Baltic Way relay run to cross Bauska region on Saturday, open to everyone
On August 22, participants of the international "Baltic Way" relay run will pass through the Bauska region, with locals invited to join symbolic stretches near both Bauska and Iecava.
From August 21 to 24, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are hosting the 35th international relay run "Baltic Way," organized by the Lithuanian Amateur Runners Association. The roughly 680-kilometer run started in Vilnius on Friday, covering several Lithuanian districts on its first day before participants stayed overnight in Pasvalys.
On Saturday, August 22, the run resumes from Pasvalys, crossing the Lithuania–Latvia border near Saločiai around 8 a.m. Runners are expected in Bauska around 9:10 a.m. and in Iecava around 10:20 a.m. Residents of the Bauska region are invited to join near the Bauska town sign on the Ceraukste side, while near Iecava participants should arrive from the Bauska side.
Organizers note that joining the full route is not required — anyone can choose a distance that suits them and take part in a symbolic segment. The planned pace is about 5 minutes 20 seconds to 6 minutes 20 seconds per kilometer, though it will be adjusted when local runners join. A police vehicle with flashing lights will escort the group for visibility. No designated stops are planned at the joining points, so interested participants should arrive early.
After Iecava, the relay continues toward Riga, where runners are expected at the Freedom Monument around 1:30 p.m., before heading north through Latvia. On August 23, runners will cross the Latvia–Estonia border, and the run is set to finish in Tallinn around noon on August 24.
Historical background
The run symbolically retraces the route of the August 23, 1989 Baltic Way, when about two million people joined hands in a human chain over 600 kilometers long, stretching from Vilnius through Riga to Tallinn, to protest the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. The event is included in UNESCO's Memory of the World register. The relay tradition began in 1991, initiated by the association's first president, Romas Bernotas; it was held only once with a different route, in 1993.
