It was a survival of the fittest and most stylish in Moscow as women put on their sturdiest heels to compete in a high-heeled shoes race.



The hundred-metre race took place in Moscow's Hermitage garden with young ladies competing for a shopping voucher worth 100,000 roubles (around $3,500 USD).

Muscovite Maria Kanarova saw off her leggy and enthusiastic competitors to take home the gold.

And whilst it may look like an easy feat, the competition's regulators insisted all participants' heels must be at least nine centimetres high.

Similar events also took place in St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, and Samara with shopping certificates worth 50,000 roubles (about $2000 USD) as prize money.