Under the banner of kindness and care, registration has opened for the 33rd charity “Chestnut Run,” which will традиційно take place on Kyiv Day — this year on May 31, 2026 — with the support of the Department of Youth and Sports of the Kyiv City State Administration.

The main goal — to support the Center for Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery

Little hearts once again need our support. This year’s charitable fundraising campaign is traditionally aimed at purchasing critically important medical equipment and supplies for the Center for Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine — the long-standing beneficiary of the Run since 2002.

Last year, thanks to the participants, we helped restore the work of the pediatric cardiology unit, which suffered significant damage as a result of a russian missile strike on July 8, 2024. Today, doctors are already working in the restored operating rooms, continuing their daily fight for patients’ lives.

“Even in the conditions of a full-scale invasion, the ‘Chestnut Run’ continues to bring together people who care. The safety of every participant is our top priority, which is why we are maintaining the online format. We see how people independently organize runs in Ukraine and abroad, because the main goal of the event is charity and real support for doctors, not a formal race. We feel that this format is currently the most responsible one. Therefore, we continue to act for the future of young Ukrainians and dream of returning to traditional large-scale starts under a peaceful sky of Ukraine,” — comment the organizers of the “Chestnut Run.”

Participation rules remain unchanged: participants are invited to complete a symbolic distance of 5 kilometers, which can be covered from any location in Ukraine or around the world. At the same time, the format remains максимально flexible — you choose your own comfortable distance, route, and convenient time to start.

You can join the 33rd Run either individually or as part of a team of 10 or more people. To participate, you need to register on the website — probig.in.ua — and make a charitable contribution of UAH 400 (≈ $9 or ≈ €8).

After registration, each participant will be able to receive a starter kit, which includes a bracelet and a race bib, via Nova Poshta within Ukraine or at an office in Kyiv, the address of which will be announced by the organizers later. Participants taking part abroad will be able to download a personalized race bib in their personal account on the Run’s website.

On Kyiv Day, May 31, we encourage participants to go for a run or a walk in any safe location in Ukraine or abroad. You can share your results by posting a photo or video on social media using the hashtags #probig2026 and #runningforlittlehearts.

We would like to remind you that the 32nd charity “Chestnut Run” in 2025 brought together 9,611 caring participants through its charitable mission and set an absolute record for all years of the online format, uniting people from 95 cities and towns across Ukraine and from more than 36 countries worldwide, across nearly all continents.

Last year, the project was also supported by Ukrainian actors, TV hosts, singers, and influencers: Daria Trehubova, Yevheniia Lohai, Kseniia Vertynska, Ihor Rubashkin, Daria Leheida-Sova, Daria Rybak, Nataliia Ostrovska, and Olena Topolia, who became ambassadors of the 32nd “Chestnut Run.”

Every year, the Run is supported by teams representing Ukrainian and international businesses, the public sector, and the Security and Defense Forces. In total, 161 teams joined the 32nd Run, the largest of which was once again the “Nebaiduzhykh” team from Ukrhazvydobuvannia, with 1,100 participants.

The 32nd “Chestnut Run” raised UAH 2 million. These funds were used to purchase a modern high-pressure injector for the Center’s X-ray operating room — equipment that enables safe and precise angiography for the smallest patients, including premature infants, without incisions, through peripheral vessels. Part of the funds was also allocated to purchase equipment for the transfusiology department, which will allow doctors to reduce the use of donor blood components and improve the quality of transfusion therapy.

“For me, the ‘Chestnut Run’ is a great celebration of unity around the future of our country. Thanks to the tremendous work of the team, it is not just a campaign or a fundraising event — it is a celebration of kindness that has become part of Kyiv Day. In 2022, we first discussed going global, and at that time, 5–7 countries joined. Today, it is already more than 36 countries. It is incredible that this is happening despite all the challenges we are currently facing,” — comments Iryna Kuznietsova, initiator and organizer of the “Chestnut Run.”

Partners of the 33rd “Chestnut Run”

For the second year in a row, Champion Radio — Ukraine’s first sports radio station — has become the voice of the project and our media partner, bringing together the sports community on 92.8 FM since 2024. “BC Media” will once again support the project by providing OOH advertising in central business districts of Kyiv. Reliable digital support for the event continues to be provided by the project’s IT partner, Ribs Studio. This year, Kukurudza.Agency has become the creative partner of the 33rd “Chestnut Run.”

#probig2026
#runningforlittlehearts

Organizers:

Charitable Organization “Charitable Foundation ‘Chestnut Run’”
Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA)
Department of Youth and Sports of Kyiv City