He made his first appearance over the classic distance at the 2008 San Antonio Marathon in Texas, and finished third with a time of 2:15:58 for his debut run.

[2] He started his 2010 season at the Daegu Marathon, where his run of 2:12:55 brought him sixth place.

[3] Despite his relative inexperience over the distance, Safronov claimed the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona.

"[4] An appearance at the Fukuoka Marathon in December resulted in a personal best run of 2:10:12 – by keeping his own tempered pace in the hot conditions, he managed to finish quickly and went from seventh to second place, taking the runner-up spot behind Jaouad Gharib.

[5] He completed his first sub-2:10 performance at the 2011 London Marathon, taking eighth with his time of 2:09:35 hours.