Marathon Racing and Ski Touring Gains Traction

With 750 new Worldloppet passports sold last season alone, there is no doubt that marathon racing and touring is gaining traction all over the world. Over the course of the 2011-12 season, 125,588 racers completed one or more Worldloppet events. That is the largest number of Worldloppet racers since the Worldloppet organization was founded in 1978.

The recent Worldloppet annual meeting in Tartu (EST) shows incredible momentum in the cross-country community. For 2012-13, one new marathon was included in the Worldloppet family, and one new country group was established. The Demino Ski Marathon in Russia becomes the 16th Worldloppet marathon, and becomes the first Russian race on the Worldloppet schedule. The new country group consists of the Czech race Jizerska Padesatka, the Polish race Bieg Piastow and the new Russian race Demino Ski Marathon.

There are also a number of changes and improvements to the existing Worldloppet events, making the race series even more attractive.

La Transjurassienne (FRA) has announced that its 54km event will become 57km due to some minor course adjustments. The Bieg Piastow (POL) has announced its interest in becoming a FIS Marathon Cup for the 2013/14 season. The same goes for the Kangaroo Hoppet (AUS), which expressed interest in becoming a FIS Marathon Cup event, and is also exploring the possibilities of organizing a race series with the Merino Muster in New Zealand. The Merino Muster is not yet a formal Worldloppet event. The Gatineau Loppet (CAN) is also interested in joining the FIS Marathon Cup series, and will present a new course for the classic race this winter. The new course will run from one municipality to the next, making the race even more interesting to the participants.

Worldloppet 2012-13 Gold/main event schedule:

FT – Free technique

CT – Classic technique

More information about Worldloppet HERE