Russia swims

IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member
edited March 2017 in Event Announcements

If anyone is interested, there are some swims coming up over here in Russia and environs:

*17 June, Seliger Swim in Ostashkov (halfway btwn Moscow & St. Petersburg), choice of 10K, 5K, nautical mile and 2 x 5K relay (they offer a bus from each city to the swim for a small fee);

*15 July, Volga Swim at Nizhny Novgorod, choice of 1K, 3K and 5K;

29 July, Lake Baikal in Listvyanka village outside Irkutsk, choice of 1K and 5K.

The organizers know English very well and they offer visa support and hotel packages!

Come see this wonderful country and enjoy some swims. As a bonus, if you attend the ones with asterisks next to them, you get to meet me! /ha, snort/

We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

Tagged:
pavlicovSoloevmophodgeszohoDanSimonellirlmLiyaViveBene

Comments

  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member

    Reviving this thread as I've found so many more swims here in Russia! If you're interested in coming to Russia for some of these, let me know. PM me if you need more info.

    21 May, Fat Penguin, 3 x 300

    27 May, Champions Cup, nautical mile, 3k and 5k

    27-28 May, Oceanman Sochi, 1.5k, 5k, 10k

    4 Jun, Titan, 3K

    4 Jun, Eurasia Swim Cup, Lake Belskoe, 1.5K, 3K, 6K

    11 Jun, Eurasia Swim Cup, Moscow, 1K, 1.9K, 3.8K, 5.8K, 10K

    17-18 Jun, Seliger Swim, 5k, 10k

    17-18 Jun, Iver Mile, nautical mile

    18 Jun, Champions Cup, nautical mile, 5k

    18 Jun, Eurasia Swim Cup, Rostov-on-Don, 1.5K, 3K, 6K

    24 Jun, Amur Swim, 1k and 12k

    24-25 Jun, Champions Cup, nautical mile, 6k

    1 Jul, Swim Cap, nautical mile, 3k, 5k

    1 Jul, Eurasia Swim Cup, Moscow, 1K, 1.9K, 3.8K, 5.8K, 10K

    1 Jul, tour of 3 bays, 1.9k, 3.8k, 5k

    1 Jul, Amber Wave, 1.9k

    2 Jul, Titan, 3k

    2 Jul, Eurasia Swim Cup, Lake Belskoe, 1.5K, 1.9K, 3K, 3.8K, 5.7K, 6K

    1-2 Jul, Iver Mile, nautical mile, 5k

    8 Jul, Night Express, 3×300

    8 Jul, Eurasia Swim Cup, Moscow, 1K, 1.9K, 3.8K, 5.8K, 10K

    8 Jul, A1 Swim, nautical mile, 3k, 5k, 10k

    15 Jul, Volga Swim, 1k, 3k, 5k

    15 Jul, Eurasia Swim Cup, Yaroslavl, 1.5K, 3K, 6K

    15 Jul, Half Marathon in the river Tom, 2.3k

    22-23 Jul, Champions Cup, nautical mile, 5k

    29 Jul, Kronstadt Island, 25k

    29 Jul, Crossing from Engels to Saratov, 3.5k

    29 Jul, Swim Batyr, 1k, 2k, 4k

    29-30 Jul, Baikal Swim, nautical mile, 5k

    30 Jul, Eurasia Swim Cup, Berezhki, 1.5K, 3K, 6K

    5-6 Aug, Iver Mile, 1.9k, 5k

    5 Aug, Eurasia Swim Cup, Zaraysk, 1.5K, 3K, 6K

    6 Aug, Onego Swim, 1.5k, 2.5k, 5k, 10k

    12 Aug, Nautical Mile across Gelendzhek Bay, nautical mile

    12 Aug, Eurasia Swim Cup, Izhevsk, 1K, 1.9K, 3.8K, 5.8K, 10K

    12-13 Aug, Arctic Swim, 1.85k, 3.8k

    19 Aug, Amberman Wave, nautical mile, 3k, 5k

    19 Aug, Eurasia Swim Cup, Moscow, 1K, 1.9K, 3.8K, 5.8K, 10K

    19-20 Aug, Iver Mile, nautical mile, 3.8k

    26 Aug, Amberman Wave, 1.5k

    27 Aug, Big Water, 5k

    27 Aug, Eurasia Swim Cup, Pereslavl, 1.5K, 3K, 6K

    17 Sep, Eurasia Swim Cup, Sochi, 1K, 1.9K, 3.8K, 5.8K, 10K

    14 Oct, Eurasia Swim Cup, Abkhazia, 1.5K, 3K, 6K, 10K

    Liya

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • edited May 2017

    A few nice nice races within driving/camping distance out of Moscow, what fun that would be! The 5k on Lake Baikal would be the best experience... but the Black Sea races would be cool as well. Too much choice.

  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member

    My first attempt at swimming an OW event in Russia failed.

    The afternoon/early evening prior (Friday the 26th) I finally found the _положение _or "situation." Basically, it is the rules covering the event. Nineteen pages worth! My Russian reading is good enough, but it still took me a while to find a few things:

    One, I needed a справка/spravka, basically a doctor's note saying I'm healthy. I had that. I learned years ago when I first lived here that you can't do anything without the spravka and make damn sure it's got all the correct stamps or that babushka won't let you through the door.

    Unfortunately, the spravka for the swim had to specify that I was healthy for swimming AND healthy for the particular distance I signed up for. Oy.

    Secondly, the spravka had to be fewer than six months old. Mine was six months, seventeen days old. Oy #2.

    Thirdly, I had to have proof of insurance that if I got hurt, someone somewhere would take care of me. Oy #3.

    I've remedied these areas and have even gotten the okay from the organizers of a swim this Sunday, a 5.8K in a rowing venue here in Moscow. I will report back on how that goes. I had to send them a resume of "cold water" experience so that they wouldn't make me wear a wetsuit in 17* water. ;)

    ViveBeneKate_AlexanderSoloevmo

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • This experience sounds like the next chapter in Pomerantsev's Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia, but also very much like "old Russia."

    Good luck with the swim and the babushkas!

    Interesting that there is visa support for swimmers, as noted in the first post. I understand that foreigners must now have an "invitation" to enter Russia.

    evmo
  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member

    ViveBene said:
    Interesting that there is visa support for swimmers, as noted in the first post. I understand that foreigners must now have an "invitation" to enter Russia.

    That's been a requirement at least since late 2009 when I first got here. Not as onerous as it sounds: Once you confirm your hotel stay, the hotel writes your letter of invitation.

    But still, if Russia wants more tourism, they could make it easier for people to come. ;)

    ViveBene

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member

    First Russian OW swim complete. More info on it at my blog. It was great!

    evmoSoloViveBene

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • Kate_AlexanderKate_Alexander Spring Lake, MichiganSenior Member

    I still can't believe you don't look like the Dos Equis man.

    "Every time he goes for a swim, dolphins appear."

    IronMikeViveBene
  • JaimieJaimie NYCMem​ber

    I had no idea about this form. I keep a general medical form signed by my doctor recommending me for marathon swimming, ice swimming, etc. but this is incredibly specific. I don't even think I am usually asked at all for my form in Russia although I have seen people get denied from the on-site medical checks? But well done, I am glad you got through the swim AND the paperwork!

    IronMike
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