See how the Route 66 Marathon inspired an international running tradition. After visiting Tulsa in 2019, Zelenograd journalist Pavel Chukaev helped spark a cross‑continental connection that continues today. Featuring new footage from the 2025 race, interviews with Dima and Lena Antonov, and greetings from Tulsa partners, this video celebrates friendship, sports diplomacy, and a marathon tradition shared 5,500 miles apart.

Zelenograd, Russia is known as the “green city,” and its Sister City connection with Tulsa runs deep. For over 30 years, students, doctors, and community leaders have exchanged not just visits, but friendship and understanding. Meet Garrett Gibson, a Russian scholar and Cold War historian now serving as Sister City Chair, and Bob Lieser, TGA’s Senior Director of Citizen Diplomacy, whose own connection to Zelenograd spans decades and includes teaching, hosting, and leading exchanges on both sides of the globe.

At World in a Box Day, five friends from Russia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine stood together to show how friendship can transcend conflict and national boundaries.

On November 27, 2023, City leaders, family, and friends gathered outside City Hall to dedicate Sister Cities sign #5 in memory of Cathy Izzo, TGA’s longtime Sister Cities Program Coordinator.