Who will win the 48th Tartu Marathon?
There are many favorites for the 63-kilometer distance of Tartu Maraton. There are 5 previous winners of Tartu Maraton at the start, as well as more than 130 elite athletes of Visma Ski Classics Pro Tour.
Mart Kevin Põlluste. Author: Adam Illingworth.
Last year, the victory of Tartu Maraton went to an Estonian - Mart Kevin Põlluste - after a 16-year gap. This year, Tartu Maraton belongs to the Visma Ski Classics Pro Tour series, which means that there are elite skiers. In addition to Mart Kevin Põlluste, there are 4 other winners of Tartu Maraton: Anders Aukland (NOR), who has won the marathon twice, Stanislav Rezac (CZE), the winner in 2018, Antoine Auger (FRA), the winner in 2018, and Niko Koskela, the fastest in 2019. In addition to the above-mentioned list, 135 elite athletes from the Visma Ski Classics Pro Tour series will be added.
"It is good to see that the former and current long-distance skiing pros come to Tartu Maraton. It definitely says a lot about the quality of the event,” said Indrek Kelk, the chief organizer of Tartu Maraton.
According to last year's winner Mart Kevin Põlluste, the plan is to perform as well as possible, but he is not worrying. "Last year the I got my victory and this year I will definitely be able to go to the track more relaxed. However, the team's plan is to perform as well as possible and get the best result possible,” he said. He is also optimistic about tomorrow's ski track. "I have been to the track and it is very good. Tomorrow will be a beautiful winter weather and a good track for everyone,” he added.
Among the women, the leaders are same as in Visma Ski Classics Pro Tour, three Swedes: Ida Dahl, Britta Johansson Norgen and Lina Korsgren. Tatjana Mannima, the three-time winner of Tartu Maraton, is the fastest Estonian woman on the track.
Check out the 63 km start list HERE.
As of Saturday, 4304 people have registered for the 48th Tartu Maraton. The 63 km distance will start from Otepää on Sunday at 9.50, when elite women will start. 31 km skiers will start from Arula at 13.30. More information about Tartu Marathon HERE.
This year, Tartu Maraton will be live on ETV2. In addition, it is possible to watch Tartu Maraton on platforms: NRK, SVT, Nent, Szech TV, Best4sport, beIN Sports, Match TV, Sky and Ski Classics Play.
The live broadcast of ETV2 starts at Tehvandi Ski Stadium in Otepää at 9.30 am and ends at 3.00 pm. The expected finish time of the winner of the ski marathon is 12.30.