OREANDA-NEWS. August 27, 2013. SORAINEN is sponsoring this year’s Vilnius international marathon to be held on 15 September. The tenth marathon hosted by Lithuania’s capital is expected to bring together over 12 000 participants, including SORAINEN employees, clients and business partners.

“Our decision to join this annual sports and city festival was encouraged by the growing number of our colleagues, clients and friends engaged in this sport. We are really happy that a third of our lawyers and administrative staff have joined this year’s initiative. As a sponsor of the Vilnius Marathon, we are glad to offer the opportunity for our clients and business partners running the marathon to have a rest and a chat in the SORAINEN relaxation area after covering a distance,” says Laimonas Skibarka, the SORAINEN office managing partner.

In order to help clients and employees to properly prepare for the marathon, SORAINEN is organising an educational seminar and workout on 4 September. The event will be attended by three experienced marathon runners who will share their experience:  Sarunas Siugzda, president of the Lithuanian Venture Capital Association, Ben Harvey, a business consultant and professional lecturer, and Povilas Rastikas, a running coach. Siugzda ran this year’s Boston Marathon, and Harvey organised participation by Lithuania’s Running For Change team in the Sierra Leone charity marathon in 2012. Rastikas, a long-time running coach and bronze medallist in a half-marathon at the World Masters Games in Turin, will share his expertise in the development of running skills.

Marathon enthusiasts say that the key to success is proper psychological and physical preparation, ie adequate arrangement of training workloads a month before the marathon.

“We have decided to organise a seminar for our clients and colleagues to help them to better prepare for the marathon physically as well as inspire them to run one of the marathon distances at least once. After all, in sports, just as in business, achievement of goals requires not only hard work and preparation but also the right attitude, determination and faith,” says Saule Dagilyte, a senior associate with SORAINEN.

The Vilnius Marathon was first held in 2001, with the event organised annually since 2004. Over 12 000 participants have already signed up. The run will involve both professional athletes, who will run a full marathon (42 km), amateurs, who can choose to run 4.2 km, 10 km or 21 km, and even children, who will take part in a 1 km family race with pushchairs and a 500 m Unicef running race for children.