Swede Maria Gräfnings wins the Engadin Women's Run ahead of Davos Seraina Boner and Rahel Imoberdorf from Münster (VS). The race took place in the best conditions; it marked the start of the Engadin Marathon Week 2017.
Six female runners dominated the race from the start. Maria Gräfnings, Seraina Boner and Rahel Imoberdorf were soon able to break away and get over 100 meters ahead of another group of three with Flurina Eichholzer-Bott (Zernez, fourth), Heidi Widmer (Davos, fifth) and Claudia Schmid (Lucerne, sixth). With Zuoz, the Swede set a pace that her two Swiss opponents could no longer keep up with.
The “Golan Heights” between Zuoz and the finish line did not cause any difficulties for the Swede during her first appearance in Engadin; she had trained extra for the last five kilometers on Saturday with her team-mate Rahel Imoberdorf. In the end, she won by just under 25 seconds over Davos Seraina Boner, who had decided to start in Engadin at very short notice after the World Championships.
A total of 980 participants between the ages of 15 and 80 started the 18th Women's Run. After the snowfalls of the previous days, the organizers succeeded in preparing the trail perfectly at night.
The marathon week continues on Thursday with the first Engadin night run between Sils and Pontresina. On Friday evening, juniors and elite runners start the night sprint in St. Moritz, before the 49th Engadin Ski Marathon covers 42 kilometers between Maloja and S-chanf on Sunday.
After the women's run, Maria Gräfnings was impressed by the track and the conditions. She is already looking forward to next Sunday, she was beaming about the Engadin Ski Marathon. She has set herself a lot of plans for the classic; it will be her first start at the Engadin Ski Marathon.
Logo and free press photos from the Engadin Ski Marathon
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