A local wins the Engadin Skimarathon 2015

Samedan, 8 March 2015. The Russian skier Ilia Chernousov, who lives in S-chanf (GR), wins  the  Engadin  Skimarathon  in  a  photo  finish  ahead  of  the  Frenchman  Robin Duvillard  and  the  Swiss  Roman  Furger. 

Anouk  Faivre  Picon  from  France  takes  the women’s first place; runner-up is last year’s winner Riitta-Liisa Roponen, followed by the American Caitlin Gregg. In brilliant sunshine but cold conditions, both the men’s and the women’s winners come in at times some 10 minutes above the record mark. 

Ilia Chernousov literally «took home» his first victory at the Engadin Skimarathon: The Russian cross-country pro lives in S-chanf, where the race finishes, with his biathlete wife Selina Gasparin and their new-born baby girl. Having won at the «Engadine race» thus means a lot to him, he says after the race. Despite breaking a pole early on in the fast-paced race, he managed to keep up with the lead. He was in third position on entering the finishing area when a group of skiers tumbled  right  behind  him;  fortunately,  he  was  not  involved. 

Robin  Duvillard,  his  French adversary, did not give in easily in the finishing race: it came to a photo finish that the local skier clinched for himself with a minimal advantage of a tenth of a second.

The  ladies’ race  was also  decided on the  finishing  line  only:  Riitta-Liisa  Roponen,  the Finnish favourite,  lost  the  duel  of  the  two  former  winners.  Roponen  had  won  the  last  two  Engadin Skimarathons; Anouk Faivre Picon had crossed the finishing line in S-chanf as winner in 2012.

At the finish, the Finnish skier congratulated her conqueror warmly: the French skier had lost a ski pole basket 15 kilometres before the finish but went ahead to race the final stretch with the damaged pole. There was simply no time to change poles in the tight leading group of three ladies, commented the winner dryly.
   
13,331  participants,  the  third-largest  field  in  the  history  of  the  Engadine  Skimarathon, encountered  excellent  conditions.  The  race  started  at  cold  temperatures;  however,  a  light northerly wind blew instead of the tail wind many had hoped for. It was a fast race.

Still, the best missed the record mark by about 10 minutes. The cross-country ski trails were in a very good state up to the end of the race. 

Medical emergency
Shortly  after  the  start,  a  67  year-old  participant  suffered  a  cardiac  arrest  and  had  to  be resuscitated. Following immediate resuscitation by the medial team accompanying the race, the Swiss  air  rescue  service  REGA,  arriving  just  a  few  minutes  later,  managed  to  stabilise  the  condition of the man from the canton of Zürich and flew him to the Cantonal hospital in Chur where he is now undergoing further treatment. The Engadin Skimarathon Organising Committee express  their  deepest  regrets  at  the  occurrence  and  wish  the  athlete  a  speedy  recovery.  In
respect to the patient and his family, no further details are provided.

47th Engadin Skimarathon 2015: results

Marathon: men overall

  1.  Chernousov Ilia  1986  RUS  S-chanf  1:34.50,1    
  2.  Duvillard Robin  1983  FRA  Villard de Lans  1:34.50,2  +  0.00,1
  3.  Furger Roman  1990  SUI  Schattdorf  1:34.51,0  +  0.00,9
  4.  Rueesch Jason  1994  SUI  Davos Clavadel  1:34.51,2  +  0.01,1
  5.  Poirrier Bastien  1988  FRA  Giromagny  1:34.53,1  +  0.03,0
  6.  Gaillard Jean-Marc  1980  FRA  La Roche sur Foron  1:34.55,1  +  0.05,0
  7.  Perrillat Collomb Christophe  1979  FRA  Le Grand Bornand  1:34.55,5  +  0.05,4
  8.  Chauvet Benoit  1981  FRA  Aviernoz  1:34.55,9  +  0.05,8
  9.  Leccardi Valerio  1984  SUI  Davos Dorf  1:34.56,1  +  0.06,0
  10.  Marschall Philipp  1988  GER  Unteralba  1:34.59,2  +  0.09,1
  11.  Wibault Mathias  1985  FRA  Chamonix Mont Blanc  1:34.59,4  +  0.09,3
  12.  Pasini Fabio  1980  ITA  Valgoglio (BG)  1:34.59,5  +  0.09,4
  13.  Galli Morris  1981  ITA  Livigno (SO)  1:35.00,2  +  0.10,1
  14.  Livers Toni  1983  SUI  Davos Platz  1:35.05,2  +  0.15,1
  15.  Bieler Livio  1993  SUI  Bonaduz  1:35.07,5  +  0.17,4
 
Marathon: women overall 
 
  1.  Faivre Picon Anouk  1986  FRA  Pontarlier  1:39.35,3    
  2.  Roponen Riitta-Liisa  1978  FIN  Oulu  1:39.36,1  +  0.00,8
  3.  Gregg Caitlin  1980  USA  Minneapolis / MN  1:39.42,9  +  0.07,6
  4.  Dabudyk Aurélie  1988  FRA  St Sixt  1:41.17,0  +  1.41,7
  5.  Brooks Holly  1982  USA  Anchorage/Alaska  1:41.28,6  +  1.53,3
  6.  Confortola Wyatt Antonella  1975  ITA  Ziano di Fiemme (TN)  1:41.30,4  +  1.55,1
  7.  Anger Lucia  1991  GER  Oberstdorf  1:41.31,8  +  1.56,5
  8.  Imoberdorf Rahel  1986  SUI  Münster VS  1:43.46,7  +  4.11,4
  9.  Abderhalden Jogscha  1996  SUI  Zernez  1:44.08,4  +  4.33,1
  10.  Zernova Natalia  1976  RUS  St. Petersburg  1:45.18,6  +  5.43,3
  11.  Stiffler Tatjana  1988  SUI  Davos Dorf  1:45.50,5  +  6.15,2
  12.  Mannima Tatjana  1980  EST  Otepää  1:45.50,7  +  6.15,4
  13.  Donzallaz Nicole  1982  SUI  Vaulruz  1:45.54,4  +  6.19,1
  14.  Larsen Lisa  1990  SUI  Pontresina  1:45.58,7  +  6.23,4
  15.  Wagenführ Sandra  1971  SUI  Davos Platz  1:45.59,1  +  6.23,8

47th Engadin Skimarathon 2015: results 

Half-marathon: men overall 
 
1  Schlittler Andri  1999  SUI  Felsberg  51.02,7    
2  Keller Cédric  1999  SUI  Gonten  51.36,5  +  0.33,8
3  Steiner Armon  1978  SUI  St. Moritz  51.56,3  +  0.53,6
4  Müller Nicola  1999  SUI  Einsiedeln  51.57,7  +  0.55,0
5  Kutter Michael  1965  GER  Kaufbeuren  53.03,2  +  2.00,5
6  Pauchard Yanik  2000  SUI  Madulain  54.11,4  +  3.08,7
7  Räz Curdin Marchet  2000  SUI  Sils/Segl Maria  54.36,1  +  3.33,4
8  Seematter Philip  1998  SUI  Unteriberg  55.52,7  +  4.50,0
9  Defila Nicola  1972  SUI  Cinuos-chel  56.14,6  +  5.11,9
10  Paravicini Martin  1997  SUI  Bonaduz  57.00,3  +  5.57,6
 
Half-marathon: women overall
 
  1.  Moen Anita  1967  NOR  Trysil  55.35,2    
  2.  Werro Giuliana  1999  SUI  Zernez  56.36,3  +  1.01,1
  3.  Schimmelpfennig Tiara  1997  GER  Oberried  57.56,8  +  2.21,6
  4.  Heim Flurina  1989  SUI  Samedan  59.29,5  +  3.54,3
  5.  Kaufmann Seraina  1999  SUI  Ftan  1:00.35,7  +  5.00,5
  6.  Lozza Anja  2000  SUI  Zuoz  1:00.42,2  +  5.07,0
  7.  Frommelt Anna  1998  FL  Schaan  1:01.07,7  +  5.32,5
  8.  Schlittler Flurina  1998  SUI  Felsberg  1:01.11,5  +  5.36,3
  9.  Vila Carola  1999  ESP  La Seu d'Urgell  1:01.45,5  +  6.10,3
  10.  Inauen Christa  1962  SUI  Samedan  1:03.17,3  +  7.42,1 

Source: Engadin Skimarathon