Over 900 female athletes set off from Samedan on Sunday morning for the 21st Engadin Women's Race. After the two-year pandemic-induced hiatus, the event's organisers presented the racers with a superb course; the wind-still and cold conditions made for a fast race from the start. Desirée Steiner and Giuliana Werro set the pace from the word go and raced in front of their contenders for most of the race. «I knew I had to work hard as the competition was formidable.»
First-timer Desirée Steiner almost paid too high a price for her work in the lead: «I underestimated the so called «Golan Heights» after Zuoz. I had been warned about how tough that stretch would be, but it cost me a lot more effort than I was expecting.» Old hand Seraina Boner, familiar with the course, rushed to the attack in that critical last stretch of the race. But Steiner, Werro and the junior athlete from Southern Italy, Maria Adele Zampa, were able to keep up, and so it came that the race for the medals was decided amongst this quartet.
«This may be a small victory, in athletic terms, compared to winning World Cup and Continental Cup races, but the atmosphere and the course are just amazing,» enthused the winner at the finish. «This is cross-country skiing in its purest form.» She also pays tribute to her father Toni: «My skis were first-class. Normally, I would tune my skis myself, but today, my father did it!» Further proof to show that her equipment was not to fault was the new record time set by this year's winner: 40 minutes and 48,1 seconds.
21. Engadin Frauenlauf 2022
1 Steiner Désirée Davos Platz GR 40.48,1
2 Zampa Maria Adele Carona TI +1,8
3 Werro Giuliana Zernez GR +2,7
4 Boner Seraina Davos Platz GR +4,1
5 Beck Leandra St. Moritz GR +56,5
6 Imoberdorf Rahel Münster VS +56,6
7 Guntern Helena Ftan GR +1.25,7
8 Bebi Selina Davos Platz GR +2.11,1
9 Jäger Christa Valens SG +2.44,3
10 Wieser Fabiana Sent GR +3.15,7
Next competitions at the Engadin Marathon Week 2022
52nd Engadin Skimarathon Sunday, 13 March 2022
13th Engadin Half-Marathon Sunday, 13 March 2022
36th Youth Sprint Wednesday, 9 March 2022
4th Engadin Night Race Thursday, 10 March 2022
Readers can find further information on the 52nd Engadin Skimarathon, the 13th Engadin Half-Marathon, and the 4th Engadin Night Race on www.engadin-skimarathon.ch/en/
Christian Gartmann has been mandated with communications and media for the Engadin Skimarathon.