The Engadin Skimarathon is an annual

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

race (

ski marathon Competitive cross-country skiing encompasses a variety of race formats and course lengths. Rules of cross-country skiing are sanctioned by the International Ski Federation and by various national organizations. International competitions incl ...

) held on the second Sunday of March in the

upper Engadine The Engadin or Engadine (;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ''Gidegna ...

valley (

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

), between Maloja and

S-chanf S-chanf (; ; ) is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Maloja Region in the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Graubünden. Localities in the municipality of include Susauna, Chapella and Cinuos-chel. Name is f ...

. It debuted in 1969 and has been a part of Worldloppet as long as Worldloppet has existed. It is one of the major cross-country skiing events in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. Between 11,000 and 14,200 skiers participate each year. The total distance covered is , although it is also possible to complete the half-marathon of (finishing in

Pontresina Pontresina () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Maloja Region in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. History and name Pontresina was first mentioned in medieval Latin documents as ''ad Pontem Sa ...

) or the Women's Race (Samedan to S-chanf). While it is a freestyle race, there are separate tracks for skiers practicing classic style for all but the narrowest parts of the race. Participation is open to anyone from the age of 16, and no licence is required to sign up. The track record of 1:16:10 was set by

Hervé Balland Hervé Balland (born January 7, 1964) is a French cross-country skier who competed from 1990 to 1998. He won a silver medal in the 50 km event at the 1993 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun. Balland's best finish at the Winter Oly ...

in 1994. In the same year, Silvia Honegger completed the race with the female track record of 1:22:08. As the race was extended by in 1998 to match the distance of a full marathon and the track was changed slightly in the Stazerwald section, resulting in a more difficult topography, longer racetimes are now standard. The start of the race takes place at the Maloja Palace Hotel with an elevation of . The track then leads over both

Lake Sils Lake Sils (German ''Silsersee'', Romansh: ''Lej da Segl'') is a lake in the Upper Engadine valley, Grisons, Switzerland. It takes its name from the village of Sils im Engadin. Geography The lake lies at an altitude of 1,797 metres above sea ...

and

Lake Silvaplana Lake Silvaplana (; ) is a lake in the Upper- Engadine valley of Grisons, Switzerland. It takes its name from the village of Silvaplana. The lake is also connected to the nearby Lej da Champfèr. Together with its larger neighbour, Lake Sils, it i ...

(which are frozen at this time of year). After passing

St. Moritz St. Moritz ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in the administrative region of Maloja in the Swiss ...

there is a forested climb in the Stazerwald. The proceeding descent to

is regarded by many as the most spectacular part of the race for spectators, due to the high number of falls and crashes by skiers. The race then follows the runway of

Samedan Airport Samedan Airport , also known as Engadin Airport, is a regional airport in Samedan in the Engadin valley of Switzerland, 5 km from St. Moritz. History At the end of World War II, Swiss authorities identified existing locations that were to b ...

and afterwards continues on the right side of the

Engadin The Engadin or Engadine (;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ''Gidegna'' ...

valley, passing several small communities before reaching the Finish in

at an elevation of .

Winners

See also

References

External links