With the 25th Engadin Women's Run, the traditional Engadin Marathon week begins on March 1. A record field is expected for the anniversary women's run and the 8th Engadin night run is already fully booked. The Engadin trail network is in excellent condition, meaning that well over 13,000 participants will start the Engadin Ski Marathon.
The fantastic trail conditions in the Engadin encourage thousands of runners to take part in the Engadin Marathon Week. Four weeks before the 56th Engadin Ski Marathon, over 12,500 participants have already signed up for the biggest cross-country skiing event in the Alps. There are already as many as were launched in the previous year.
The rush for marathon starting positions was already apparent at the beginning of winter, when the Engadin was once again able to start the cross-country skiing season very early. Registrations for the Engadin Women's Run and the Engadin Night Run also skyrocketed. The night run takes place on Thursday, March 5 and is limited to 1000 starting places. This limit was reached last weekend, meaning that the race is already fully booked today.
Marathon week 2026 starts with an anniversary: The Engadin Women's Run is taking place for the 25th time and is likely to attract a record field. 1100 women have already registered and it is expected that the anniversary women's run will break the registration record of 1384 female runners from 2019.
Fantastic cross-country skiing conditions
Engadin traditionally started the cross-country skiing season back in November and quickly built up its 240-kilometer network of trails. Even before the turn of the year, cross-country skiing enthusiasts from all over the world were able to train on the original marathon route between Pontresina and Zuoz, and since the end of January, the Upper Engadin lakes have also been groomed. The repeated snowfalls of recent days have once again improved the trail conditions and once again transformed the Engadin into a winter wonderland.
Fluorwax tests in the Marathon Village
The Marathon Village in the heart of Pontresina will once again be a vibrant meeting place for runners this year. From Thursday, March 5 to Saturday, March 7, it offers information stands, concerts, presentations, entertainment and the distribution of race numbers at the Rondo Congress and Cultural Center. The stars of the scene give interviews and autographs, and the successful Swiss duo Lo & Leduc will perform for a live concert on Plazza Gitögla on Friday evening.
During marathon week, however, Pontresina not only offers entertainment: The cross-country skiing center once again offers equipment from leading manufacturers for material testing and experts provide tips for training, racing and optimal ski preparation. In the new “Engadiner” hut, all participants can have their cross-country skis tested for fluorine wax free of charge.
The fight against nature-damaging fluorine wax is an important concern of the Engadin Ski Marathon. It is prohibited at all races during the marathon week and should also disappear from general cross-country skiing. The fluorine wax ban has been enforced by the International Ski Federation (FIS) since 2023 and applies to all participants in Engadin Ski Marathon, Engadin Half Marathon, Engadin Women's Run, Engadin Night Run and Engadin Youth Sprint. Checks are carried out at the races and violations are punished with disqualifications.
Organizers not only care about races without fluorine wax, they also want to protect the environment along the route from unnecessary waste. New waste zones will be created this year. They should help to concentrate the waste in a narrower space, from where it can then be correctly disposed of.
The 2026 Marathon Week
- Wednesday, February 25, 2026:40th Engadin Youth Sprint, approx. 800 m in Samedan
- Sunday, March 1, 2026:25th Engadin Women's Run, 17 km from Samedan to S-chanf
- Thursday, March 5, 2026:8th Engadin night run, 17 km from Sils to Pontresina
- Sunday, March 8, 2026:17th Engadin Half Marathon, 21 km from Maloja to Pontresina
- Sunday, March 8, 2026:56th Engadin Ski Marathon, 42 km from Maloja to S-chanf
Media release from the Engadin Ski Marathon from Samedan dated February 9, 2026. Christian Gartmann has been Communications and Media Officer of the Engadin Ski Marathon and a member of the crisis management team since 2014.