Mature Marathon 2025 – South-East Province Fanciers Dominate the National Podium

The final standings of the Mature Marathon 2025 category brought an interesting scenario. While not entirely unprecedented, it is certainly encouraging for all marathon enthusiasts, regardless of the size of the club they compete in.

At this year’s Champions Gala, every fancier who stepped onto the podium in this prestigious category came from the South-East Province. The National Champion title was claimed by Dragoș Rîbalcă from Buzău, a fancier who continues to improve his performances year after year. Second place went to the father-and-son tandem Aurel & Alin Novac from Vrancea, while Eugen Silivestru from Ialomița finally secured a well-deserved national podium after previously finishing just outside the top three on several occasions.

Dragoș Rîbalcă – National Champion after two Terespol races

During the 2025 season, the Buzău club, home of the national champion, selected Terespol (Poland) as the release point for the marathon races. The first event took place on 21 June 2025, organized together with the fanciers from Brăila and Tulcea, gathering 4,231 pigeons from 223 lofts. Competing with a team of 35 pigeons, Dragoș Rîbalcă won 1st County against 2,580 pigeons with the cock RO-2022-0442076, flying a distance of 790 km. This outstanding performance immediately placed him among the top national contenders, making the second race — National Terespol — decisive. With years of experience and strong results already in his record, the Buzău fancier seized the opportunity. The same cock RO-2022-0442076 confirmed his superb condition by finishing 8th against 8,811 pigeons in the national ranking. With only 1.07 penalty points, the pigeon secured 1st National Mature Marathon 2025.

According to the champion:

“The cock is bred from a Gerard van Tuyl cock obtained from Bogdan Ciobanu, and a hen from George Vochin, daughter of an Olympiad marathon hen. He was raced on the widowhood system, after raising youngsters at the beginning of the season. As a young bird he competed in long-distance races, and at two years old he achieved Ace Marathon and Marathon norms, although without top rankings. This season he showed excellent form, even during loft training. His motivation was increased because he had two nest boxes. After winning the first marathon in the county, I motivated him even more for the second one. In our region the marathon races are two weeks apart. After returning from a race the pigeons stay locked until Thursday. On Thursday and Friday they fly lightly around the loft. On Saturday we take them 50–60 km, Sunday 30 km, and Monday 20 km. All training tosses are done in the afternoon, and during the last training the pigeons meet their partners. Before basketing for National Terespol I closed both nest boxes, which probably increased his motivation. For feeding I used several mixes from Beyers.”

In the same season, this outstanding cock also achieved 5th National Ace Marathon (Mature Birds).

Two national races secure 2nd National for Aurel & Alin Novac

Besides the Terespol races organized by the Vrancea club, fanciers from this county also had the opportunity to compete in several Extreme distance races, including National Sokolka. The cock RO-2023-1012449, raced by the Novac Aurel & Alin tandem, enjoyed a remarkable season. After finishing 3rd against 3,697 pigeons at National Sokolka (901 km) and 4th against 8,811 pigeons at National Terespol (762 km), the pigeon accumulated only 1.26 penalty points, securing 2nd National Mature Marathon. Furthermore, these performances, together with a third strong result, also earned the pigeon 1st National Ace Marathon Mature 2025.

Aurel Novac explained their approach:

“The father of the pigeon carries Ad Schaerlackens bloodlines, while the mother comes from pigeons bred by Florin Vartolomei. As usual, we race on the widowhood system, separating the pigeons two weeks before the first long-distance race, after they raise one youngster each. Training is very important for us. The pigeons must fly around the loft about one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. In addition, every three or four days we take them around 70 km by car for a training toss. This cock was mainly motivated by the nest box he defended, often fighting other cocks for it. In fact, he seemed more interested in the box than in the hen. In any case, he comes from a family of very strong racing pigeons.”

Eugen Silivestru finally reaches the national podium

An experienced fancier from Țăndărei, Ialomița, Eugen Silivestru had come close to the national podium several times before, only to miss it by a narrow margin. In 2025, however, his persistence finally paid off. He started the season strongly, winning 1st and 2nd on the release in the first marathon race against 1,815 pigeons, over a distance of 722 km. The cock RO-2023-0380722, winner of that race from Dolhobyczow (Poland), confirmed his outstanding form at National Terespol, where he finished 2nd County against 1,725 pigeons at 881 km. With a total of 1.71 penalty points, the pigeon secured 3rd National Mature Marathon, bringing an important national trophy to the Silivestru loft.

Silivestru explained:

“The cock carries Aarden and Janssen bloodlines and is bred from pigeons obtained from Predoi Ion, Gică Stanca and Orlando Golgojanu. We race on widowhood, and the pigeons did not raise youngsters before the season. They were paired and sat on eggs, then separated two weeks before the first long-distance race. I feed them with a mix prepared by myself, combined with Energy and Black Label from Versele-Laga. One day before basketing for a marathon race the pigeons are taken for a 50 km training toss, released as late as possible. After he won the first marathon, I paired the cock with a pied hen that I kept at home, as I noticed cocks are often more attracted to lighter-colored hens. I would also like to mention my collaborator Aurel Boboc, with whom I frequently consult and with whom I will compete starting from the 2026 season under the name Silivestru & Boboc”.

In total, 4,481 pigeons managed to achieve the Mature Marathon norm during the 2025 season, highlighting once again the growing competitiveness of marathon racing in Romania.