Walking for the heart: over 55 billion steps were taken by the participants of the health tournament

More than 65,000 people from 81 regions of Russia, including the DPR and LPR, took part in the Walking Man background walking championship, the League of National Health Charity foundation told Izvestia. The Foundation is organizing this event for the seventh time. The names of the winners were announced on November 20 at the Izvestia press center. In total, the participants completed more than 55 billion steps, which is over 40 million km. The competition brought together families, work teams, students and pensioners. For example, the winner in one of the nominations was a team of rehabilitation doctors and their patients. About who else won and how to properly and regularly maintain physical activity is in the Izvestia article.

One step ahead

Izvestia News Center summed up the results of the All-Russian background walking competition "Walking Man", this year it was held for the seventh time. Background walking is all a person's steps per day. The championship is organized by the National Health League, an all—Russian public organization, and is supported by the Ministry of Sports as part of the federal project "Sport is the Norm of Life."

"This year, almost 2.5 thousand teams from almost all regions of Russia took part in the championship, which is more than 65 thousand people," Leo Bokeria, the project's ideologist, cardiac surgeon and academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia. — I am sure that this is the most massive team competition. The championship is held in six competitive programs: for student, corporate, municipal, family teams, senior teams and healthy lifestyle groups. I am sincerely glad that the competition has gained regular participants, fans of background walking. Each of you is a winner!

The first stage of the championship was held from September 1 to September 25, 2025, and the main stage was held from October 1 to October 31. All participants downloaded a special step counting app.

265 teams competed in the student category. The third place went to the Krasnoyarsk team "Culture of the Siberian State Institute of Arts" (Siberian State Institute of Arts), the second — "SSK KKST-1" (Student Sports Club of the Kemerovo Municipal Construction College). And the first place was taken by the team of the Department of Theory and Methodology of Physical Culture and Sports of the Volga State University of Physical Education, Sports and Tourism from Kazan.

In the corporate competition, the bronze medal went to the Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol LLC team. In second place is the "Relatives of Santa Claus" from Vologda. The Asia Cement team won the title of champion.

The winner in the "Overcoming" nomination was a team from Yaroslavl Regional Clinical Hospital No. 2. Rehabilitologists and their patients took part. And the honorary title of "Silver Pedestrian" was won by 88-year-old pensioner Yuri Fedorovich, a member of the Active Longevity team from Kolomna near Moscow.

This year, participants from all Russian regions have completed 55 billion steps — more than 40 million km. The goal of the project is to motivate residents of the country to move more, turning ordinary walking into an exciting competition, the National Health League noted. One of the participants, Anastasia from Saratov, whose team led to the final, said that she had completed 700 thousand steps in a month.

— I first learned about the Walking Man project about two years ago. I participated last year, I didn't set any big goals for myself — it was just interesting to test my strength, to see how many steps I usually walk. And this year I have already become the captain of the team and felt responsible," she admitted.

Love of movement is a family habit

Background walking is a great way to monitor your activity at any age, Russian Sports Minister and head of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev said in his address to the participants and organizers of the championship.

— It helps to strengthen the body and improves well—being, and the competitive principle makes walking adventurous and exciting, - he stressed.

The winners of the Walking Man championship were also congratulated by the record holder of the Russian Book of Records in bungee jumping (an extreme sport where jumps are made from high-rise platforms, bridges and towers). Mikhail Panov. He advised me to do physical education at any age.

— No need to count your years, just go ahead! We should not be afraid of mistakes, but of inaction. People often ask us, "What would you say to your children?" I reply that you don't have to say anything, but you have to be an example yourself. When you are an example in the family, the children support you and also start studying," Mikhail Panov believes.

Irina Ortman, a TV presenter representing the public project "Starship Troopers", joined his opinion.

— Sport is the beginning of all beginnings. And it all starts with ourselves. Of course, family support is important in sports, family values come first," she said.

The habit of regular physical activity is laid down in early childhood, Arina Larina, a pediatrician and consultant to the manufacturer of children's educational kits Give Creative, told Izvestia.

—Habits established in the early years of life become the natural norm of behavior and significantly increase the likelihood that a person will maintain an active lifestyle in the future," she explained.

How to properly maintain physical activity

Regular physical activity is the most effective and affordable tool for maintaining lifelong health, pediatrician Arina Larina said.

—Movement provides a natural release of the "hormones of joy and happiness" — endorphins, reduces cortisol levels, improves sleep quality, stabilizes mood and helps the body cope with stress overload, which inevitably accompanies the modern rhythm of life," she said.

Movement is also necessary for the prevention of chronic diseases, added Alexey Nikitin, cardiologist at the Invitro Clinic. Physical activity helps the cardiovascular system to work more stable, improves metabolism, strengthens muscles and joints, and also has a positive effect on the psycho-emotional state.

— It is useful to set the time for classes in advance so that physical activity becomes as much a part of the day as eating or sleeping, — advises the specialist. — It is important not to try to achieve quick results, but to gradually integrate movement into daily life. This will help to adapt the body and reduce the risk of injury. Any movement is beneficial, even if it's a short walk or a light warm-up in moments of fatigue.

Constant moderate activity will have a much better effect on health than rare intense workouts, the doctor noted.

Physical activity helps to keep the body in shape. Being overweight is a serious risk factor that can trigger the development of diabetes and heart disease, hormonal disorders, reproductive function, and even some types of malignant neoplasms, said Ekaterina Demyanovskaya, a neurologist at the Hemotest laboratory.

— Movement is life, and these are not empty words. Physical inactivity, or lack of physical activity, is not inherent in humans, as it is inherent in nature. Adequate physical activity has been proven to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and hypertension. After all, the heart, like any muscle, needs training," the doctor said.

According to Ekaterina Demyanovskaya, it is not necessary to go to the gym regularly — it is enough to walk more often. If the weather and time allow, it is better to walk a few stops than to travel by public transport. In addition, you can find something to do: dancing, yoga, swimming, cycling in summer or skiing in winter.