The 35th edition of the legendary Beringia dogsled race concluded today, April 7, in Ust-Kamchatsk, Kamchatka. This year’s event, however, saw a record-low turnout—only five mushers competed in the grueling 1,300-kilometer race, three of whom were women.

A Triumph for Women
Alisa Voronova emerged as the 2025 champion, completing the course in 84 hours and 22 minutes and claiming the top prize of 3 million rubles. She now joins an elite group—only two other women have won Beringia before her: Elena Panyukhina (1993) and Anna Eremina (2020).

Second place went to Alexey Popov, a two-time champion (2005, 2024), who earned 2 million rubles, while veteran musher Nikolay Levkovsky (winner in 2001, 2008, and 2009) took third, securing 1 million rubles.

A Family Affair
The remaining spots were claimed by sisters Maria and Anna Semashkin, daughters of six-time Beringia champion Andrey Semashkin. Their mother, Anastasia, is also a seasoned competitor in the race.

Challenges Along the Way
Originally, 12 teams were set to participate, but the lineup shrank due to last-minute withdrawals. Defending champion Andrey Pritchin was forced to pull out for health reasons, and Sofia Yaganova withdrew unexpectedly.

Shorter Distances, Younger Competitors
In the "Young Musher" category, Evgeny Borodai finished a 415-km segment from Esso to Tigil. Meanwhile, four racers completed the 1,000-km "For Loyalty to Northern Traditions" race (named after Alexey Kolegov, a legendary 70-year-old musher). Alexander Krivogornitsyn won, followed by Vladislav "Vladislav Revenok," Vitaly Tishkin, and Evgeny Kutynkov.

A Race Losing Steam?
Despite its storied history—including entries in the Guinness World Records and Russian record books—Beringia has seen declining participation in recent years. The inaugural 1990 race featured eight teams on a 250-km route, with numbers growing steadily before plateauing. This anniversary edition, unfortunately, became one of the smallest yet.

Photo: Viktor Gumenyuk

Winner’s finish and award ceremony photos provided by the Ust-Kamchatsky District Administration.

Photos