The pigeon RO 556655-2016, trained by Eacobuță Elisei from Bacău, is the winner of the Seta Province Moldova 2018 Marathon

The Seta Province of Moldova marathon announced its winners. Of the approximately 13,000 racing pigeons registered at the start, three of them managed to stand out due to their exceptional sporting qualities. A female and two males won the podium, covering the 1100 km in a very good time. They were rewarded with prizes depending on the place occupied: first place - Beyers prizes worth 300 lei, prizes from Dr. Norbert Peeters worth 100 lei, HP prizes worth 100 lei, second place - Beyers prizes in value of 200 lei, prizes from Dr. Norbert Peeters worth 100 lei, HP prizes worth 100 lei, 3rd place - Beyers prizes worth 100 lei, prizes from Dr. Norbert Peeters worth 100 lei, HP prizes worth 100 lei. Who are these pigeons, what line do they come from, how were they motivated and what is the secret of performance, from the perspective of those who trained them, read the following lines. You will see that the results are surprising, that no method is similar to another and that, most of the time, performance depends only on the innate sports qualities.

1st place - a pigeon fed with natural food and trained before the season and between the competition stage

The pigeon RO 556655-2016, trained by Eacobuță Elisei from Bacău, ranked first. It is a two-year-old female, with origins in Cor de Heijde (75%) and Freialdenhofen (25%). He comes from a talented family, being the grandson of the pigeon that won in Vilnius. The secret to success in this competition? "The pigeon was motivated to return to the eggs. It was on the nest of eggs for 14-15 days. I play only naturally with all the pigeons, from start to finish. I don't compete in the speed stages, but only in the cross-country and marathon stages. I train them alone, only with my personal car, before the season and between the competition stages, four or five times, over a distance of 60 km. I generally use natural products: bee honey, garlic, pollen, hardeners and, where appropriate, we also use commercial products. I'm glad that the prize consists of Beyers products, because so far I haven't had a chance to try them, and this is a good opportunity ", explains Eacobuță Elisei.

Second place - a pigeon for almost three years without a strict training program

The pigeon RO 605453-2015, trained by two brothers from Suceava, Moroșan Simi and Costică, was ranked second. He is a three-year-old male from the Arjan Beens line. The owners were amazed by this performance because, unfortunately, they do not have enough time to take care of the pigeons in their farm as they would like. They work in Italy, so the one who takes the pigeons on board is a friend of the Moroșan brothers, named Gică Pâtu. "On the one hand, we were also surprised that he occupied such a good place, because they do not have a strict training program. The boys have gone to Italy and are not taking care of them closely. They gathered around 70 pigeons from all over Europe out of pure passion. On the other hand, if we think about the line from which it comes, it would have been expected. He won last year in the AS Marathon category, plus two other marathons this year. The pigeons fly only naturally, they wouldn't have much else. They do not have a special food, they are fed with commercial products, in a bag ”, says Gică Pâtu.

Third place - a late pigeon, raised in the wild

The pigeon RO 369804-2017 was ranked third. It is a late pigeon, not even a year old, with Dutch origins. "It is from a Dutch chicken, found on foot, in the center of Suceava, in the rain. A child brought it to me, I paid for it and a red pigeon that I had appeared from this pigeon. I don't know if he's a year old. Natural flight, no schedule, nothing. I give them good food, in the morning I give them everything they need, food, water ... I make them different mixtures, with honey, garlic, olive oil from Italy, oregano, brewer's yeast. I also give them food in a bag, I use Beyers products, such as Electrolit Plus or E-Vitol. But the important thing is that they do what they want, they don't chase them, they are free! I am approaching an advanced age, I am 62 years old in August, and, for me, they are a source of energy ", explains Bordea Neculai from Piatra Neamț, the pigeon's coach.