«It was gruelling,» said the winner, Nadine Fähndrich, whose race was not without problems. «I broke a pole in Surlej. I got a replacement straight away but missed the drink at the energy station as a result.» Nevertheless, Fähndrich held her position among the first few throughout the race. Local athlete Giuliana Werro, who had won the 'Engadiner' in 2023 and finished second in 2024, headed the race for the most part. In light of Fähndrich's sprinting superiority, Werro tried to bring about an early decision, building up a lead of up to 39 seconds. «I felt good but didn't realise I was leading and definitely not by how much,» she explained at the finish. Nadine Fähndrich was better informed and could catch up with Werro with the help of Roman Schaad and, as expected, went on to win the final sprint. Still, Werro was delighted about her third consecutive podium finish. Mélina Berthet from France finished third, a good two minutes behind.
The men's race was exciting and entertaining, but not very fast. «It was not overly tough at any point; I just had to stay in the top ten,» explained the Norwegian winner, Håvard Moseby. He literally beat his fellow countryman Sverre Dahlen Aspenes on the finish line in a photo finish. Third place went to Valerio Grond from Davos, who had shown a very active race right from the beginning. He couldn't fend off Aspenes's attack in the Golan Heights and fell behind by a few meters. «Once you're behind at the turn before the final descent, it's nigh-on-impossible to get back in front,» Grond said about the decisive moment. Although he finished half a second behind the winner, he, too, was delighted about his podium finish.
12,398 had signed up for the 55th Engadin Skimarathon. Following two events fraught with difficulties – too little snow in 2023 and having to move the start to Silvaplana in 2024 – the organisers are very satisfied with the number of entrants. Sunday's magnificent weather and perfect snow conditions will presumably give the number of participants next year a boost. Asked why she had opted for the 'Engadiner' instead of the 50 km competition at the World Championships, winner Nadine Fähndrich replied, beaming: «It is too beautiful for words here.»
Engadin Skimarathon media release, 9 March 2025. Christian Gartmann has been mandated with communications, crisis management and crisis communications for the Engadin Skimarathon since 2014.