"Beringia": race and book

The book opens with a greeting by race commentator Dmitry Guberniev, who calls Beringia an Olympic-scale race. “Being a passionate fan of Beringia, I try to do everything so that as many people as possible know about this phenomenon - both those who love sports and are indifferent to it. And the race itself, and a book about it, will certainly be of interest to a wide audience. The authors have made every effort to convey the spirit of Kamchatka, to acquaint all of us with the amazing "Beringia" and with its unusual, but now so familiar and familiar participants, "writes Guberniev.

Vladimir Ilyukhin, governor of the Kamchatka Territory, also welcomes readers of the book. He told that sled dogs on the peninsula always occupied a special place: "It is impossible to imagine Kamchatka without dogs. Until the middle of the 1950-x, the teams were the only means of communication between the northern settlements: they were delivered mail, brought food and medicine to the most remote corners of the region. Today, thanks to the development of driving dog breeding, we gradually restore the breed of the Kamchatka driver - a hardy and reliable dog, in whose veins wolf blood flows. "

Presentation of the book "Beringia. Anatomy of the race "took place in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The book was presented by Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Kamchatka Krai, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the dog-sledding race "Beringia-2015" Alexei Voitov.

"A lot of films, videos and photo albums were shot about" Beringia ". But a full, beautiful book about the race was not there yet. Therefore, this year the Kamchatka news agency and the PressPass publishing house not only came up with this idea, but also brought it to a close. The book was published, "said Alexei Voitov. The book is dedicated to sled dogs and dog sledding - an extreme sport that is extremely popular both in the Russian North, as well as in the USA, Canada and Europe. The reference and entertainment edition is divided into three chapters: the first, "Cayurs", talks about the preparation of the cadres ("drivers" of the teams) to the competitions; The second, "Dogs", - about driving breeds and their qualities, about the practice of training dogs for racing; The third, "Routes", gives an idea of ​​how the race is held in the territory of Kamchatka and where in the world there are similar races. Each chapter is preceded by autobiographies of the poets; Their comments accompany the narrative. Many kayurs are representatives of indigenous peoples of the North and talk about the traditional economy, an integral part of which has long been sled dogs.

Margarita Bayshuakova, the first female participant of the "Beringia" at the traditional distance of Esso - Ossora at 950 km, shares her impressions of the race: "There is a certain spiritual connection between the participants of the Beringia. I love everyone with whom the race was held. We communicate during the year, we miss each other and look forward to the next "Beringia". "When the race became an integral part of my life, it became realized that" Beringia "revives the customs of the indigenous small peoples of the North," the words in the book show. "We must preserve our traditions - and the Even language, and the dog sledging, which we have in our blood."

Another hero of the book, Andrei Semashkin - three-time winner of the "Beringia" - is convinced that driving is not just a hobby, but a special way of life. "We lived in the village of Esso of the Bystrinsky district, where my childhood and youth passed. Dogs were the main mode of transport, reindeer herders moved from the village to the herds, and the rest of the inhabitants successfully mastered this type of transport. This then came snowmobiles, tractors, roads became better ... And in those years, not only adults, but also the guys went to dogs - hooked from two to four dogs and skated so much for fishing. In the school, too, often came on sleds: pick up small sledges, reached, dogs were tied to a fence and went to school. The animals left under the windows fought, howled, flailed - and we constantly had to run out into the yard to separate them. Then such "school" transport, of course, was banned, "- says Andrew.

The book is written by a team of authors, equipped with infographics and comments of experts in the field of sled dog breeding: veterinarians, dog breeders, judges and race organizers. The publication is richly illustrated by author’s photographs of famous Russian photographers, including Alexander Kutsky, Vasily Rusin and Victor Gumenyuk. Edition “Beringia. Race Anatomy ”was prepared for printing by the Moscow PressPass publishing house with the support of the Kamchatka Krai Government and the Kamchatka information and analytical agency. It is part of the Anatomy series of books on sports and a healthy lifestyle.

Beringia – 2015 starts on March 8 in the village of Esso, Bystrinsky District. Eighteen horses will have to go 935 km sled dogs to the village of Ossora in the north of Kamchatka. According to the organizers, the total prize pool will be 7,5 million rubles. The winner will receive 3 million rubles, the qualifier, who came to the finish line second, will get 2 million, the prize for third place is 1 million rubles.