Blue Hepatica Run to be held in Narva for 1st time

  • 2019-04-20
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN - Blue Hepatica Run, a running event for everyone held as part of the program of the Veterans Month in several towns across Estonia and abroad, will take place in the northeastern border city Narva for the first time this year. 

Between April 6 and 28, the runs take place in Parnu, Narva, Tartu, Tallinn, Brussels and Copenhagen.

The program of the events in Narva will start with free runs for children in Joaorg from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday. Starting from noon the physical fitness test that all members of the defense forces must pass can be taken by members of the public, and the Blue Hepatica Run will start at 1 p.m., organizers said. 

The length of the track is 3.2 kilometers. 

The donations gathered during the Veterans Month, including Blue Hepatica Run participation fees, help support veterans and their next-of-kin as well as the field of healthcare and sports more broadly. The beneficiaries include the nonprofit South Estonian Hospital Foundation, which will use the funds to obtain medical rehabilitation equipment, the nonprofit Peaasjad to pursue its activities in addressing issues of mental health, the southeastern town of Voru to establish an outdoor fitness area, and the Estonian Association of Sports for the Disabled to conduct trainings in sitting volleyball and participate in competitions.

"Making a donation is a possibility for those who are not involved in national defense activities on a day-to-day basis to make their contribution to national defense," President Kersti Kaljulaid said.

The head of state has made a donation in support of veterans of the defense forces and the Kaitseliit volunteer corps and wears a Blue Hepatica Badge.

In Narva, Veterans Day will be celebrated with an event in front of the Fama shopping center from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The orchestra of the defense forces will play and meetings will take place with veterans, NATO allies and members of the Narva region of Kaitseliit.

The defense forces will have equipment on display, including a PASI XA-188 armored personnel carried, a 155 mm FH-70 howitzer, a 23 mm ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun, a  Mistral short-range missile system, as well as FGM-148 Javelin and Milan antitank missile systems.

The Veterans Day events in Narva are organized by the educational program "Sinu Riigi Kaitse" ("Defense of Your State").