Gsieser Tal Lauf/Gran Fondo Val Casies, the second-largest ski marathon in Italy, took place last weekend. Pro Tour and elite long-distance skiers fought for victory in classic and skating races.

The Gsieser Tal Lauf is one of the best-known ski marathons in the Alpine region. It is the second-largest ski marathon in Italy, and it is held on the 3rd weekend of February in the Gsies Valley in the holiday region of the Kronplatz, South Tyrol.

There are classic and skating technique races over the course of 42-kilometers, and the race is held at an altitude of between 1250 and 1500 meters above sea level.

Classic technique race on Saturday

The Elite skier Dietmar Nöckler, Fiamme Oro Moena, and the Pro Tour skier Malin Börjesjö, Team Internorm-Trentino-Zorzi Max by SZ, won the second-largest ski marathon in Italy. The winners finished the classic technique 42km course in 1:55:39 and 2:13:22, respectively. 

The men’s race was packed with Italian elite long-distance cross-country skiers, with several Visma Ski Classics Pro Team athletes fighting to win.

Dietmar Nöckler was followed by Mattia Armellini, Fiamme Oro Moena in second place, and Francesco Ferrari, Team Internorm-Trentino-Zorzi Max by SZ in the third place, who crossed the finish line 1 minute and 31 seconds behind the winner in a close finish.  

In the women’s race, the winner Malin Börjesjö, Team Internorm-Trentino-Zorzi Max by SZ, was followed by the German Franziska Muller, xc-ski.de A/N Skimarathon Team, who finished the race 33.4 seconds behind the winner. Chiara Caminada, Team Robinson Trentino, arrived more than 5 minutes behind the winner and completed the podium in the third position.

The 42km skating race took place on Sunday

The 42km skating race took place on the following day, and the men’s race victory was taken by Lorenzo Romano, GS Carabinieri, finishing the race in 1:40:09 and winning a close race. Stefano Gardener and Mirco Bertolina, both GS Carabinieri, came 2nd and 3rd respectively, with just 1 and 3 seconds behind the winner.

On the women’s side, Ilenia Defrancesco, GS Esercito, took the victory, winning with a margin of 18.7 seconds to Sigrid Mutscheller, Ruhepuls40.de/WSC Isny/Fischer, in the second place and 28.4 seconds to Julia Kuen, Team Futura Alta Quota Trentino, in the third position.