Lake Elton will host the only semi-desert half-marathon in Russia - the Elton Ultra Trail, which will be held from August 29 to 30, 2020.
The 21, 90 and 201 km trails, as well as the 172 km relay, will be held in the cyberpunk style: an entourage starting town, a show program, a music concert and interactive installations await participants. The starting town will have its own food court, tent camp, lecture hall and playground.
A special feature of this year is the Cyber Virtual Race. Participants will have to run 11.5 km and score the most points by defeating virtual monsters and collecting crystals.
Lake Elton is an ideal location for a half marathon in semi-desert conditions.
The name of the lake comes from the Turkic name "Altyn-Hyp" (in Russian pronunciation Elton), which means "gold mine." Indeed, it is: Elton is a salty lake that casts an unusual golden-pink color due to the high concentration of salt. This pink salt was highly valued already in the time of Catherine II - it was sent exclusively to the royal court.
