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Steel character

On July 13, the extreme race “Steel character-2024” took place in Tomsk. For the first time in the ten-year history of this unique all-Russian project, the Imperial Energy team took part in it.

The first extreme race “Steel character” took place in the summer of 2014 in Tyumen, at the initiative of local running enthusiasts. Since then, it has become an annual tradition, the popularity of which has gone far beyond the native region. Today, the geography of the project, aimed at the development of a healthy lifestyle and active recreation culture, includes 24 regions of our country. Over the past ten years, the total number of participants in “Steel character” has exceeded 160 thousand people and 1,000 companies. This is the most massive competition of this format in Russia!

Six years ago, Tomsk joined “Steel character” for the first time. All these years, our city has consistently been among the leaders in the number of participants in the race, even ahead of cities with a population of over a million. This year, more than 3 thousand people took their marks! Most of them represented corporate teams. Among them, for the first time, was a team from Imperial Energy Group.

The IE team listed ten people: Andrey Salnikov, Chief legal advisor, with his wife Galina, Aleksey Roschupkin, Head of Finance Department, Ilya Fadeyev, Foreman of the Pipeline maintenance section of Maiskoye field, with his wife Tatyana, Rustam Gurov, Oil & gas production foreman from Maiskoye field, Elena Razdaeva, Lead economist, Victoria Efimenko, Chief accountant, Tatyana Sharopina, Lead HR manager, Evgeniya Domnitskaya, Lead software engineer of the Automation, IT, Metrology and Communications Department.

The company paid the arrangement fee for our “magnificent ten”, and provided it with comfortable uniforms with corporate logo. That day, Indian and Russian colleagues with their families came to the Cedar stadium to cheer for their team, such support was very pleasant and important for the team.

Before the start of the race, all participants were greeted by the Governor of Tomsk region, Vladimir Mazur, who wished them to fully demonstrate their steely Siberian character, the spirit of unity and friendship.

According to the competition conditions, the participants themselves could choose the length of the track: 3, 5, 7 or 10 kilometers. For its debut, our team chose a five-kilometer track, on which it had to overcome 15 obstacles of varying difficulty. This includes a cross-country race, scalade of high metal walls, crossing a rope “web”, mud pits and ice pool, running with sacks on your shoulders, rope climbing, climbing a rock-climbing wall, etc.

“Probably the most vivid emotions we received from crossing the mud pits. There were four of them in a row, filled with water up to the waist, and we had to get from one to another, climbing up the slippery clay. Of course, we all got covered in mud, but it was a lot of fun, just like in childhood!

Most of the obstacles were built in such a way that it was almost impossible to clear them without the support of teammates. Although we did not practice before the race, and some of us did not even know each other personally, we managed to act as a team. A great help was the fact that one of us – Andrey Salnikov – had already participated in “Steel character”, so he told us the best ways to clear the obstacles. Our men, although it was not easy race for themselves, helped us, girls, as the true gentlemen. No one reproached anyone if something didn’t work out right away, on the contrary, everyone tried to encourage and help, and that’s really great!”, Evgeniya Domnitskaya shares her impression.

The final obstacle of the race was climbing a huge metal container installed at the Cedar stadium. When the whole team reached the top by pulling each other up one by one, they streamed the Imperial Energy flag, given by their colleagues. “At that moment, we felt like real winners, almost Olympic champions! It was so cool, no words can describe it!” Evgeniya admits.

All the participants of the race, regardless of the time they covered the track, were awarded the “Steel character” medals. After all, they had won the most important victory – a victory over themselves. The team spirit that the participants, developed during the competition, spread to their work life, bringing together colleagues who had previously only greeted each other when they met. Even this small contribution creates good “weather” in our team!

Next year, the team members plan to take part in the “Steel character” again, and invite other IE employees to join them (the number of team members is not limited). “You will get unforgettable experience for sure and you don’t have to be super-athletic to participate in the race!”, our “steel” heroes say. Our company is willing to take upon all the necessary organizational issues in 2025 as well.

Support for corporate and children’s sports is a good tradition of Imperial Energy, and it will definitely continue.