Caitlin Gregg (USA) was third in the Engadin Skimarathon in Switzerland, a part of the FIS Marathon Cup, only seconds out of first place.
Gregg, who just came back from the World Championships in Falun (SWE) with a bronze medal in the 10k freestyle event, finished in 1:39:41.9 – just seven seconds behind first place.
“My skis were awesome. I felt so good in the race, and I’m so ready for the World Cups in Oslo next week,” Gregg said after the finish.
Gregg, who finished the Engadin Skimarathon for the first time, was surprised about the temperature among the racers.
“The race was super aggressive from the start. The men come in on you all over, and it makes the whole thing really crazy,” Gregg said, explaining that it was hard to keep track of where her opponents were.
“I got to the hills by St Moritz, and I saw an opening, so I made a jump there and just kept hammering to get by as many guys as I could,” she said.
Then Ropenen got a gap on Gregg, who also didn’t notice that Faivre Picon had passed her.
“The girls got cut off all the time, and during the sprint to the finish, about 50 guys swarmed around us,” Gregg said.
The remains of the brutal battles were indeed evident to the waves following the elite: the race course was littered with broken poles, baskets and equipment debris from start to finish. The pile just kept growing throughout the morning as more marathon racers descended on the track. In total, more than 13,300 skiers participated in the 47th Engadin Skimarathon, making the Swiss race the third biggest Engadin event on record.