MARCIALONGA 2015: THE TIME HAS COME

Marcialonga di Fiemme e Fassa to kick off tomorrow with almost 8.000 participants
Øystein Pettersen leads the Swix Ski Classics series and challenges a big group of top-skiers
Smutna, Ishida, Boner and Brooks among the strongest ladies
Marcialonga Story promo event on track this morning


The Marcialonga time has finally come. Italy’s most renowned ski-marathon will kick off tomorrow at 9am from Mazzin and will run for 57 kilometres to Cavalese, surrounded by amazing Dolomites and packed with almost 8000 ski lovers from more than 30 countries. World’s top-skiers, the long distance specialists will also be joining the 2015 Marcialonga and on the eve of the race they all gathered at the presentation press conference in Cavalese. The 2010 Olympic gold Øystein Pettersen and Katerina Smutna currently sit on top of the Swix Ski Classics table and will attempt to keep the yellow jersey on, but they will have to face attacks of Norway’s John Kristian Dahl – second last year - Anders and Jørgen Aukland, Tord Asle Gjerdalen and Thomas Alsgaard among others, but watch out also for Sweden’s Svaerd, Ahrlin, Brink, Impola and Soedergren, Stan Rezac of Czech Republic, Finn Jauhojaervi, Russian Aleksey Dvoskin, Dammen, Callesen, Kjølstad and Berdal of Norway or home boys Giorgio Di Centa, Bruno Debertolis and Nicola Morandini.
Among women, Katerina Smutna will challenge two times Marcialonga gold medallist and 2014 silver Seraina Boner, Japanese Masako Ishida, Johansson Norgren and Loefstroem of Sweden, Laila Kveli of Norway and FIS Marathon Cup provisional leader Holly Brooks of the US team will do their best to climb the final podium.
As said, Marcialonga is part of the Swix Ski Classics series, the so-called ‘Long Distance Ski Championships’, and is one of the Worldloppet and FIS Marathon Cup races. ‘The season has been tough so far due to weather conditions – said today David Nilsson CEO Ski Classics – but the races have been all exciting so far and Marcialonga’s about to be a fantastic event although the course has been shortened. Italian organisers did a super job to keep the race going this year.”
Marcialonga has always been part of the Swix Ski Classics circuit since it was born and ‘our plan is to stay in Ski Classics as long as we can – said Marcialonga president Angelo Corradini – we’re proud to be part of this family’.
On the eve of tomorrow’s skimarathon, the Marcialonga Story promo event took place this morning. About two hundred skiers from all over Italy and from Russia, Czech Republic, Spain and Germany turned up at the XC stadium in Lago di Tesero and gave life to a stunning vintage-event, all wearing skis, boots, jumpers and entire outfits from the past. The oldest pair of skis dated 1911 and owned by German Josef Ruf were awarded at the end along with male and female best outfit.
Minimarcialonga for children, Marcialonga Young and Marcialonga Stars for charity followed in the afternoon.