Ksenia Shoigu. A hobby that became a lifelong endeavor

We talked to Ksenia Shoigu, the team leader of the “League of Heroes”, specializing in the organization of large sports and mass events in the amateur segment, and learned how a new type of active recreation was born out of love for sports and perseverance.

Ksenia Shoigu

– To be a girl in sports, and even more so to be a manager in a sports project, is already a great rarity. How did you come into sports and how did you come up with the idea of “Race”?
– I have always loved sports, especially running. But until a certain moment I had never tried to organize sports events. Initially we conceived this event for ourselves and for our friends, but thanks to the interest of people it became clear that the project is simply doomed to become mass and popular.

When the “Race of Heroes” appeared, and then the concepts of other sports projects, it was time to create a unified brand, organization and, of course, to gather a team of enthusiasts ready to work with full dedication. This is how “League of Heroes” was born in 2015. Now the “League” has grown, we are bigger and more experienced. Obstacle races are practically a new direction for us and this, of course, was an additional incentive – excitement and the desire to be a pioneer!

Ksenia Shoigu

– Where did it all start? What was the geography like in the first year of the project’s launch?
– Oh, I love this story. It started with one phone call. In August 2013, an acquaintance of mine called me and said: “Listen, I have a great idea. You know something about obstacle course races? I want to get all my most athletic friends together and have a race like this!” I liked the idea, so I told him, “Let’s try it!” We found a site, basically a simple field. We assembled simple obstacles made of wood, hay, tires. From these simple constructions would later grow our famous “handwalks”, “Everest” and other tests. Then we had a real “scout trail”. Next we had to find participants. We called friends, acquaintances, buddies, former classmates. In the end, there were several hundred people! This was in Moscow; we reached the federal level later, in 2015.

– What scales and figures have you arrived at now?
– Our first project, our flagship project, i.e. the “Race of Heroes”, will be five years old this year. This is 25 regions and over 500 thousand participants and spectators from all over the country. In three countries, to be more precise. We held the Race in Baku, organized a winter race in Germany at the Nürburgring race track.

– Is there any standard set of obstacles at the venue or do they change based on some local peculiarities?
– We have a lot of iconic, easily recognizable obstacles: maneuvers, “Everest”, “born again”, but, of course, for each track they have their own order of arrangement. Most of the routes also have their own special challenges. We are constantly adding something new for each of our routes. For example, for participants of the “Championship” format we offer more obstacles and increased kilometers.

(Championship is a competitive format of the “Race of Heroes” with a prize fund and a more difficult course.)

Ksenia Shoigu

– You yourself often take part in startups, for example in the Race, which took place in Germany. For this you need to have a good physical preparation. Have you practiced any sport professionally in the past?
– No, I have never practiced sports super-professionally. But I was quite seriously interested in running, and now, as you understand, hobby and work go hand in hand. When you organize your own sports event, the first thing you want to do is to take part in it yourself and compare it with other similar projects.

– What was the experience of organizing the start of the “Race of Heroes” in Baku last year?
– I can say for sure that it was a very exciting experience, because it was the first time when we organized the Race not in Russia, but in a country where there was no such event yet. With the support of our Azerbaijani colleagues and the hard work of our team, we were able to create a really great event, which was enjoyed by us, the participants and the organizers from the Azerbaijani side. In general, the outcome was positive. This is where we started our international activities.

Watch the full teaser on the official “League of Heroes” channel on YouTube.

– Such races take place all over the world in different formats and under the auspices of different brands. Did you participate in similar projects of your colleagues, did you share your experience with them?
– Of course I did. And, of course, we exchanged experience in terms of organization. In general, compared to our American and Western counterparts, we have a very high quality standard. And those foreigners who have run the race in Russia are surprised and write enthusiastic comments on social networks. We are pleased that the level of organization of our events is highly appreciated abroad. Nevertheless, there are always points of growth. For us it is international marketing. Now we are learning how to plan, attracting participants at earlier stages, trying to combine all aspects of the event preparation into a single fine-tuned mechanism.

– What do you think: what are the key features of European launches and what, in your opinion, is unique to Russia?
– The first difference is the obstacles. If in foreign races one of the fundamental tests on the track is the relief, height differences, then in our country it is mostly unique obstacles that you, as a participant, need to overcome. The second difference is the format of the starts. We have team races with a certain set of rules (we don’t leave our team members behind, we always wait for the last team member, we listen to the advice of the instructor who helps us to pass the course), while in the West people, as a rule, participate individually in mass starts. And thirdly, because we like to challenge ourselves, our projects are perceived not only as fun, but also as a test, a test of strength. But the emotions in both cases are the same – the joy of victory, pride in ourselves, our persistence and willpower. At the stage of preparation you don’t know whether you will be able to pass the track, whether you will conquer it or not. And only then it becomes clear that everything is quite simple and the main thing is to enjoy the race.

– What are the future prospects of the race?
– Today there are a lot of people who want to bring the race to other countries. In my opinion, my team and I are fulfilling a rather difficult task – to keep the project in quality and gain popularity at the same time. In any case, we are not going to stop at what we have achieved.

Ksenia Shoigu

– Ksenia, what is important for you in life? What do you think a modern girl should be like?
– She should be intelligent, courageous and internally free, well-mannered and harmonious, respecting our values. And she should also be beautiful. And I am talking not so much about appearance, but about charm and mental beauty of a person.

Beauty is first of all confidence in one’s own strength, the ability not to be afraid to set difficult goals and achieve them.

– Is it difficult to combine work on such a large-scale project and personal life: to meet with friends, to see your family? How do you keep up with everything?
– You need to plan your time well! And don’t forget about motivation! If you have enough motivation, you will be able to manage absolutely everything – don’t justify yourself by saying that you don’t manage something because you just don’t have enough time. You’re only failing because you don’t want it bad enough.

– Do you agree with the statement that sports and physical activity are the most important components of a modern person’s routine?
– Of course, it is an integral part of modern man’s life, and it helps him a lot in his work. It helps for several reasons: firstly, it is endorphins, which are produced during training. Secondly, a fit and athletic person feels much better and can bear higher loads of sleep deprivation, a lot of work, multitasking, compared to a person who does not do sports. Thirdly, it is definitely your time when no one disturbs you and when you can think about solving some issues. During the workout, new thoughts and answers to many questions come to mind.

Ksenia Shoigu

– How do you keep fit yourself? Do you go to the gym or do you prefer jogging in the fresh air?
– I can’t imagine myself away from sports. I like the shape I have achieved now, but I will not stop at what I have achieved. It makes me happy, which means my day always starts positively. I am a fan of running. For me it is a form of recreation. I can run anywhere: on any track, in the woods, in the park, in the city – it doesn’t matter at all. I regularly go jogging in the morning. It’s a ritual of mine that’s been around for a few years now. Plus, it is, of course, training in the gym three times a week. All the skills I’ve learned I then apply at the Race – it’s a great way to see if you’ve made any progress by training in the gym. And when I see progress, it motivates me a lot.

– Have you tried any of the modern fitness trends? Maybe Crossfit, aerobics or saikling?
– About aeroyoga – I don’t even know what that is! I think I’ll look into it and definitely try it! But recently I decided (and even asked my comrades and colleagues to help me) to start training for a triathlon. This is, of course, not an IRONMAN. We will start with some small distances. I think I will take part in competitions already this summer to see if it’s my thing. And by next year I will set myself some ambitious goal and hopefully I will get a cherished finish medal!

And another important point is that you need to get enough sleep. I say this as a person who at a certain period of his life slept very little. But the development of a big sports project is not short-tracking, it’s a marathon distance, and sleep is very important.

– What about recovering from training or a hard day’s work? What helps you switch gears and rest? What does your ideal rest look like?
– In my opinion, a good workout is a workout that you don’t need to recover from. If yesterday you “died” in the gym and today you can barely walk, something needs to change. My format of training is regularity, it’s frequency, it’s a good internal state both before and after training. So I don’t have to rehabilitate myself. I do everything quite smoothly. I started running with small distances, and now I run 10 kilometers a day, but I achieved this result in two years. And one more important thing is to get enough sleep. I say this as a person who at a certain period of his life slept very little. But developing a big sports project is not short-tracking, it is a marathon distance, and sleep is very important. It is the only thing that will allow you to be one hundred percent efficient.

Ksenia Shoigu

As for the ideal vacation… I love to sing, meet with friends, do sports – do everything that gives bright positive emotions and allows me to “switch”. I also consider my free time with my family as a vacation – in such moments I allow myself to relax. But I can’t just lie in bed doing nothing. The main thing is that the rest should be active!

– And lastly, we would like you to give some advice to our readers and female readers, maybe some of them are ready to get off the couch and go to work out.
– The important thing is to start. It’s easier to keep going. I remember the story of a friend of mine who decided to go to the gym. She made a whole check-list, there were such ridiculous, at first glance, things as “look at the options of group classes”, “look at the premises of the gym” and so on. And here is the result – the person is now in great shape! That’s why I would advise people who are just thinking about getting into sports to give themselves a little plus for coming to a sports portal and reading this interview – it’s a great first step! I hope I’ve managed to motivate you!

Thank you to the press service of the “League of Heroes” for assistance in the preparation of the material.