I am going to Moscow for 10-14 days on business. I think it will probably be too cold to bike outside so I’ll bring my computrainer. Can anyone recommend good places to run and swim?
Thanks.
No idea about the swimming; our hotel had a funky-kidney shaped pool. I tried to rent a bike but they wanted a $400 deposit + a copy of my passport to rent a $200 Giant. I did get a lot of runs in. Our hotel concierge recommended going over two blocks and running around the Kremlin. Basically just keep the brick wall on your left, or right. Pretty cool, you pass through Red Sq, in front of St. Basils and John Lennons tomb.
Are you sightseeing or going for business? I loved sightseeing in Moscow.
No idea about the swimming; our hotel had a funky-kidney shaped pool. I tried to rent a bike but they wanted a $400 deposit + a copy of my passport to rent a $200 Giant. I did get a lot of runs in. Our hotel concierge recommended going over two blocks and running around the Kremlin. Basically just keep the brick wall on your left, or right. Pretty cool, you pass through Red Sq, in front of St. Basils and John Lennons tomb.
Are you sightseeing or going for business? I loved sightseeing in Moscow.
Man, I travel to Moscow quite a bit on business (maybe 6-7 x year) and I’ve never brought running stuff with me - just doesn’t seem ‘runner’ friendly. Oh, and I’ve never seen anyone out running / biking - you must have gotten some strange looks. The air there kills me - especially in the summer.
Same here. Last time I was there, I decided to stick to the hotel treadmill (something I usually never do). It was my first visit there, and I rapidly judged there was no way I was risking myself “out there”.
I lived in Moscow for several years in the 90’s…Running over near the Kremlin is pretty nice I agree…Do it early in the morning whatever you do…The car exhaust pollution will absolutely choke you to death. A friend of mine also enjoyed running near Moscow State Univ. Depending on the snow factor, I would also recommend some cross country skiing over by Izmailovo, you can rent skis. That was quite fun. People will look at you strangely. If they see you running, they may asked you what/who you running from!
I’ve never been to Moscow (well we flew through the Airport) but if they drive like they do in Ukraine, which I suspect they do, there is no way in **** you would get me on a bicycle there.
I am going to Moscow for 10-14 days on business. I think it will probably be too cold to bike outside so I’ll bring my computrainer. Can anyone recommend good places to run and swim?
Thanks.
I travel to Moscow pretty frequently and I’ve had mixed results with training there. I got in some great runs in the summer, but have pretty much stuck to the treadmill since it got cold. The problem isn’t the temperature; its that I don’t leave the office til after sunset, and I’m not gonna run in the dark.
I usually run in Park Sokolniki, and if I’m feeling really adventurous I’ll venture into the huge park north of Sokolniki. I usually stay at the Holiday Inn, so its right out the door. Definitely expect some funny looks, Moscow is just not an exercise-friendly place. I think I’ve seen a total of about 5 other runners in all the runs I’ve done. I would also recommend carrying your passport with you in a zip-lock bag. I’ve gotten some inquisitive looks from Police while running, so I slow down to a near-walk when ever I see a cop. Don’t have any complaints about the air.
Swimming: The hotel I stay at has a 15m pool, but its usually full of people swimming the Russian breaststroke. Forget about doing flip turns. If you’re really serious about getting in some good swims, look into swimming at the Olympic aquatic center. Its open to the public and only a short walk from the Prospekt Mira metro stop. One caveat: you’ll need a note from a Russian doctor saying your healthy enough to swim. This caveat has so far kept me from swimming there. I keep meaning to get a doctors note, but never seem to have time while I’m there. One of these days… Here’s the website, use google or babelfish to translate it.
The bike: I can’t imagine doing any training on the bike in Moscow, but others may be more adventurous than I…
Good luck and have fun!
I’ll just reinforce what’s been said thus far. If you run anywhere near the road, you stand a decent chance of being killed, and you will most certainly get funny looks from most people you pass. I spent 4 months living in St. Petersburg a few years back, and just found that Russia wasn’t the greatest place to be a visiting athlete. Good luck, though. You might have a fairly hard time getting the medical form filled out, depending on how good your Russian is, and your willingness to spend a FULL day in an office being sent back and forth!
Not cycle in Moscow? Why? You need to look this man up, he’ll show you around, and serve up a nice warm bowl of boiled cabbage and HTFU.
Viatcheslav Ekimov 
Ekimov in the prologue of the 2006 Tour of California. Personal information Full name Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov Nickname Eki Date of birth February 4, 1966 (1966-02-04) (age 42) Country Russia Team information Current team Retired Discipline Road Role Rider Professional team(s) 1990-1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997-1998
1999
2000-2005 Panasonic
Novemail
WordPerfect
Novell
Rabobank
US Postal
Amica Chip
US Postal, Discovery Channel Major wins Vuelta a España, 1 stage
Tour de France, 1 stage
Züri-Metzgete (1992)
Russia National Road Race Champion (1997) Infobox last updated on: September 6, 2007 Medal record Competitor for Soviet Union Track cycling Olympic Games Gold 1988 Seoul Track Team Pursuit Competitor for Russia Road bicycle racing Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney Road Time Trial Silver 2004 Athens Road Time Trial
Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov (Russian **Вячеслав Владимирович **
HTFU? Yeah, you be as hard as you want, but the hood of a Lada is a lot harder. 
Not to mention the tons of stray dogs roaming around. Oh and here’s the emergency services you can expect in a place like Odessa.
They were having problems getting the ambulance cranked up.
(You can’t see the ragged stretcher in the window either which was trippy)
I’ll just reinforce what’s been said thus far. If you run anywhere near the road, you stand a decent chance of being killed, and you will most certainly get funny looks from most people you pass. I spent 4 months living in St. Petersburg a few years back, and just found that Russia wasn’t the greatest place to be a visiting athlete. Good luck, though. You might have a fairly hard time getting the medical form filled out, depending on how good your Russian is, and your willingness to spend a FULL day in an office being sent back and forth!
Totally agree, don’t run in the road!
As for the medical form for the Olympic aquatic center, my plan is to go the American Clinic. Here’s the website: http://www.americanclinic.ru/eng/ If I have time to go next week, I’ll report back.
As for Eki, I’ll say this… If you consider yourself to be even half as badass as Eki, then by all means, go out for a ride in Moscow 