A few years ago, she lined up for her very first 5-kilometre race while he insisted he would never take up running. Today, the Iassirskyi family competes in triathlons together, trains as a team, encourages their children to pursue sport, and is already preparing for their first marathon as a family. Their story shows how a single race can change the course of a family's life.

"I wasn't going to run. Not a chance," Iassirskyi Kostiantyn recalls with a smile when his wife first discovered distance running.

At the time, neither of them could have imagined that just a few years later their evenings would revolve around swim training, weekends would be spent at competitions, and conversations at the dinner table would increasingly focus on bikes, open-water swims, and upcoming races.

For Ielyzaveta, everything began in 2021 with Energoatom's first Marathon of Resilience. She started with a 5-kilometre race before setting her sights on the 10-kilometre running distance. Yet what left the strongest impression was not the medal itself, but the atmosphere indeed.

"It felt like becoming part of one big sporting family," she says.

Kostiantyn joined almost by accident. A colleague needed a teammate for a triathlon in Netishyn. As he had been swimming since his childhood and already owned a bicycle, all that remained was to complete his first 5-kilometre run.

After that first race, there was no turning back. By the following season, training had become a family affair. Ielyzaveta learned to swim from scratch, while Kostiantyn focused on refining his technique. Their son Edvard discovered a passion for water polo, and their daughter Rivekka took up swimming. Today, the entire family heads to the pool together twice a week. It has long since become more than a workout – it's their dedicated family time.

Although they have completed dozens of races, the moments they treasure most are still the firsts: the first triathlon, the first competitive swim, the first finish line. Nothing, however, compares with watching their children compete. Ielyzaveta admits that seeing her son step onto the taekwondo mat was even more nerve-racking than tackling any race herself. Their daughter's first triathlon remains equally unforgettable – her debut 50-metre swim and an outstanding run turned the day into a celebration for the whole family.

"You worry most when it's your children competing," she says. "There's nothing you can do except cheer them on".

When asked how they balance careers at Energoatom with family life, training sessions, and competitions, the couple simply smiles.

Their answer is straightforward: they do everything together.

They work together, train together, celebrate successes together, and support one another through disappointing races.

Even their weekends are active. A family outing to a lake usually begins with a one-kilometre swim before anyone settles down to relax. Training runs are filled with music, conversation, and plans for the next challenge.

That, they believe, is how children develop a lifelong love of sport – not because they are told they should, but because they see how enjoyable it can be. Ielyzaveta admits that motivation is not constant. Whenever fatigue sets in, changing the training routine or switching to another discipline is often enough to restore enthusiasm. Then she remembers the feeling of crossing the finish line – and the motivation quickly returns. Another powerful incentive is that many sporting events now support charitable causes, giving participants an opportunity to contribute to Ukraine's defenders while pursuing their own goals.

She also has one personal pre-race tradition. Before every competition, she always has for breakfast... macaroni.

The family's next milestone is already on the horizon: completing their first marathon together. And if you ask what sport truly means to them, the answer has little to do with medals or finishing times. Sport has given them something far more valuable: quality time together, lasting friendships, a close-knit community of like-minded colleagues at Energoatom, and even stories of love. One couple who first met at an Energoatom corporate running event has since gone on to build a family of their own.

For anyone still hesitating to sign up for that first race, the Iassirskyis have one piece of advice:

Don't wait for the perfect moment. Just take the first step. That's where the greatest journeys begin.