From 11 to 14 July, the four-day health and environmental cycling marathon “Different but Equal” took place. More than 25 people from the regional centre and other towns of the Brest region took part, including 10 people with disabilities. Together with volunteers, participants delivered an educational programme on healthy lifestyles along the route: Brest – Vyalikiya Motykaly (Brest District) – Zhabinka – Brest. Below is an overview of the main events of the marathon.
On the evening of 11 July, participants of the Inclusive Centre for the Promotion of a Healthy Lifestyle from Brest travelled by car transfer to Kobrin, where they met a local group of volunteers and people with disabilities — members of the public association “Invalid i Sreda” (Disability and Environment). During the interactive session “Health in Your Hands”, participants gained new practical knowledge. The same evening, a mobile Inclusive Virtual School on making sound decisions in emergency life situations was organised for participants with disabilities. Using 3D glasses, young people who use wheelchairs took a virtual mountain journey and experienced “skiing” and “rock climbing”.
The next stop on the route was the agrotown of Vyalikiya Motykaly. Together with the House of Culture, the local secondary school and the Territorial Centre for Social Services of the Population (TCSON) of Brest District, a “Health Festival” with a full programme was organised for residents. Guests enjoyed an educational puppet show “Breathe Freely” and the exhibition “Health”: primary-school pupils completed eight thematic “stations” in a game format and learned the main principles of a healthy lifestyle. For senior pupils, an educational quiz was held, as well as cycling and darts competitions. Competition winners received prizes.
In addition, the marathon organisers gave people with disabilities from the agrotown of Vyalikiya Motykaly and clients of the Brest District TCSON the opportunity to learn about the Paralympic sport of boccia. Those who wished took part in sports archery while sitting in a wheelchair or on a chair. Work with 3D glasses was also organised.
Participants spent the third day of the marathon in Zhabinka, where a programme similar to the previous day was delivered for people with disabilities served by the Zhabinka Territorial Centre for Social Services of the Population. Participants also visited the historical sights of the district centre and a local lake. On the fourth day, during a lunch stop on the return journey, on the bank of the Mukhavets River at the agro-estate “Tri Bogatyrya” (“Three Heroes”), the results of the event were summarised. Participants also visited the Petrovichi forestry unit of the Kobrin Experimental Forestry Enterprise, where they fed deer and walked the ecological trail “Visiting Petrovich”.
Each participant took part in the programme according to their abilities. For some participants with disabilities, completing the route became a meaningful personal achievement and helped overcome certain social attitudes and stereotypes. Riding a bicycle for several hours, including as a linked pair with another participant, requires substantial effort. Participants who used a tridem highly valued the experience.
The tridem design attaches a wheelchair to a tandem bicycle with a rigid tow bar, enabling three people to move together: a volunteer, a person with a visual disability, and a person who uses a wheelchair.
Yulia Vasilyuk, who has a Group I visual disability, was not taking part in the cycling marathon for the first time. This year she was joined by her 13-year-old daughter Sofia, who followed the tridem on a separate bicycle. For the seventh-grade pupil of Secondary School No. 29 in Brest, the journey became one of the most significant events of the summer.
The health cycling marathon was a success. Participants gained positive emotions and experience of promoting a direction that matters for modern society — building a culture of healthy living. Once again, the initiative of people with disabilities confirmed the wide opportunities for personal development and achieving set goals.