Support The Moscow Times!

High Heel Race Kicks Off in Moscow

Despite crashing to the ground in a tangle of long legs, this woman doesn't lose her smile. Anton Belitsky

Several dozen women strapped on their high heels to compete in a foot-blistering race for the chance not only to earn glory, but to look glamorous while doing it.

But glamor was shoved to the wayside as participants reinforced their elegant footwear with sturdy tape and got serious about the competition, for which first place brought a whopping 100,000 rubles ($3,040) in shopping vouchers for clothing site Lamoda.ru.

The women sprinted four at a time, falling, crashing and crawling their way over the 50-meter course to the finish line.

The race on Tsvetnoi Bulvar in Moscow Saturday was already the sixth annual run put on by Glamour magazine. The rules for the race required the heels to have a length of no less than nine centimeters.

Besides scraping knees, guests were offered the chance to indulge in manicures and get makeup and hair done, and play games of badminton, table tennis and frisbee.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more