In recent years, alongside cultural and educational tourism and gastronomic tourism, mountain and ski tourism have also been developing particularly actively in Armenia, making the country an attractive and accessible destination for active travel enthusiasts.
 

But what about running tourism?
 

Although Armenia cannot yet boast a large number of major running events, running is gaining momentum here. Runners can be seen not only on the streets of Yerevan and other cities, but also in the mountains, where they can practice trail running—running across natural terrain. Unfortunately, this activity is still less common than road running. Ilya Tsygankov, who moved from Moscow to Ijevan in 2023, has taken on the mission of making it more popular.

While working in Moscow as part of a team organizing corporate team-building events, Ilya met the founders of Armenia’s Yell Park, the Chibukhchyan family. When Ilya and his wife decided one day in 2023 to make their dream of living in the mountains a reality, they did not have to think long about where to go. They called the Chibukhchyans and moved from Moscow to Ijevan.
 

“In 2019, the team I worked with on off-site events and I decided to organize a trail-running event in Armenia. We planned a 120 km trail that would begin near Lake Sevan, pass through Dilijan, Goshavank and Jukhtak, and finish at Apaga Resort in Yell Park. The event was scheduled for October 2020, but then COVID began, and we immediately cancelled it. Later, the war also started. Our team in Moscow eventually disbanded, and in 2023 I moved here. However, that unfinished project stayed with me—at least, it did for me,” says Ilya Tsygankov.
 

After moving, Ilya worked on graphic design for Yell Park, but almost immediately began thinking about how to organize the trail-running event originally planned for 2020. While he had a team for the project in Russia, in Armenia he had to—and still has to—handle everything himself. Life here makes you discover new skills within yourself every day!
 

By the time Ilya arrived in Ijevan, there were no Russian emigrants or relocators left in the city, so he began looking for people interested in running and trail running through online chat groups. After finding like-minded people, he invited them to Yenokavan and organized a short-distance competition in 2024—his first experience. The next events, organized together with Yell Park, took place in April 2025: “We had three trail distances—4, 12 and 32 km. All the participants were Russian. The only Armenian who took part in the race was a visually impaired runner named Armen. He is the most famous runner in Armenia and is also known in Russia. During the same month, we organized a road cycling race, where the Armenian community was represented.
 

In October last year, the first multi-day event also took place. It is not a particularly popular format, in which participants cover the entire distance over several days rather than in a single day. On the first day, there was a circular route from Debed through Dsegh, Tsater and Dzoragyugh. On the second day, participants ran from Haghartsin Monastery to Mount Dimats, and on the third day, they completed a circular route through the mountains of Yenokavan.”
 

To increase interest in these events and attract more participants, Ilya experiments with different formats, combining hiking, running and rogaining, a form of competitive orienteering. However, to his disappointment, Armenian teams rarely participate in the events he organizes. In his opinion, the problem is that the local community does not yet have enough trust in him.
 

“Recently, there was a competition called ‘Araet,’ with hundreds of participants, all of whom were Armenian. It is a competition very similar to trail running and competitive orienteering. I always share information about our events, and people do attend, but not in the numbers I would like to see and not in the numbers that participate in ‘Araet.’ If I could collaborate with an Armenian organization, for example, a hiking group, people would probably trust me more as well,” he reflects.
 

Ilya admits that knowing Armenian would certainly help him in this work, as communicating in Armenian creates additional trust among locals. However, for now, he simply does not have enough time to study it…
 

This year, from October 22-24, another three-day event organized by Ilya together with Yell Park will take place. The first day will be held in Lori. The second day will begin at Haghartsin Monastery and include a run to Mount Dimats. On the third day, participants will start in Yenokavan and follow a trail-running route through the mountains. The third day will also offer shorter distances for those who prefer them.

“Running tourism is my mission, and my motto is, ‘Discover Armenia while running.’ This is what determines my choice of locations. Trail running is a well-known form of tourism and a driver of infrastructure development. Through running, I want to showcase the country I have fallen in love with. For three and a half years, I have continued to feel as though I am travelling—it feels like I am on holiday…”
 

Interview  by Nare Bejanyan

Translation via AI based on the original article in Russian: Открой Армению в процессе бега…