More than 13,000 skiers from over 60 nations will line up on Sunday for the 56th Engadin Ski Marathon and the 17th Engadin Half Marathon. The Elite Field is traditionally led by Swiss Athletes, but France is once again strongly represented. Most eyes, however, are likely to be on Einar Hedegart: The Norwegian won two gold medals and one bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Italy.
A double Olympic champion and a double world champion from Norway are among this year's top favourites for the Engadin ski marathon. Einar Hedegart (24) is in remarkable form and returned from the Olympic Games with no fewer than three medals. He won gold in the 7.5 km relay and the team sprint, and bronze in the 10 km freestyle.
His compatriot Finn Hågen Krogh (35) also celebrated his greatest successes in the team sprint and over 10 km freestyle. The Veteran's Two World Titles Date Back Nine and Eleven Years Today, the former World Cup Racer specialises in long distances and competes successfully in Ski Classics events.
The French are traditionally strongly represented at the Engadin race. World Cup athlete Clément Parisse (32), along with Engadin specialists Gérard Agnellet (33) and Aubin Gautier Pelissier (24), are all ones to watch. Two of the biggest names in the Engadin Ski Marathon are undoubtedly the two Swiss athletes Jason Rüesch (31) and Candide Pralong (35). Both will retire at the end of the season and are determined to shine once more in front of a home crowd.
So returning from the Olympic Games to compete in the Engadin race is Switzerland's best distance skier, Beda Klee (29). Both Switzerland and France are also fielding entire groups of ambitious young athletes.
Giuliana Werro among the closest favourites
In the women's race, Giuliana Werro (27) from Zernez has unfinished business with the Engadin ski marathon. She won the biggest cross-country skiing event in the Alpine region in surprising fashion in 2023, but had to settle for second place in 2024 and 2025. After her outstanding victory in the Engadin Women's Race, she is once again among the favourites this year.
However, the Field of Challengers is high-profile. It includes French World Cup athlete Juliette Ducordeau (27) and Norwegian biathlete Hanna Börve (25), for example. Irene Cadurisch (34) is another highly experienced biathlete. She comes from Maloja and knows the course like the back of her hand. This will also be the final race of her career before she takes up her new role as a biathlon coach at Engadin Nordic.
To increase the excitement at the front of the race, additional gender-separated sprint prizes are being introduced: in Sils, the Engadin ski marathon sprint for women; in St. Moritz, the St. Moritz sprint for men; and in La Punt, the Coop Sprint for both women and men.
Nature is our host
Beyond the sporting aspects, the Engadin ski marathon sees its responsibility towards the environment as a central concern. To protect nature and make waste disposal after the race easier, so-called “waste zones” are now being introduced in the start area, along the course and in the finish area. Participants may only dispose of packaging, cups and other waste in these zones and in the refreshment zones. The beginning and end of these zones are marked with special signs. Littering outside the waste zones may be punished with disqualification.
After the Field Has Passed Through, “Clean-Up Teams” on Skis Cover the Entire Route and Collect Any Litter Left Behind Also for the sake of the environment, the ban on fluorinated wax is once again in force for all races during Engadin Marathon Week. Random checks will be carried out in the field. Breaching this ban will also be punished with disqualification and a two-year suspension.
From Thursday to Saturday, Swiss Ski and the Engadin Ski Marathon are offering free fluorine tests at the “Engadin” hut by the cross-country centre in Pontresina. To make travelling by public transport even more attractive, the race number voucher now also serves as a public transport ticket throughout Grisons. Until Saturday, Engadin Bus is also offering an additional service for training skiers: Route 608 takes them from the armory at the finish in S-chanf to St. Moritz.
Very high registration numbers
The Engadin Women's Race attracted the second-largest field in its history last Sunday, and the Engadin Ski Marathon is also seeing very strong demand. The mark of 13,000 registrations was passed a week before the start, and the 1,000 starting places for the Engadin Night Race on Thursday have already been sold out for some time.
Race numbers will be distributed once again at Rondo Centre in Pontresina. Vouchers do not need to be printed out, as the QR code on a mobile phone is sufficient. From Thursday to Saturday, participants, friends and families will gather once again in the Pontresina Marathon Village. Along Via Maistra and at the Cross-Country Centre, they will find the leading equipment suppliers as well as the sponsors of the Engadin Ski Marathon.
On Friday at 18:15, the Bernese dialect-pop duo Lo & Leduc will perform the traditional free concert on Plazza Gitögla. On Saturday at 12:30, mountain bike star Nino Schurter will appear on stage at Plazza Bellavita, and at 15:00 the Favourites will reveal how they plan to win on Sunday. At Hotel Allegra, the science café “Recovery in Cross-Country and Endurance Sport” also wants to take place from 13:30.
The coolest man from Zurich is coming to the Engadin
Graubünden is the guest canton at this year's Zurich Sechseläuten festival. In the run-up to the event, the “Böögg” will visit the Engadin Ski Marathon. The Snowman is “the coolest man from Zurich” and the symbolic figure of Zurich's Major Spring Festival. On Thursday evening, he will take part in the Engadin Night Race and recover on Friday in the Marathon Village in Pontresina. On Saturday, he will then visit St. Moritz, and on Sunday he will cheer on the participants in the Engadin ski marathon at the finish in S-chanf.
Speaking of “cheering on”: on April 20, the Böögg will be ceremonially burned at Sechseläuten. If he fails once again to burn properly, the Engadin Ski Marathon will invite him to the Engadin for spring snow skating.
Media information from the Engadin Ski Marathon dated 2 March 2026. Christian Gartmann has been Communications and Media Officer and a member of the crisis team of the Engadin Ski Marathon since 2014.