Updated: Engadin Skimarathon is the next traditional marathon forced to cancellation
The news arriving us this week are not unexpected but still sad: After Gatineau Loppet in Canada and the Austrian Dolomitenlauf, now also the tradition Engadin Skimarathon had to be cancelled.
The biggest skating race was scheduled for the 14th of March, but the uncertain situation lets no other choice: “Our hearts bleed, but the health of the participants and our volunteers is our top priority. Unfortunately, it is still unclear how the pandemic and government protective measures will develop. That is why we had to decide at the turn of the year to cancel our popular marathon week races again.”, says Menduri Kaspar, Engadin Skimarathon CEO. Now the Engadiner is cancelled two times in a row.
Individual run with timekeeping and possible elite race
Despite the regrettable cancellation, the Engadin expects many cross-country skiers in the first two weeks of March – and they shouldn’t have to do without the Engadin entirely. From March 5th to 14th, the organizers will therefore operate permanent timekeeping in cooperation with Datasport. With the “Engadin Skimarathon-individual”, the original marathon route from Maloja to S-chanf can be run individually without large crowds of people. If you want to take advantage of the offer, you can register on the Engadin Skimarathon website and a receive timing chip. A contribution towards expenses of CHF 20 is required for participation.
This event is going to be valid for the Worldloppet Passport! If you want to collect a stamp in Engadin 2021, you can do this in your Digital Passport: Register/login to your MyLoppet Profile on the Worldloppet website and get your digital stamp there.
For the marathon Sunday, March 14th, the implementation of a pure elite race is also being examined. This would not be affected by the currently applicable ban on events and could be broadcast worldwide in the media. A decision on the implementation of a pure elite race is expected in January.
