Giuliana Werro and Arnaud Chautemps win the 53rd Engadin Ski Marathon. The young Engadin led from the Stazerwald and won by almost half a minute. The Frenchman prevailed in the final sprint and won razor-thin. The conditions were ideal despite the mild weather of recent weeks.
A dominating Engadin woman and a fast-paced Frenchman win the two Capricorn antlers of the Engadin Ski Marathon 2023. 23-year-old Giuliana Werro led the women's race over almost two thirds of the route and arrived in S-chanf with 27.5 seconds ahead. Last year's winner Nadja Kälin from St. Moritz came in second, Anja Weber from Hinwil (ZH) third.
Giuliana Werro lives in Zernez, just a few kilometers from the finish line, and took part in the Engadin Ski Marathon for the third time. No sooner had she crossed the finish line than she burst into tears of joy. “Winning this race has always been my big dream. It's simply unbelievable that it's working now.”
Frenchman Arnaud Chautemps (26) competed in the Engadin Ski Marathon for the first time. During the race, he always kept himself in the top ten and was then able to position himself well in the last kilometer.
He won the mass sprint with just 0.4 seconds ahead of his best friend Tom Mancini (France) and 0.6 seconds over Jason Rüesch from Davos. The top ten finishers crossed the finish line in just 2.2 seconds.
The race was not entirely without problems, said Chautemps. He had run with hole skis and caught competitors' poles in the holes of his ski tips shortly after the start and over the last kilometers. These were literally torn apart after the race. However, Chautemps succeeded.
He congratulated the Engadin Ski Marathon track teams for their work: “They have done great things. In a winter when almost all of our races had to be cancelled, we were able to run here on a good and wide trail.”
Preparing the 43.5 km long trail from Maloja to S-chanf was a particular challenge: Although Engadin has offered the best cross-country skiing and skiing conditions since the end of November, the preparation of Lake Silser and Silvaplana and the passage between St. Moritz and Lake Staz had caused some difficulties due to the high temperatures in the Alpine region.
On the lakes, the ice was mechanically roughened and mixed with natural snow and thus prepared to form a compact base. In St. Moritz, the route crossed the lake for the first time and led over two ascents up to Lake Staz. Since the trail there was only a few meters wide, there was a larger backlog during the race.
53rd Engadin Ski Marathon 2023: Maloja — S-chanf, 43.5 km
Women's result, overall ranking
- 1. Werro Giuliana, Zernez (GR), 1:42.50 ,9
- 2. Kälin Nadja, St. Moritz (GR), +27.5
- 3rd Weber Anja, Hinwil (ZH), +31.5
- 4. Kälin Marina, St. Moritz (GR), +41.0
- 5th bull Emilie, FRA, +2.40.9
- 6. Steiner Désirée, Davos (GR), +2.57.1
- 7. Chopard Lallier Celine, FRA, +4,05.1
- 8. Kurek Tania, FRA, +4,35.4
- 9. Fine Hanna, FRA, +4,37.1
- 10. Fischer Lea, Engelberg (OW), +4,40.0
Men's result, overall ranking
- 1. Chautemps Arnaud, FRA, 1:33.09 ,4
- 2. Mancini Tom, FRA, +0.4
- 3. Rüesch Jason, Davos (GR), +0.6
- 4. Lovera Victor, FRA, +0.8
- 5. Manificat Maurice, FRA, +1.2
- 6. Furger novel, Schattdorf (UR), +1.3
- 7. Näpflin Avelino, Beckenried (NW), +1.4
- 8. Chappaz Simon, FRA, +1.8
- 9. Fravi Laurin, Lantsch/Lenz (GR), +1.9
- 10. Kaeser Erwan, Bex (VD), +2.2
Media release of the Engadin Ski Marathon dated 12.3.2023. Christian Gartmann has been Communications and Media Officer for the Engadin Ski Marathon since 2014. The Engadin Ski Marathon is the biggest cross-country skiing event in the Alps.