We all know that the standards of the Ace categories are the most difficult to achieve, with the pigeons having to show a lot of ambition, but above all consistency in the top rankings. In today’s article we will present you the “aces” of the Marathon category from the 2022 season, both for yearlings and adults.

Cristi Nicolescu

The national 1st place in the Marathon Ace Yearlings category was won by the hen with the series 0904465-2021, which belongs to Cristi Nicolescu, from the town of Slănic, Prahova county. To be able to prevail in the three Marathon stages required by this norm, the young hen obtained a total of 28.41 points and 2,251 ranked kilometers. “I have been a pigeon fancier for over ten years. Between 2017-2021 I competed pigeons within the U.C.P.R., where I obtained top results at county and national level. In the last year when I competed in that Federation, I got three national cups. In 2022 I signed up as a pigeon fancier member within the U.F.C.R., achieving an unexpectedly good result since the first year, achieving the 1st national place in the Marathon Ace Yearlings category with an extraordinary hen, competing in an area disadvantaged compared to many counties in the country . The hen participated in three stages of the Marathon, Marylin – 750 aerial kilometers, hence the name “Merlineza”, managing to finish the Marathon Ace Yearlings category, with 28.41 points. The father of the champion comes from birds from Silviu Stănescu from Ploiesti, being the grandson of national champions in the Marathon Ace and Extreme Marathon categories, and her mother is bred in my loft, from original Apetroaie Bogdan pigeons, from Băicoi, her parents being sons of champions of Long distance and Along distance Ace categories. I started the season with a team of 80 pigeons. The pigeons were played from the first stage of Speed to the first stage of Marathon using widowhood method, and after the first stage of Marathon they were changed to natural. At the end of the season we were left with 30 pigeons, which flew including Marathon and Extreme Marathon stages. The year 2022 was a very successful year, taking into account the area from which I compete and the high degree of difficulty of the stages. This season we achieved good results at county and provincial level, but the ultimate success is winning this national trophy”, explained Cristi Nicolescu.

Marian Dinulescu

The national vice-champion of this category is the cock with the series 0307455-2021, who belongs to the team Dinulescu + Radu, from the town of Țăndărei, Ialomița county, formed by Marian Dinulescu and Gabriel Radu. The obtained score, which propelled him to the second step of the national podium, was 31.78 penalty points, and during the three stages of the Marathon he achieved a number of 2,670 ranked kilometers. “At the first stage of the Marathon, Chelm – 784 aerial kilometers, took the 59th place in the competition, accumulating a penalty of 19.17 points. Taking into account that this competition was the first Marathon in his career, it was a little more difficult for him.
At the next Marathon stage, Bielsk, he came first in the loft, accumulating a penalty of 2.77 points, and at the third Marathon race, Bielsk II, our yearling showed his champion qualities, finishing 15th in the zonal rankings and accumulating a penalty of only 9.84 points, a score that brings him the title of national vice-champion of the Marathon Ace Yearlings category and 1st place in the Southeast Province, in the same category. This pigeon is also the 26th place national Marathon Yearlings 2022. I would like to mention that the father of this cock is the son of the 2nd place national Marathon Grand Prix, norm ended with Madona and Birzai stages, in both races accumulating 2,800 ranked kilometers. The father of the champion is from Demit Andrei, from Constanța, with origin Jelle Jellema, on the Nirvana line, and his mother is original Frank Zwiers, brought from my team, Gabriel Radu, 50% Jelle Jellema and 50% Frank Swiers origins. We start the season with 80-90 pigeons, of which 50-60 fly in the Marathon and Extreme Marathon stages. As a game method, our birds only fly using natural method, because we have noticed that here they are motivated much better than in widowhood in competitions over 900 kilometers. Mandatory, before the start of the season, the pigeons must raise one chick at a time, in order to be attracted to the nest, especially the young ones. This trophy was a new start in the national top, after last year we had, also in the same category, the 9th place in the Marathon Ace Yearlings, a fact that makes us ambitious to have even greater claims in the coming seasons. I can mention that, during my pigeon racing career, a sport that I have been practicing for about 30 years, when I was not in this team, I managed to win the 2nd place in the Speed Old birds, the 2nd place in the Middle Distance Old birds and the 3rd place in the Speed Yearlings, all this at national level, plus many other top 50 nationally. I am proud that we have these pigeons in our loft, which makes us much more ambitious in the future and, last but not least, I am proud that we brought Ialomita to the national podium in this category, a feat that she has never achieved before nobody in this county”, Marian Dinulescu revealed to us.

Măgirescu+ Ojog+ Dorneanu Team

The hen with the series 0207688-2021, who belongs to the famous trio Măgirescu, Ojog + Dorneanu, from Bacău, climbs to the third step of the national podium of the Marathon Ace Yearlings category, with a total of 39.08 points and 2,785 ranked kilometers. “The competition year 2022 was our best pigeon season since we fly in this formula, managing to obtain six national trophies in Pigeons categories, plus one national trophy in Fanciers, only in the Marathon and Extreme categories, categories in which we also highlighted in previous years. After a difficult start to the season, marked by the changes in the R.N.S., we decided to compete with a larger batch, 60 old birds and 100 yearlings, which were divided into two batches. The old birds were competed in two stages of Long Distance and three stages of Extreme Marathon, and the young ones were played according to a different scheme, they participated in a stage of Long Distance, of 600 kilometers, and three stages of Marathon of 850, 970 and 960 air kilometers. In the middle of the season, after the first two stages of the Marathon, seeing that we have a lot of yearlings arriving, we had the inspiration to engage half of the group of yearlings for the stages of the National Marathon, Madona and Birzai. The hen in the 3rd place nationally at Marathon Ace Yearlings has as her father a cock from Florin Spoială’s loft, being the son of the famous “Invincible Dirk” and good brother to the champion of the Extreme Marathon from 2015, “Blue Diamond”, and her mother is ” De036», good sister to the well-known fliers and breeders «004» and «005», all three being products of the couple «Nepot Rodico» and «Lista Polder». As in every season, our flight team competed naturally”, said Daniel Măgirescu.

„The competition is getting fiercer every year“

Daniel Tîmpa

The 1st national place in the Maraton Ace Old birds category was claimed by Daniel Tîmpa, from Târnova, Caraș-Severin county, through the hen with the series 0161144-2020, who became the leader of this category with a score of 21.72 penalty points and 2,741 ranked kilometers. “hen 0161144-2020, named “Phoenix”, won this title by competing in the Western Province of Romania, in a very strong competition. I say this because, for the first time after almost 10 years, we played all the marathons together, seven counties: Caraș-Severin, Timișoara, Arad, Bihor, Satu-Mare, Sălaj and Maramureș. «Phoenix» played 3 Marathon stages, totaling 2,741 aerial kilometers: stage Dresden I (913 aerial kilometers, tailwind – 5.26 points), Dresden II (headwind and heat – 0.59 points) and Dresden III (913 air kilometers, tailwind, fast race – 15.87 penalty points). It was competed using natural method, the first stage on hatched eggs, the second stage on approximately 14-day-old chicks, and the third stage on 7-day-old eggs. On the third stage I put a small chick on her the day before basketing, but looking at the score compared to the previous stages, I think I disturbed her more. As a youngster, she was played an individual practice of 120 aerial kilometers, arriving the next day, then in the club car three stages of 140, 220 and 340 aerial kilometers. After one year he played 5 Long Distance stages, because in the first Long Distance stage he had a very good score. He arrived at the second Long Distance stage the next day, but he recovered very quickly and scored points in the other three Long Distance stages, in the last race being 8th on the launch, also obtaining a worthy 15th county place in the Long Distance Yearlings category.
This year she played four stages of 140, 240, 340 and 560 air kilometers, then she was engaged in the three marathons. Between stages, the pigeons were trained by car and around the loft, to the flag. As for origins, the father of the champion, the cock with the series 119372-2019 is a son of “Nervosul”, which has the series 622964-2011, a 100% Jelle Jellema pigeon, paired with the hen “Turturica”, series 622941-2011, she being a combination Jelle Jellema and Chris Van Den Velden, both pigeons received as a gift from one of Romania’s best and most representative pigeon fanciers, George Vochin. I mention that the cock 119372-2019 is a good brother to the mother of the hen series 114027-2013, named «Favorita», who was a triple provincial champion in the category Marathon Extreme Old birds 2015, Marathon Extrem Palmares and Marathon Extrem Palmares 3 years in 2016. « Turturica” is also the mother of the 7th place national Extreme Marathon Yearlings 2018 and the 3rd place Extreme Marathon Old birds, Western Province in 2022. The mother of “Phoenix”, the hen with the series 118184-2019, is reproduced from “Arnold”, with the series 101537 -2014, incest on “Arwen”, 11th place on launch at Marathon Schwerin 2014, paired with “Favorita”, (her father being son of “Philippides”, and mother daughter of “Nervosul” + “Turturica”) . “Arnold” is the grandfather of the national 2nd place Ace Marathon Yearlings 2017 (hen bred and played by Samuel Striblea). He is also the father of «Achilles», which has the series 161115-2020. “Achilles” is the 3rd place in the Extreme Marathon Old birds, West Province 2022. “Favorita” is the grandmother of four county champions in Caraș-Severin, Arad and Hunedoara.
I play natural pigeons and I like to race few birds, about 20-30 pigeons per season. This year, at the first Marathon, we hired 8 mature pigeons. I don’t play the young guys anymore in the Marathon stages, only if one of them upsets me, but it must upset me a lot. My pigeons are closed from the end of September until around March 15-18 due to raptors. They often train in small groups to avoid their attacks. This national title won this season is a much-coveted, hopeless, but well-deserved trophy”, said Daniel Tîmpa.

Timotei Mazilu

The “silver” of the Marathon Ace Old birds category was won, with 2,480 ranked kilometers and 24.10 penalty points, by the hen with the series 0937307-2020, which belongs to Timotei Mazilu, a pigeon fancier active as a pigeon fancier member from Pătrăuți, Suceava county . “I have been practicing this beautiful sport for 5 years. In 2022 I fulfilled my pigeon fancier dream of reaching the national podium. Hen 937307-2020 was bred in my loft from two pigeons with very good origins. Her father is a super cock of 100% Iulian Gologan origin, from Bacău, being the son of the famous “Socrate”, who was provincial vice-champion in the Marathon Palmares category for 4 years. The mother of the champion is a hen with 100% Magirescu-Ojog-Dorneanu origins, being a granddaughter of “Tripla”, national champion in 2014. In the 2022 season we started with a number of 20 yearlings and old birds, practicing as well as the flight method the widowhood. The 2022 season was a particularly good one for me, taking two leading places in the national championship with the same pigeon, in one of the most beautiful and coveted categories – the Marathon. I was most pleased by the ambition of this pigeon, which had already ranked three stages of the Marathon, namely Jonava – 50th place out of 21,702 pigeons, Kaunas – 99th place out of 15,001 birds and Seta – 141st place out of 9,274 pigeons. We also engaged her for the stage of the Extreme Marathon – Birzai Național, where she showed her value again, ranking 70th out of 5,793 pigeons”, concluded Timotei Mazilu.

Laurențiu Tutuianu

Brăileanu Laurențiu Tutuianu gets the “bronze medal” with the hen with the series 0535262-2020, who obtained a total of 24.57 penalty points and 2,656 ranked kilometers in the three Marathon stages required for this category. “I have been competing in the Danubius Brăila Association since 2012 and, like all lovers of this sport, I have collected dreams, hopes and disappointments since then. All this hardened me and brought me here in 2022, the year in which I forgot all the failures thanks to the hen with the series 0535262-2020, her name «Blue Dreams», who manages a double performance, one of them being 3rd place Marathon Ace at national level. For me, this success is perhaps more than 50% due to my wife, who during the week, while I am away at work, is the manager of the loft and the trainer, even the vet of our pigeons. As for origin, «Blue Dreams» is from a cock from Frații Dobre, being a son of «Hector», the 2nd place national Maraton Ace3 years Palmares, and from a hen from the Henning Family, a good sister to «Miss Extrem », 3rd place national Extreme Marathon. The hen “Blue Dreams” was competed, up to the second stage of the Marathon, using widowhood method and the third and fourth stages were competed naturally, in the nest position. We started the season with 92 pigeons, 35 old birds and the rest of them yearlings. The adults and some of the youngsters also flew in the Marathon stages, and a number of 22 yearlings we competed only in the Long distance stages, preparing them for the future. As motivation, I apply little tricks, but I find that only the pigeon makes the difference. As a conclusion of this season, I notice that the competition is getting tougher and that is only a good thing for the pigeon sport. Records are broken every year, the birds get better and better scores, and we could say that, from a sporting point of view, we can compare ourselves to the great names of Europe”, said Laurentiu Tutuianu.