MARCIALONGA, BACK ON STAGE TOMORROW

Everything is ready for the 43rd Marcialonga: Eliassen (NOR) the favourite
Marcialonga Story promo event on track this morning, 250 participants in the stunning vintage event
Minimarcialonga for children, Marcialonga Young and Marcialonga Stars for charity followed in the afternoon
Tomorrow start at 7:50 a.m., live broadcast on RAI Sport from 7:45 a.m.

The countdown has begun. The 43rd Marcialonga, Italy's most renowned ski-marathon, will kick off in Val di Fiemme and Val di Fassa tomorrow morning at 7:50 a.m. (ladies) and 8:00 a.m. (men) from Moena, with 8,000 competitors from 35 countries: A participation that confirms the popularity of this classic event. With less than 24 hours to go before the start, it is time for declarations. Anders Aukland, who won here in 2004 and 2008, is certain: “Petter Eliassen is the man to beat, but the competition will be fierce as usual and I can rely on a very strong team”. Same forecast for his brother Jørgen: “Eliassen is the favourite, he competes in the World Cup, but there are other athletes who can make the difference, such as Tord Asle Gjerdalen, who won in 2015. The number of top long distance specialists taking part in Marcialonga has increased over the years and there are now about 30 skiers who can seize the victory in Cavalese”. Eliassen feels confident: “The Aukland brothers know the race very well and will certainly be difficult to beat, but I feel confident, I have a great team”.
One of the outsiders is Tord Asle Gjerdalen who does not hide his expectations: “I hope to beat Eliassen uphill! It's a pleasure to be in Italy again and Val di Fiemme can really be considered the cradle of Italian cross-country skiing. Worth mentioning is the great effort made by the organising committee to perfectly set the 70-km track with artificial snow. The race will certainly be tough and the final climb will once again prove decisive”.
On the eve of tomorrow’s ski-marathon, the XC stadium of Lago di Tesero hosted several events: The Marcialonga Stars, held for the 16th time, involved about 200 skiers and VIPs in a charity event. It was followed by Minimarcialonga for children (500 kids, aged 6 to 12) and Marcialonga Young in the afternoon. Weather forecasts are good for tomorrow, meaning that unfortunately it will not snow. The track, however, is perfectly set, as confirmed by competitors.