Challenge Accepted!

Lactate face. That’s probably the best way to sum up my Engadin Skimarathon experience this year. The moment was captured just before launching into the (in)famous Stazerwald descent, and during what I’d like to call my „one-poled ordeal“ from St. Moritz to Pontresina. It was one of those races where early optimism slowly morphed into survival mode.

The Race Breakdown: A Strategy Gone Sideways

The plan? Start in the front rows of my sector, use my technique and fitness gains from the past months to fly over the lakes, and then try to hang on for dear life through the rest of the race.

The lake sections went well—maybe a bit too well, as I might have burned more matches than necessary. Then, after 15 km and just as the hilly section began, disaster struck: I broke a pole. Suddenly, my strategy became simple—survive. I tried to compensate with sheer leg power in the climbs, which sort of worked. By „sort of,“ I mean I didn’t completely implode before reaching Pontresina.

There, I finally got a substitution pole. Relief? Not quite. This one came with a simple Schlaufe (wrist strap), which was about as useful as a chocolate teapot. It messed up my skating rhythm, and when I tried to tighten it, the strap decided to self-destruct. Perfect. With my legs already fried from overcompensating, I had to fight through every headwind section just to stay with my group. By the time I reached the infamous „Golan Heights“ from Zuoz to S-chanf, I was a human puddle, reduced to grinding out the final kilometers on sheer willpower.

The Post-Race Reflection: A Slightly Bitter Taste

Despite making it to the finish, my ranking and time left me feeling a little disappointed. Why? Well:

• The one-pole ordeal drained me more than expected. Technique imbalances and wasted effort made the second half of the race an uphill battle (literally and figuratively).
• I expected my overall fitness to compensate for the lack of ski-specific training. It didn’t. Turns out, lungs alone don’t ski races.
• I underestimated the need for ski-specific prep. Strong legs are great, but if they aren’t moving efficiently, they’re just wasted energy.
• Doubts creeping in about my training progress. If fitness alone wasn’t enough here, what does that mean for my upcoming challenges?

The combination of all these factors left me with more questions than answers—and some seriously sore muscles.

The Physical Aftermath: Recovery Mode ON

To make things even more interesting, the race took a heavier toll than expected. The fatigue hit like a freight train, and now I’m just hoping I don’t get sick. The next few days will be all about recovery, eating everything in sight, and carefully crawling back into training.

What’s Next?

One thing’s for sure: I’m not done with the Engadin Skimarathon. Registration for next year? Already done. I’ll be back, and next time, with a different (and hopefully unbroken) approach.

But for now, the focus shifts. Next stop: Zurich Marathon! Time to swap skis for running shoes and fine-tune the next block of training.