March 15, 2019
500 km in the icy desert
According to the website of the All-Russian Volga Fleet Association, citing the press service of TOKE-2019, the eighth annual Trans-Onego Kaite Enduro international kite-marathon took place on the icy expanses of Lake Onega.
Snow, blizzard, storm gusty wind, frost minus 15. Lavirovka in zero visibility on the instruments. It is necessary not to lose the partner from the view, for 4 days in the fully autonomous mode to go through 13 route points. That is what the expeditionary race for survival is.
The route of the course, 333 kilometers long along the general course, began and ended in Petrozavodsk, the capital of Karelia, passed through the Monac lighthouse, the Garnitsky lighthouse, the village of Peschanoe (Pudozh district), Kizhi islands, Suisar, the city of Kondopogu.
The athletes overcame the distance on skis, using kite-sail as a driving force, from the start to the finish line were offline and independently transported all their camping equipment on special sledges. In the period from 9 pm to 7 am, the racers, according to the regulations of the competition, stopped for the night in the place where they were at that moment, and set up tents despite the storm wind and snowstorm.
35 teams went to the start (2 people each), with participants from most regions of Russia, as well as representatives from Finland, France, the Czech Republic, Romania.
For four days and three nights, the athletes struggled not only among themselves for who would go the distance faster, but also with the difficulties that the Karelian spring presented to them in abundance. 15 degrees of frost, difficult wind conditions (from complete calm, to stormy winds of variable directions and turbulence), blizzards, snowstorms, reduced visibility.
Fortunately, the surface of the ice and the snow cover were even this year as never before, with almost no hummocks. This contributed to a good race course.
The main criterion for the success of most teams was good physical training, equipment preparation, teamwork, psychological compatibility, iron restraint. Almost all the teams that started were crossed Lake Onega from west to east. The majority continued the race further on the control points where volunteers were on duty (also from many regions of Russia), and received credit in the final table in terms of the number and time of "taken" KP.
Only 13 teams managed to reach the finish in Petrozavodsk, the last of which crossed the finish line 15 minutes (!) Before the racing window was closed.
The distance covered in the race, taking into account the tacking, was 450-500 km and more for the finishing teams. On March 8, all participants were gathered at the base camp (Cosmos Hotel), where the award ceremony took place the next day.
The first and second steps of the podium were taken by the same teams as last year.
Acting world champions in expedition kiting Dmitry Nikulichev from Petrozavodsk and Edward Radaev from Zapolyarny (Northern Express team) won gold medals, silver – Maxim Maximov from Ekaterinburg and Kirill Litvinov from Nizhny Tagil (Sky Country), bronze – Sergey Samushin and Manuilin Ivan from St. Petersburg ("Baragoz").
Athletes, fans, numerous spectators who watched the race through the tracking system, noted a high level of organization, operational interaction with all emergency services, administrations, ministries and expressed a general desire to continue and develop this winter regatta, which has become a landmark not only for the republic, country, but and having high reputation and status internationally.
“I want to note the extraordinary atmosphere of high sports and at the same time – this fraternity. And a super organization from Dmitry Bubnovikov! – says the head of the All-Russian panel of judges, Anna Deyanova.
325 March 15, 2019 # 8854
Chief Editor
