Is there anybody out there in EF-land who has done the Engadin Ski Marathon before? I'm contemplating registering for it (although the 140 CHF price tag is a definite reason to perhaps not do it).

I would like to do the full 42km edition from Maloja to S-chanf (and not the silly Frauenlauf), but seeing as I'd be doing it with about 12,000 other mad people who also like to wear spandex and silly hats while using skinny skis, I'm not too sure what to expect. Is it worth going? Or does one has a constant feeling of being in a moving can of sardines? (I'm not sure that analogy totally stands up to scrutiny, but it's the best I can do on a Sunday night.) It's such an epic event that part of me wants to do it just to say that I've done it, but another part of me can't help but think it wouldn't actually be that enjoyable because of the crowds.




If anyone has been before and would like to share their experiences, I'd be much obliged.



Heather

I have only ever watched this marathon (2 years in a row) but I have run marathons. As a spectator it is very well organised, drink stations, food stations, etc etc. Most people do not wear fancy dress and quite frankly I have never seen it "packed like sardines". For sure at certain narrow bends it gets a bit busy.

Not having done it I wouldn't try and comment on whether its tough, easy etc but as a spectator it looks great and I would say go for it. I have always stayed at Pontresina and many participants also stay in this village albeit they stay all along the course.

When I am good enough at Skating I shall certainly give it a go so am humbled by your talent and wish you good luck. HOP HOP HOP... (you'll hear that allot)

My personal opinion is just do it...the 140 francs will be long forgotten and you will have a great memory for life....being with the crowds is part of the experience sometimes....of course you can go do the same course on your own...it will be enjoyable but in a much different way.

For what it's worth, I've been told by friends at work that it is an event well worth doing, even for a beginner like me (so definitely good for a skating pro like you ). They said the crowds were not a problem and the excitement and experience was unforgettable.

I was all ready to sign up myself until I realized it's the same weekend as when we're doing an avalanche safety course, so we can't check it out this year... but I hope to in the future. So I think you should do it this year and let me know how it goes! No really it does sound worthwhile. Enjoy!

I have never done the ski marathon but the price quoted above looks like well worth it. For instance, I can easily spend CHF100 for a single day of skiing on-piste/off-piste in the ski resort just for one person and that's quite usual. I would simply go for it as it is gonna give you lots of fun and unforgettable experience.

Thanks everyone! strollingby, I'm really grateful for your eyewitness accounts. If you say it's not a sardine-fest, I'll take your word on it: consider me registered!

Now comes the task of finding accommodation, which is probably going to be more difficult than actually skiing in the race!

HMEM

Yay - Go for it Heather!! Can't wait to hear all about the experience!

By the way, great Avatar

yes, good luck and you are required now to write a post here with your experiences for any future EF ski marathoners..

Should I do it dakman/Dickens-style?

Sure, form and substance is at the discretion of the writer....I could perhaps recommend a Jack Londonesque prose?

Did you do it? If not: swap to other Threads. If the answer is yes: read on. How did it go? Was it worth doing? What was the snow like? How often did someone tramp on your skis or fall down just in front of you? Are you too worn out to let us know? - or perhaps you're already too busy training for next year's Engadiner...

The suspense is killing me too....any good writer knows that reader anticipation is a key element....how will it end? What happened to the heroine along the way? Any character development?

I took a page out of dakman's book, and have drawn inspiration from a great literary figure. In this case, Edgar Allan Poe.

Without further adieu, a 'The Raven'-inspired account of the Engadin Skimarathon.

Note 1: You can check out the official (and totally awesome) photos of the race here. It's well worth a few minutes of your time!

Once upon a winter snowy, when storms were fierce and winds were blowy,
Had I inspiration (from a brother, much adored),
To ski the mighty Engadiner, epic race for Langlauf keeners
‘T’will be a lark’ thought I, ‘only that, and nothing more.’
Little did I know, then, what this race would have in store.

And though grave doubts lingered inside, (like ‘will I make it ‘cross the line?’)
My enthusiasm trumped the doubting Thomas in my mind.
So in wisdom, or in folly, did I confirm my humble entry,
And so began this tale that will go down in family lore.

Were it only in December, this race I had remembered,
Three extra months of training would I have had under my belt!
But there were just two weeks to go, and my training hours low,
And my cross-country equipment was in major disrepair.
Fear not! Payday came just in time! New boots and poles soon became mine!
With one week still to go, I was decked out to the nines.
But could I ski a marathon, forty-two kilometres long?
And would my new boots fit or would they make my ankles sore?
And while my inner voice debated: ‘is training really overrated?’
All-of-a-sudden the race day came: that morn, we woke at four…

In the pre-dawn Wiesen sky, our weary, bleary, unbreakfasted eyes
Espied some other skiers waiting for the Davos train.
By the time we reached the Engadine, we’d perked up (courtesy of caffeine)
And one thousand strong poured from the train beneath the brightening skies.
From St. Moritz we soldiered west: Maloja, was where we’d start our quest
And upon the frozen Silsersee the racers all convened.
Spandex clad, with chattering teeth, we greeted the sunrise with sweet relief,
And it shone upon a start zone like I’d never seen before.

Rows upon rows of people on skis, a hundred abreast and a hundred more deep.
Staggered in waves, in five groups we were, (to delay the eventual squeeze)
Eleven thousand shivering souls, jumping and dancing to ward of the cold,
Whoever decided* that lycra’s okay when the windchill is minus fifteen?!?
* Because I'd like to have a word with him.
Meanwhile, my questioning other half decided the lot of us skiers were daft,
And why couldn’t I stick to cycling (or an equivalent summertime sport?)
I laughed, and said ‘see you after the race’. There were minutes to go: I donned my gameface,
And psyched myself up for an event that was bigger than anything I’d done before.

The start gun rang out: the first racers started! With fanfare and cheering the elite departed!
(From my place in the rear I couldn’t quite see, but I still joined the round of applause.)
For ten kilometres did we ski, five abreast, but effortlessly,
That first hour in the Engadine was as nice as hours come.
Once we caught up with wave four, and the trails grew narrow, and the hills loomed o’er,
Our pace slowed to a crawl as we skied past St. Moritz.
And I couldn’t help but grumble, as skiers left and right did stumble,
That a sardine in his can would have more elbow room than I.*
*Yes, I know, sardines do not, in fact have elbows. This is an example of 'poetic license'.
But what a day! What snow! What sun!
There were hundreds of locals to cheer us all on.
There were guys in Somberos, and competitive racers,
But most spent the day with big smiles on their faces,
And the feed stations were huge and impressive, with drinks from Rivella and Knorr.

I would love to say that I found the whole thing a breeze,
Like a walk in the park, a stroll on my skis
But in truth, it was hard: after 35k it felt like my body was done.
My feed station stops seemed to take a bit longer,
But all that sport drink didn’t make me feel stronger,
And I began to suspect that perhaps training wasn’t overrated, after all.
But somehow, I made it across the line, three hours and a quarter was my final time,
And I felt ever so pleased with myself for skiing the mighty Engadiner.
Once I’d grabbed me some food, we boarded the train,
And already the idea crept into my brain: shall I ski the Engadiner again?
Nevermore!*
*or at least not until next year.

Bravo, Poe is a great choice, enjoy your tandem cycl-athon, I will breathelessly wait for the continuation of your tale.

That is UNFAIR!

It's as bad as Saturday morning pictures in the '40s and '50s.
Always a cliff-hanging situation at the end of the installment to make sure I forked out another sixpence the following week to find out what happened next!

I contemplated giving you a groan and bad rep - then decided that if I did you might not finish the story at all - which would leave me 'cliff-hanging' for ever. So I'll just let you enjoy your well-earned holiday and hope that you remember to continue the saga afterwards.

The pictures give some idea of the massive scale of the event. It must have been quite an experience. Looking forward to the next installment.

Me, harass you? Never! I just thought this story needed to be kept a secret no longer, or everyone might fall off their chairs from sitting on the edges waiting for it.... And I love the Poe/The Raven theme. It was the best hearing it read from the author in person! Can't wait to hear/read the rest after you get back.

Brilliant Poe-esque race report start -- I'm rapping and tapping for more!

nudge, nudge -- still rapping and tapping over here waiting on the next installation of the race report HeatherM. Quoth the Raven "we want Heather to write more".

Fine. I did it. You have your bloody poem. I updated the original post. Unintentionally, the meter and rhythm sort of changed in the second half, and are less 'Raven-ish'. I guess just think of it as prose instead of a poem.

To anyone contemplating doing the Engadiner, it really is quite the event, and I'm highly recommend doing it once just for the experience. Yes, it is very crowded, but it is stunningly beautiful, unbelievably well-organized (there is purpose-built train stop at the finish line!) and, like all sporting events, there is a great feeling of accomplishment in finishing it. So long as you go in expecting it to be a bit of a squeeze, and just relax and enjoy the experience instead of aiming for a blistering time, you'll have a blast. (Oh, and I'd recommend some sort of training program too. )

To anyone contemplating writing a race report inspired by literature, I would highly recommend that you pick something simple. It's a bit hard to bring everything into a poem. (For example, what rhymes with s-Chanf?)

'Poe'-etically yours,

Heather