“Both the weather is good and the water is warm”: the Gulf Stream festival took place in Murmansk

On September 9, Murmansk hosted a large-scale sporting event – the Gulf Stream festival. On the right bank of the Kola Bay there were interactive platforms, photo zones, an Arctic kitchen, teams played snowballs, football and volleyball on the sand.

The athletics race, the swim across the Kola Bay and the spectacular “Fire Drag” are, perhaps, the three main features of the festival. 58 athletes took part in the race: the distance is equal to the length of the Kola Bridge – 1611 meters. That’s just two meters longer than a standard land mile. Let us note that initially the sports festival had a different name – “Murmansk Mile”.

The first in the race was the athlete from Severomorsk Mikhail Rybakov, who was also the winner in 2022. After the professionals, everyone was able to run along the “Murmansk Mile”.

The swim distance across the Kola Bay was one kilometer. The victory was won by Murmansk resident Vladislav Sapozhnikov, who reached the finish line in 14 minutes 12 seconds. He said that the competition went well: despite the strong wind, the water was very comfortable.

The swimmer is participating in the swim for the fourth time, and last year was the most difficult for him due to the injury he received.

“I’m happy with today’s victory. At the moment I have my own sports club, which I opened a year ago, for this I came here and am developing swimming. I want young people to train and go in for swimming, including,” Vladislav Sapozhnikov shared with the MK in Murmansk correspondent.

The swim across the Kola Bay is considered a “highlight”» program, because it was with the idea of ​​holding it that the history of the Gulf Stream festival began. Among the participants are 40 athletes from different parts of Russia: St. Petersburg, Pskov, Tyumen, Ulyanovsk and other cities.

“I came for the sake of emotions, for the sake of popularizing sports and for the sake of this whole wonderful atmosphere. There are many people here who play sports and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Ice water gives you emotions that you cannot experience anywhere else. It gives energy, joy and brings together people who popularize sports and a healthy lifestyle,” Turik Mordovtsev, a swimmer from St. Petersburg and Pskov, shared with our correspondent.

The athlete also said that it was his first time in Murmansk, and he really liked the city: the unique Arctic nature cannot be compared with anything.

“I thought it would be worse, to be honest. I was afraid of bad weather and storms, but I was lucky: the weather was good and the water was warm,” swim participant Elena Zhilyakova from Moscow told about her impressions.

The most spectacular event of the program can rightfully be considered the all-around firefighter competition “Fire Traction”. The unique competition involves a series of high-intensity strength training exercises. All participants performed in full combat equipment, the weight of which exceeds 25 kg. 14 of the strongest teams from Murmansk, St. Petersburg and Tyumen competed on the site near the Kola Bridge.

“These competitions can already be called All-Russian, every year more and more teams from different parts of our country come to us to participate. Our northern “Fire Draft” is gaining momentum and becoming an increasingly large-scale event,” commented the head of the Murmansk Ministry of Emergency Situations, Ruslan Nazarov.

The international festival “Gulf Stream” is being held in the capital of the Kola Arctic for the 16th time. In 2023, the festival featured 14 types of competitions, including SUP boarding, beach volleyball, Firedraft, Yukigassen and more.

The northern cuisine fair ran throughout the day. Restaurateurs from all over the region gathered in Murmansk to surprise with their unique dishes.

Sunny and warm weather lifted the spirits not only of swimmers and track and field athletes, but also of all festival guests.