The Event of the Year.

Engadin Skimarathon

5.50 a.m. the alarm goes off early for about 13,000 skiers every second Sunday in March. Get up, grab a cup of coffee... or two and a hearty breakfast. Then the final kit-check. Anticipation grows. Finally, the nerves too.

Finally – bang-the starting shot. Thousands of cross-country skiers all move off together, over frozen lakes, past typical Engadin villages and through a unique landscape. Over the finish line. Done it! An unforgettable experience.

42 kilometre of cross-country trails lie between the start in Maloja and the finish in S-chanf. At the first Engadin Ski-marathon in March 1969 there were 945 skiers at the start line. Who would have thought back then that there would ever be over 13,000 sportsmen and women from 50 nations taking part today?

Only those who have taken part can ever imagine the emotions at the start line. Do only top cross-country skiers take part in the Engadin Ski-marathon? Not at all: hobby and fun-skiers are at the start too, many of the latter in fancy dress costumes. Of course, there are also professional sportsmen and women participating, and who can complete the marathon in an hour and a half.

Did you know that about 1,200 helpers are busy on event day? Or that over 11,000 personal effects bags have to be taken from the start to the finish? And that 28,000 energy bars, 8,000 bananas and 80,000 chocolate bars are handed out to the athletes at the support stations?

Further Information

engadin-skimarathon.ch