The Engadin Ski Marathon is getting a new start procedure: Instead of 8 categories, it will be restarted in 29 waves. The “wave start” creates significantly more space for individual participants and shorter waiting times before the start; the scramble for a starting position in the front rows is now a thing of the past. The new start mode is a result of the pandemic.
29 waves with a maximum of 500 runners now form the starting field for the Engadin Ski Marathon. With this change, the biggest cross-country skiing event in the Alps is creating more space for individual participants before the start and promises to reduce waiting times and fighting for top starting places.
Protecting the health of its participants and volunteers is a top priority for the Engadin Ski Marathon. The new start procedure plays an important part in this. The time processes leading up to the start are now much more structured for participants and they can take more time to travel to Maloja.
Instead of coming to Maloja early as before to fill a place in the front rows of their category, it is now enough to arrive 60 to 80 minutes before the start time and warm up. Access to the start area is only opened 25 to 40 minutes before the start time. Arriving too early is therefore no longer an advantage.
More space before the start
Even after the start, the smaller waves bring more peace to the field: “Until 2019, we had 8 categories with up to 3,700 participants, now there are waves with a maximum of 500 participants,” explains Menduri Kasper, managing director of the Engadin Ski Marathon. “Within a wave, there are a lot of participants who are about the same strength.”
The new start procedure is an indirect result of the pandemic: “The wave start in smaller groups gives participants more space in the starting area and the crowds in front of the individual entrances and in the start boxes are eliminated. Compared to previous boxes, we now offer participants around four times more space. We are thus meeting the need for more freedom that has arisen during the pandemic,” says Menduri Kasper.
The organizing committee is looking forward to the launch of the innovation: “The result will inspire our runners,” says Menduri Kasper with conviction. Detailed information on the new start procedure is available on the Engadin Ski Marathon website. All participants are strongly recommended to find out more about the new start process.
The starting procedures for the remaining races of the Engadin Marathon Week remain unchanged, as the Engadin Women's Run and the Engadin Night Run have much smaller numbers of participants.
Detailed information about the new start procedure
Christian Gartmann has been Communications and Media Officer for the Engadin Ski Marathon since 2014.