Ice challenge: winter swimming competitions brought together dozens of athletes in the Khabarovsk Territory

The drive from Khabarovsk to Pereyaslavka is not long at all – just 60 kilometers in a straight line, and you are there. If you don’t drive along the highway, you’ll get there in about an hour and a penny. Before Epiphany bathing, my colleague wrote to me. She wanted to visit Lake Draga, in the Lazo area – the annual winter swimming competition was about to begin there.

“Olya, you have contact with the chairman of the Khabarovsk Winter Swimming Federation, Roman Belan, ask him what and how,” Katya does not calm down.

– Yes, he already sent me all the information, but how to get there? – I ask.

“We’ll go in my car, we’ll solve the problem with gasoline,” assures the always positive Ekaterina.

Tomorrow is Epiphany, and I was just getting ready to go to the local swimming pool to photograph daredevils who want to cleanse their sins and test their body’s endurance. Winter swimming competitions officially begin on January 20 – immediately after ablutions.

“To freeze in the cold for two days in a row is also a kind of test for my unhardened body,” I thought. But something sparked in me too – I wanted to see the spectacular walrus tournament myself. In addition, the competition has been getting more and more popular for years now. Swimmers come from different regions.

– Katya, it’s decided, let’s go, what should we take with us? – I ask.

“Get some tea and something to eat,” says Katya. – We’ll go on January 20, Saturday.

Our trip started from Komsomolskaya Square. It was quite comfortable outside at 11 o’clock – sunny and windless, although frosty, but we dressed warmly. We had to drive along the Vladivostok highway. As a person who rarely travels outside the city, I’m a little scared. The road is bad – you never know who will overtake, and the news about accidents is still fresh in their minds.

Here Katya adds fuel to the fire:

– Olya, do you know that here, next to the Khekhtsir hills, tigers run? Look how beautiful the hills are! Shoot quickly!

I grab the camera and take pictures of everything I see behind the glass – trees, hills, fields. Probably, those who often drive along this road no longer notice this beauty, it has become familiar, but I’m interested.

Here are Vladimirovka, Kruglikovo, Sita, Zoevka and Pereyaslavka.

“We’re almost there,” Katya distracts me from admiring the passing landscapes.

THIS IS NOT THE CANARIES FOR YOU

Behind the glass there is a sign: “Pereyaslavka”. A little further there is a turn to Lake Draga itself. Travel is free. We approach the parking lot, surprisingly, there are enough places. We parked the car in the second row. We snacked on sandwiches, drank hot tea from a thermos, and armed ourselves with phones and cameras.

There’s a lot of fuss around. Even before reaching the competition site, we see children playing – the organizers have provided entertainment for them. There is also a table on which there is a large samovar, next to it there are jars of honey, bags of herbs, honeycombs and some other sweets.

Athletes pass by. Those who have already completed the distance are wrapped in towels and bathrobes, those who have just jumped out of the tent in only a swimsuit are preparing for the start. A whistle is heard – and the swimmers are already in the water – swimming to the other side of the pool. A few seconds, and they are already climbing the frozen steps to the top.

The fans applaud, take pictures with their smartphones, some with a camera, many whistle and smile. Rescuers, judges, and volunteers walk nearby—all in thick down jackets, hoods on their heads, some wrapped in scarves. It’s still not summer outside – the daytime air temperature towards lunch was between 19-22 degrees below zero. And water, according to the organizers, is from 0 to +1.

Katya and I are looking for our Khabarovsk walruses, and now familiar faces are coming towards us – swimmers from the Iceberg – Canary base. When we ask where to look for athletes from Khabarovsk, they point to a tent. Let’s meet Alexey Balykovhe looks about 40 years old, but according to his passport he is already 50. He has been swimming in cold water for four years.

– It all started with swimming at Epiphany, we have such a tradition, besides, I have been swimming all my life. Once I went to China, was on a plane with friends who do cold swimming. Then they told me how my life would change, I would become healthier if I started swimming in ice water like they did. When I arrived in Khabarovsk, after some time I turned to Alexander Komarov – he was then the head of the Iceberg federation. I started working with them, at first I just sat in the water for 3-10 minutes, then swam, increasing the time each time. And over time he began to compete. I stopped getting the flu, now I don’t use any medicines or drops. Fortunately, I don’t have any chronic diseases. Life became much more interesting – I met many people. The new team is all positive, leading a healthy lifestyle,” Alexey shares his winter swimming experience.

He tells how he participated in winter swimming competitions in the coldest water in China, in the city of Huludao – it is located on the seashore, with a population of about five million people. By Chinese standards, quite a bit. The swims themselves took place on the picturesque Liaodong Bay. The air temperature was -12 degrees, the water temperature was down to -3.

– There was a lot of slush in the water, the participants started from the shore, where there was a large ice floe. I had to stand on it and dive. Here, on Drage, the water is quite comfortable. But everyone perceives the cold in their own way, depending on their mood and competitive mood. It also depends on the distance. “I swam freestyle today,” explains the athlete.

According to Alexey, professionals don’t prepare much before competitions.

“I arrived, stretched my joints and off I go,” the athlete smiles.

– How is your family, are they supportive? – I ask Alexey.

– No, they are afraid, especially women, they are afraid for their health, they are worried that something might happen. Although we have a lot of girls swimming on the Canaries. A great example is Lyudmila Zhuravleva, who is already over 80 years old. I think that in order to swim in icy water, like we do, you need a great desire, you can’t force anyone, you have to come to it.

Alexey himself has not participated in Epiphany bathing for a long time. What for? If you can come to your favorite Canaries at any time and swim.

SWIM IN COLD WATER IS LIKE A DRUG

This year the competition is being held on Lake Draga for the twelfth time in a row. Participants compete in distances of 25, 50, 100 and 200 meters. Some people swim butterfly and breaststroke, others like freestyle, and there are also relay racers.

Natalia Oskerko from Khabarovsk is participating in competitions in cold water for the first time, admits that her son introduced her to the extreme sport.

– He goes diving with me and loves to swim in cold water. One day he asked: “Mom, would you like to try it?” I agreed, and that’s it – I went. Since childhood, I swam on mountain rivers, and this is not new for me. In fact, everything is in our heads – as you tune in, so it will be. I’ve been at the Canaries since December last year. I’m very glad that I came to the guys. Swimming in cold water is like a drug. I want more and more. Today I swam 25 meters freestyle (freestyle), looked at the results – so far I’m in first place. Tomorrow I’ll swim 50 meters,” she shares her impressions.

In total, more than 70 athletes from Khabarovsk, Pereyaslavka, Sosnovka, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, Artem, Nakhodka, Moscow and other cities took part in the tournament this year. Swimmers from Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and other regions of the Russian Federation also arrived. A delegation of athletes from the People’s Republic of China also arrived.

In addition to the competition, the organizers have prepared a free program for fans and guests. Anyone could ride a dog sled or sleigh. There were competitions and prize draws. Families came to the event. Warm locker rooms and places where you could have a snack were also built on a large area.

Guests were treated to pilaf, kebabs, fish soup, Korean cuisine, and not without army porridge and hot herbal tea from that same large samovar.

Katya and I spent more than an hour at Lake Draga. And then we hurried to warm up in the car and finish our homemade tea with rose hips. We also had tangerines, chocolate and pancakes with us. The road home awaited us – to Khabarovsk. After the cold air, I wanted to sleep, see my loved ones as quickly as possible and share my impressions of the trip.

PS At the past cold swimming competitions, our walruses collected 54 medals, but not everyone got first places. But, as the athletes assure, there is still more to come! Now the swimmers are preparing for the next swims.