"I checked out the final section of the course this morning before the start, and that helped me win the sprint finish," commented Lauri Lepistö, who took the victory this year after finishing third in last year’s Tartu Maraton.

Raido Ränkel reflected on the race: "On the first lap, there was no point in attacking alone because fresh snow in the tracks made skiing difficult. On the second lap, Lauri set such a pace and I just tried to follow him."

In the women’s race, Teesi Tuul defended her title, winning the Tartu Maraton for the second year in a row with a time of 02:09:16.0. Tatjana Mannima finished second (+0:00:38.4), and Õnnela Rodendau claimed third place (+0:01:28.6).

Teesi Tuul commented on her hard-fought victory: "It was tough because Tatjana didn’t give up easily. At one point on the second lap, it seemed like she was pulling away, but fortunately, I managed to catch her. Three kilometers before the finish, I got a small gap on an uphill and gave it everything I had from there."

Over two days, nearly 4,000 skiers from 25 different countries took part in the 51st Tartu Maraton. The virtual race remains open until March 16.

Results can be viewed HERE.