The Marcialonga is one of the most famous and prestigious cross-country ski races in the world; it takes place every year on the last Sunday in January, right here in the Fiemme and Fassa valleys, and the organizing committee is based at the jumping stadium in Predazzo.
The race, which reached its 50th edition in 2023, attracts thousands of fans from all over the world: professional and amateur athletes compete on the 70-kilometer course through the striking landscapes of the Dolomites.
The story of Marcialonga was born a little by chance and a little by bet, when four friends, Mario Cristofolini, Giulio Giovannini, Roberto Moggio and Nele Zorzi, cross-country skiing enthusiasts, participated in the most famous Granfondo in the world, the Swedish Vasaloppet. At the end of that sporting feat, the four began to dream of a similar race in their own land, perhaps with a route that would cross the Fiemme and Fassa valleys.
The ambitious project of the four friends was initially met with some skepticism, but thanks to the perseverance and involvement from the start of many volunteers, the first edition of the Marcialonga saw the light of day on February 7, 1971.
The four organizers expected about a hundred participants to register, but instead as many as 1,157 arrived.
Since that first edition, the route has always remained the same: it starts in Moena, continues uphill to Canazei, descends Val di Fassa and enters Val di Fiemme via Predazzo. It then continues through the Tesero cross-country stadium and arrives, after the last grueling climb, in Cavalese. In the years 1975, 1989 and 1990, due to lack of snow, the event was not held, while in many other editions the route was shortened, such as in 1994, the edition with the shortest route, just 45 km with arrival in Predazzo.
The first Marcialonga was won by Ulrico Kostner ahead of favorite Franco Nones, gold medalist in the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble. In 1978, when the competition was also opened to women, Dominique Robert was the first winner. In truth, as early as 1972 some women tried to enter the race by disguising themselves with fake mustaches or using false names, and in 1977 as many as 14 women were disqualified at the finish line for registering under false names.
In 2004 the Marcialonga was included in the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup, but since its first edition it has always been widely appreciated for being a sporting event that combines tradition and innovation, passion and fun, competition and solidarity, enhancing the natural and cultural heritage of the Fiemme and Fassa valleys.
It is in fact a popular race that involves more than 7,000 athletes from more than 30 nations each year who compete in the 70-kilometer challenge, or in the Marcialonga Light, the 45-kilometer race that starts in Moena and finishes in Predazzo. The race is also an occasion for celebration and aggregation, involving the whole territory, with shows and side events, such as the Minimarcialonga, or the ski revival, the Marcialonga Story, which on the occasion of its 50th anniversary has been revived with an evening version and an evocative arrival in the square of Predazzo. And then there are the summer races: Marcialonga Craft (Granfondo cycling road race) and Marcialonga Coop (running race to be run both individually and in relays).
In 2013, a memorable year when Val di Fiemme hosted the Nordic World Ski Championships and the cross-country races of the XXVI Winter Universiade for the third time, the largest number of participants was recorded, with 7,570 athletes. Another special feature again of the 40th edition was the lengthening of the route (72 km, instead of the classic 70 km) to allow transit through the towns of Canazei and Predazzo.
Competitors who have participated in all editions of the Marcialonga are called “senators” or “pioneers” (as of 2019, the last 10 remaining have been named for life for having consecutively completed the first 46 editions), while amateur skiers who start in the last bracket are jokingly referred to as “bison.”
Since the start and finish point are located in different locations (Moena and Cavalese, respectively), before the start the athletes place their personal items in a numbered personal bag (corresponding to their race bib number), which is handed over to the organization, which returns it upon arrival.
The winners of the men’s and women’s categories are greeted at the finish line by the Soreghina, a girl from the towns crossed by the Marcialonga and dressed in the costume of her town. The Soreghina is in charge of awarding the winners with a large laurel wreath, strung (or sometimes thrown at speed) over the athlete’s shoulders. However, even the runner who arrives last at the finish line in Cavalese in the dark of evening is warmly welcomed with an identical laurel wreath and celebrated on par with the winner.
This is also why the appeal of the Marcialonga shows no signs of diminishing, for its being a great sporting challenge and an event of tradition and folklore together. The Marcialonga is liked for the warmth of the people who enthusiastically welcome the passage of the competitors, for a track that passes through the heart of many villages, for the inimitable panorama that only the Dolomites can give.
