested in who I know, who sent me and so on. A bitter understanding came that all enthusiasm and all knowledge lead to nothing in our country, and here too. But money is needed, but somehow I don’t want to go to the printing house. I had to go back to the special forces, and I went toFrench legion . They actually have a very tough selection - a short test, and one out of seven people passes it. I was not the most ideal candidate (I had experience in the Serbian special forces, and it is more difficult to retrain people with experience), but I still got it. Six months later, the selection process was over, and I asked myself if I wanted to do this for the rest of my life - because it would mean giving up family, friends, a real job. I realized that I did not want to fight other people's wars for money and did not sign the contract.

S. And immediately went to Sweden?

M. No. Returned to Serbia. I had a friend from Australia, he worked in Sweden as a forest guide, and he invited me there: there you had to be able to read a map, navigate in nature, a bit like special forces survival courses, only peacefully and in tents. I did not really want to sit at home and work for 10 hours for 250 euros, and I agreed to be a guide.

S. You once said that a man who served in the special forces is not afraid of a marathon. What was so terrible about the special forces?

M. In all elite special forces, the selection is very tough. Only a few pass, and all marathons and IronMans and ultramarathons and everything else that is in this “sport exotic” is simply ridiculous for them. The first ten days you are still on adrenaline, but then you realize that two hours of sleep is not enough. Around the thirtieth day, due to lack of sleep, I began to hallucinate. Also minimal food. You get a big ration of food, but you don't have time to eat it. The instructor says you have five minutes. And then you have to run the "ten" up and down, up and down the hills.

People just threw up all at once. I put this dry meat in my pockets and during the day, when there was a minute, I ate a little.

You are quick to think in stressful situations. Plus, I quickly realized that meat does not work, but sugar works, and I changed meat for chocolate - I lived for 45 days on 500 g of chocolate a day. When I graduated from the special forces, I was no longer motivated by any sporting achievements in ordinary life. You have already gone through things ten times more difficult. [Standard motivational phrases like "Prove yourself you can"] don't work anymore. But the hardest thing is when you stop working in the special forces. The biggest problems begin.

S. Because of routine and boredom?

M. Because of the return to normal life. Three months ago, you were a god, you could save or kill a person, and as a special forces you can’t legally answer for this, because you are at war. Ordinary people were an object for you, nobody, and now they must be treated differently, they must be reckoned with. Another problem that people who have retired from the special forces face, and mine too: for some time after returning, you cannot have sex. This is such a clinical syndrome. Instead of relaxing and having sex, you suffer from flashbacks, re-living the situations that were there, in the war, and without the help of medicines, you practically cannot have sex. It lasted about a year and a half, then calmed down. Now there are flashbacks once a month for three or four nights. I dream that I leave my friends, that they went to die in the war without me, and everyone is offended by me.

S. Does this really reflect how you feel?

M. The fact of the matter is that it is not, but it sits somewhere deep inside, because it is laid down by education. We are all taught not to leave our friends when we are kids, but what we really need to learn is to let go and move on with our lives. The upbringing we receive through religion, culture, family shapes us when we are small. Therefore, when we become adults, we act a little strange, because we were brought up that way. For example, traditionally we are taught that gays are bad. And now a thirty-year-old adult hates gays...

S. Simply because he was told about it as a child.

M. Yes. They also said that getting a divorce is bad, and now you get a divorce and feel guilty. You understand that it was the best decision, but you feel guilty. Why? Because they've always been taught that it's bad. In short, that time after working in the special forces was difficult.

S. What brought you back to normal life?

M. I got rid of it and now I continue. I realized that I can’t do a static job, that I don’t want to live with my parents, that I want my life and work at a job that I love. Earn enough money to spend your pension in the mountains or at sea little house and read books all day until I die.

S.... And that's why you came to Moscow, because here the sea and mountains.

M. Moscow is one more step, one more step towards this pension, when I will be more than 55-60 years old. Now it's just another cycle.

S. You said that you came to Russia with 100 euros in your pocket...

M. Basically, it was. I have visited Russia twice. First time in 2010. I worked as a physical education teacher at a school in Pokrovsky-Streshnevo, and I really liked it. I worked for eight months, but despite the fact that I had a foreign diploma and IELTS, and my spoken English is excellent, I was asked to leave. Nothing like this is practiced in similar schools in Europe: if you are a literature teacher, it is logical that this should be a native speaker, but a physical education teacher can be from anywhere. But in Moscow everything is different. It was a pity: the children loved me very much, and I loved this work very much, I liked that I could share my experience with them. These were all children from very wealthy families, but apart from money, most parents did not give them anything. No attention, no love. Only money. And they saw in you both a teacher and an older brother, they asked for advice. In short, it was embarrassing.

I was disappointed and returned to Serbia. But then a running boom began in Moscow and in the world, and my friend Kamilla Gazieva and I opened the Unity Run Camp - to organize sports camps abroad, intensive weeks in Moscow. Then Camille got married in the States, and I was practically left without a project, because she worked great with administration and marketing, I worked well with people. Unfortunately or fortunately, I went to I Love Running for a month and a half, managed to work there, but I didn’t like the disrespectful and slightly aggressive attitude towards employees within the company, I didn’t want to endure it, and left. Then we created the Nula Project, which worked well for a year and a half.

S. It seems that longer - there was so much noise and cool events around him. By the way, why did the project end?

M. Yes, it was cool. It was another step and experience. I love long relationships, but if you see that the project is not developing, not growing, or not bringing pleasure, you need to move on. Or let go if there is a person who does it ten times better than you. I'm glad we made so much noise and got to know so many wonderful people. But unfortunately, I could not lead two projects, because the "Capital" appeared.

S. As I understand it, the principles of operation of "Capital" and "Nula" are similar? The same functional training, training in the form of a game, right? Only KLB, it turns out the school is paid, directly serious, and Nula is a community, right?

M. The ideas are similar, only in the "Capital" there are not functional trainings, but running ones, plus elements of physical training, stretching, SBU, as well as socialization through sports. In 2012-2013, I met Yura Afanasov from the Moscow Marathon. I then offered him to create a running school from the Moscow Marathon together, such as the New York Road Runners. At that moment they(Afanasov and Dmitry Tarasov - ed.) were not ready, and a year and a half ago I proposed again, and they agreed. We started working together. At some point, I realized that I could not emotionally invest in the "Capital" as I want, because I have Nula. So at one point I asked a few guys from Capital to lead Nula. Unfortunately, the party began to close: initially it was a project “for everyone”, but it became a project “only for its own”. They didn't work, I didn't have time to do it, and I didn't want to see the project die. I suggested leaving the project while it's still cool: let's close it, let alone good story will follow us. And so it happened.

S. While we are not far away from the topic of I Love Running: there is your famous phrase about schools that prepare for a marathon in seven weeks - “guys, you better shoot yourself in the foot right away.” Are you talking about I Love Running?

M. About her, of course. I think they are the best sellers on the market. Here is a glass of coffee, you drink it for five days, you lose five kilograms. And everyone wants that coffee. They understood what people needed. People need to instantly get some title: half marathon runner, marathon runner. Something that other people will like, a goal in a short amount of time and an appropriate social status after that goal.

A real running boom will begin when people begin to use running as a way of life and accept it not as a result, but as a tool for obtaining mental and physical health.

Here in New York, the average time for a marathon among more than 50 thousand participants is 4.47, the pace is 6 minutes 34 seconds per kilometer. This is not the pace of running for the result, this is a run for health. But in Moscow, this does not work yet, but the “result as motivation” bundle works, because life in a big city is when no one notices you.And ILR with their proposals came in very handy. How much longer this will last is unclear. They remain the best sellers on the market, although better information is beginning to emerge that such programs are not very useful in the long term. People think why there are not as many runners in Moscow as in London, New York, and other cities. There are many more runners there, because when they started to develop running, capitalism and the culture of consumption was not so developed. They realized that running or jogging is just for their health. Because working at a sedentary job for ten hours is not useful.

S. Well, yes, if we don't move, we'll all die soon.

M. Yes. And the doctors said if you want to stay healthy, then 30-40 minutes a day of slow running three to four times a week. This is where culture began to develop. Then through the New York Marathon it becomes global and so on. But Moscow's problem is that culture began to develop not because of health, but because we all need it because of social status. Maybe such a mentality would have existed in the States if running had appeared there in the late 1990s and early 2000s. And vice versa, if running had appeared here earlier, it would have passed these periods and people would understand that it is necessary for health.

S. Speaking of capitalism. As far as I know, you are concerned about the fact that professional runners agree to small, non-monetary deals with brands. Did I understand your idea correctly?

M. When I started working with big brands on various projects (as part of Unity, Nula Project and now with Stolitsa), I began to notice that here, in Russia, the business culture, for example, has not yet been developed. Especially among young people who work with big brands. When you see how it all works in the West and how it is done here, you get the feeling that big brands take advantage of or manipulate young people well in order to get a lot for nothing.

S. Can you give an example? From the outside it looks like everything is the same. The same pop stars in brand advertising, and some brands attract athletes. It seems that the same thing is happening in the West.

M. The difference is that in the West, athletes, bloggers or opinion leaders charge big or just adequate money for this. It's just that there are different schemes of cooperation. Here is an example. We live in the same area. Let's say I opened a local cafe. I know that a lot of people follow you on instagram and facebook, and I ask: Serafima, help make it so that people know that there is a cafe in the area with cool homemade coffee and atmosphere. I'm your friend and you say let's do it. Free, nothing needed, we'll just do it together. You help me develop a local business so that people don't drink coffee at McDonald's, but at a person they know.

S. And so it happens.

M. Yes, that's how it should be. And this is good. Next example. I am already a big entrepreneur and have opened a multi-brand store. This is very serious money, everything is developing well. You and I are not really friends, we just know each other through social networks. I know that a lot of people are following you, I ask for help, I want more people to know about my products. And I give you some products as a gift so that you just wear them and sometimes take pictures in them and put a hashtag. In this collaboration, I already give you something. And there is a third model, where there is you, a popular blogger or athlete, and there are multi-million brands: Nike, Adidas, Puma, Asics, Mizuno and so on (we are talking about sports). And the next level begins. If you work with brands that sell billions, it would be very strange not to ask for money.

S. I am already a well-known character in this model, which you need now more than you need me, and therefore you pay me money for this. So?

M. They come to you and say: we want you to advertise us, here are our clothes for you. And you already got clothes from a multi-brand store. And all of a sudden, a brand that is globally active, and you know they have a lot more money, suddenly offers the same scheme. Here it is necessary, as in the West, to ask something else. But in Moscow it does not work. Firstly, because they do not offer, because the task of any manager is to get the maximum for the minimum. Secondly, - I'm talking about sports now and not talking about the rest - young coaches do not have a developed business education. They don't value themselves enough, don't believe in themselves, or are embarrassed to ask for money.

S. Most likely all together. It seems that this is not accepted in our culture, but on the contrary, it is laid down, it is very embarrassing not only to ask for money, but to raise this topic in general.

M. And it shouldn't be like that. Because they, as opinion leaders, provide a service, and this should be paid. I feel a bit sorry for them now, because I know how much money I received from brands. If I, a country boy from Serbia, can get such numbers, why do Russian guys, who are ten times cooler, have much cooler social networks, more people watch them, work for sneakers and T-shirts?

S. How to change it?

M. One of the options is to organize a union of sports workers with these guys. To say: let's not do this, because it dumps the market. Here you are, Seraphim, a journalist. Do you get your salary in magazines or money?

S. In letters and numbers.

M. In short, the athletes also need to be explained that the salary must be received in money. Big brands have huge budgets.

Every time a kind manager from a brand tells athletes how small their budget is and you believe him, know that this “kind” manager just received a very cool cash bonus for his deal with you.

No wonder: after all, now ten super-cool athletes and trendsetters for a few T-shirts and sneakers will promote this brand better than any advertisement. Unfortunately, for now, pointwise, this cannot be changed. Even if you, Serafima, understand that you are a professional, that you write cool and know how to take cool pictures, a lot of people read you and you know the value of your efforts - this does not work. Let's say you come in and say, ok Nike, you pay me 100,000 a month plus so much gear. They will tell you: cat, what's wrong with you, don't be ridiculous. After all, it is easy to find a person who is less cool in his field, but agrees to these conditions. But, if professionals refuse to deal with brands, sooner or later these brands will be advertised by those people who will make anti-advertising for the brand. And the brand will be hated. And he will have to start paying athletes to regain his reputation.

S. Here's another point - brand managers are very friendly guys, and you can't ask a friend for money.

M. Why?

S. Well, this is our culture. How would you ask a friend? Here we had the first example with a coffee shop, where everything is friendly, for free, - you will be glad if a friend pours coffee for you out of the kindness of his soul. The same with brand managers - they are bunnies, you forget that managers.

M. I do not forget. I was asked from one brand: “Milan, you are very cool, tell me why so many people come to you to train, but they don’t go to our coaches. Can you make a lecture for our guys?” I say I can. When? - "This Sunday." Fine, but it'll cost half a million. They told me: “But how is it? We thought we were friends." Well, yes, we are friends, but I know that I work for your brand, I know that you have a lot of money and let's unload your budget a little. Give me your half a million, I can then promote them further.

S. You, like Iskander Yadgarov, also think that

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Milan, please tell us about your youth: where are you from when you started playing sports?

I am from Belgrade, from Serbia. He started playing sports at an early age. There were no smartphones and computers then, and children ran around the street all day long, playing football, basketball, tags, and handball.

You long time served in the special forces. Has the service left a strong imprint on your life? How did you get there and why did you leave?

Yes, special forces leave a very strong imprint on everyone who is there. I still have flashbacks to the past bad dreams. I got into the special forces for a banal reason - I needed money, and there they offered a very good salary. 45 days of selection passed: on the first day there were 650 people, and on the last day 82 remained. Then there were 6 months of training and further service. I left as an officer when there was an internal conflict over right and wrong orders. But the service has shaped me into the person I am today.

How did you get into running?

I came to amateur running after cycling. Wanted to maintain mental and physical health. I also love to eat delicious food, and maintaining weight through jogging is much easier. I have a genetic predisposition to diabetes, so running for me is primarily a tool for maintaining health.

Previously, you had the Nula Project, now you have the Stolitsa running club. Tell me what's the difference between them?

At Nula Project, training was free, but there were no locker rooms, no showers, no stadium, no race slots. We focused on OFP. In the "Capital" training is paid, but with all the amenities. The main focus is on running. The most important thing for me is that we managed to maintain our philosophy: socialization and development of mass sports, improving the quality of life and people's health. To make sports a regular tool for achieving happiness in a big city is our goal.

What is the life of the "Capital" now? How are workouts structured?

"Capital" is now part of the "Running Community", the largest and best sports project in the country. We have several different types of training: online, individual, group training for races, corporate training, training for beginners and people who just want to keep fit. We also arrange sports camps.

All types of training have different specifics, but several common goals: a person must finish the race with a smile, without injuries and remain active even after the desired race. Soon the "Capital" is waiting for big changes, but which ones are still a secret 🙂

Are newcomers or already continuing runners coming more often?

Newbies and we love it. Our goal is to bring new people into sports and an active lifestyle.

Tell us about your favorite races and marathons that you have participated in.

In my opinion, there are several races that everyone should run (with training, of course). 100 miles of Istria in Croatia, these are trail races from 30 km to 170 km.Half Marathon in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and races in my native Belgrade.

The running boom seems to be slowly fading away. But the statistics of participants in marathons show the opposite. It turns out that running is becoming commonplace, and not just a fashionable pastime?

Running is becoming a way of life, and it's cool! Physical activity should not be a privilege, a fashion, or a status story. This is something that is accessible to everyone and truly unites people.

What do you do in the Running Community?

I am the sports director of the running club, the main joker and motivator in the office when I work with everyone. I help the team in all matters, when necessary, and feed the hungry colleagues of Bite 🙂

Recently, the Running Community, together with the Bitey team, held the first children's races. How did it go, in your opinion? How many children took part?

Children is our future. We want to inspire the younger generation to be active - not only in sports, but also in life. And it is important for us that the youngest participants associate running and movement with joy and fun. Therefore, our children's races are not competitive: we do not single out winners and award medals to all children.

We hold children's races on the eve of big starts - St. Petersburg Half Marathon, Luzhniki Half Marathon, Absolute Moscow Marathon. It's nice to see participants with starter packs cheering for their kids. We strive to ensure that for runners with children, the day before the start is an occasion to spend time with the family, and not just visit the EXPO. We seem to be doing great! But there is always room to grow and develop - we are just beginning this story.

So far, we have held two children's races - in St. Petersburg and in Moscow, and we are very pleased that the numbers for the children's starts of the Absolute Moscow Marathon were taken apart almost immediately. We see interest in children's races, it's very cool!

What is the future of children's races?

The development of the race itself and the growth in the number of participants. We want to create real holidays for children and their parents.

Do you think today's Moscow is a running city?

Yes! The whole city is now helping runners: in many cafes you can leave your things while jogging or drink water for free, there are many comfortable paths in parks, asphalt and earth. Running along the embankments is now a pleasure! They are wide, even, do not cross roads. I would like people to use these facilities more often and be even more active, setting an example for family and friends.

Where to start for a newbie? Run slowly on your own or immediately come to classes at a running club?

Beginners should develop the habit of going outside 3-4 times a week and alternating between running and walking for 30 minutes. Where to train is an individual matter. In the running club you will meet new people who will support you, get a professional trainer and ideal conditions for training. But there are people who love loneliness - it is better for them to train without the crowd.

What does running do for you?

Running for me is meditation in motion. It is a cyclical sport that is just as relaxing as cycling.

Find out all the news from the life of Milan and the Club of Runners "Capital" in

Professional cyclist from Belgrade, fitness trainer and ultramarathon runner Milan Miletic is famous not only in Europe but also in Moscow. In the capital, he created his famous Nula Project, a fitness movement whose members prefer to train outdoors. And later he founded the Stolitsa jogging club, which he now heads. The athlete plans not just to instill a culture of running in the harsh Russian climatic conditions: Milan sees running as an excellent opportunity to communicate, get to know each other, communicate and even create family unions.

Milan Miletich has been in Moscow since 2010. In those days, running was not something that was not mainstream, and no one even seriously thought about what correct running is and that learning running technique is so important. Most people run to lose weight. Now running is very popular, and for some it has become a lifestyle. This most accessible and democratic sport is the future, the Serbian athlete believes.

“Now in Moscow, for example, they run around mainly in order to post photos in social networks and to get a large number of likes. In fact, almost no one likes running, because it requires a lot of effort, like any physical activity in general. However, it is quite possible to fall in love with the process itself, to start learning something new and very useful for yourself.”

15km sa 1000m vertikalnogo podyema i Nikola Miletich stal oficialno samim mladshim alpinistom kotory pokoril vershinu vostochne Serbiye. Spasibo @sportmarafon za sponzorstvo semyenogo shastya

A post shared by Milan Miletic (@milan_miletich) on Apr 29, 2017 at 11:12am PDT Proper running, according to Milan, is not just technique and training, it is its own special philosophy.

“Running can be considered active meditation: you just go outside and start running in any weather, regardless of the season. You move, and your thoughts begin to work differently than in a normal environment, which helps, for example, to solve complex life problems. This pleasant and at the same time useful feature racing in Russia is just beginning to be realized.”

Sasha Boyarskaya and running as a lifestyle

Which races to participate in this season in Moscow

What are the benefits and harms of running

Teaching running technique involves a largely individual approach. There is no one approach to teaching, an example is the famous world record holders and champions, each of which has a different landing, step width and other features of movement while running at different distances. Experts advise novice runners to choose a running technique that is convenient for themselves under the guidance of an experienced coach. The mentor sees mistakes and shortcomings in the training process from the outside and can give the right advice in time.

The choice of distance is important. Milan Miletich himself admits that it was quite difficult for him to get used to running long distances, since he was a sprinter in cycling. If a person is better at short distances, there is absolutely no need to torture yourself with half marathons and marathons. People of large build, for example, are more suitable for sprinting. It is also important to understand that there are no absolute contraindications to jogging, it is important to correctly determine your style and build a training system.

Mushina v losinah #klbstolitsa

A post shared by Milan Miletic (@milan_miletich) on Apr 5, 2017 at 1:36pm PDT Plans for the future Milan Miletic connects with further development of his running school in Russia and other countries. And of course, the Serbian coach still considers socialization, the ability to communicate in sports, one of the most important aspects of the development of the running industry.