One of the oldest ski marathons in the World, first held in 1960.
The biggest winter sports event in Estonia also called as the Estonian Winter Song Festival because of its grand proportions and international fame. It brings together thousands of skiing enthusiasts every year from all continents.
Tartu Maraton is considered one of the best long-distance skiing races in the World, with varied wild nature and suitability for Pro Tour athletes and recreational skiers as well.
Despite the difficult conditions, the legendary Tartu Maraton was held 19.02.2023 on the classic Otepää-Elva 63 km route. Henri Roos won the men’s competition, Justyna Kowalczyk-Tekieli (POL) was the fastest among the women.
Tartu Maraton 2023 winners
The first to cross the finish line was Henri Roos (time 3:14:53.8). He was followed by Andres Juursalu (+01.13,1) and Taavi Kaiv (+01.52,8).
“This race definitely came down to who can eat and drink the most during the race to avoid cramps and to have the strength to pick up the pace for the last 15 km at the end,” said Roos. According to him, there was a gap with others about 10 km before the end. “When the gap started to increase, it was clear. It was definitely not easy, but the team managed to do good skis today,” he stated.
Among the women, multiple Olympic champion Justyna Kowalczyk-Tekieli (3.22.00,1) became the winner of the Tartu Maraton. She was followed by Merilin Jürisaar (+00.33,1) and Noora Kivikko (FIN) (+06.14,9).
“Although the race was very difficult, the skis were good in these conditions. All in all, I am very satisfied with the race and of course happy that I won,” she stated.
A total of 3,477 skiers had registered for this main races, 2,573 of them for the longest distance of 63 km and 904 for the 31 km track. Both distances turned out to become a real snow fight. During the morning it started to snow, first slightly then quite heavily.
Here come some impressions of the race day:
Tartu Marathon
One of the oldest ski marathons in the World, first held in 1960.
The biggest winter sports event in Estonia also called as the Estonian Winter Song Festival because of its grand proportions and international fame. It brings together thousands of skiing enthusiasts every year from all continents.
Tartu Maraton is considered one of the best long-distance skiing races in the World, with varied wild nature and suitability for Pro Tour athletes and recreational skiers as well.
Inga Kouru-Nedaskovskaja. Chief editor Health Fitness Mag / Travel Guide
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