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The Engadin Women's Race is part of the Engadin Marathon Week, culminating in the Engadin Skimarathon – its 14,000 entrants making it the world's second-largest cross-country skiing event. It will be Therese Johaug's (35) first cross-country skiing race since the birth of her daughter ten months ago. The four-time Olympic champion and 14-time world champion is undoubtedly the most prominent name entering the 23rd Engadin Women's Race over 17 km from Samedan to S-chanf. She had stepped down from competitive sports in 2022 and gave birth to a daughter last May.

In 2025, the Nordic World Ski Championships will take place in the Norwegian town of Trondheim. Norwegian media outlets have long been speculating whether Therese Johaug will enter the competition. Those close to the athlete shy away from making a firm statement but do not refute such intentions. Johaug may shed some light on the matter on her upcoming visit to the Engadin.

At the Engadin Women's Race, Therese Johaug will encounter a familiar face: Justyna Kowalcyk (40) from Poland, one of her strongest rivals for many years. Both returned home with Olympic gold medals from Vancouver (2010) and Sotchi (2014). Kowalcyk retired in 2020, and Johaug went on to dominate the 2022 Games in Peking, capturing three gold medals. Both athletes gave birth to a child after their retirement. 

Swiss athlete Seraina Boner (41) is also a contender to win this year's edition of the Engadin Women's Race. In her long career, she has won the Birkebeiner four times, twice the Marcialonga and once Engadin La Diagonela. She has now set her goal to win her first Women's Race. Another mum will also have a say in the top group: Selina Gasparin (39), the Swiss biathlete and mother of two who stepped down in 2022 and coaches young biathletes today.

The biggest cross-country skiing festival in the Alps

Over 1,000 participants are expected for the 2024 Engadin Women's Race. They can look forward to excellent conditions; the tracks between Samedan and S-chanf have been in tip-top shape since the start of the winter. Fresh snow is forecast for the coming days, turning the Engadin into a winter wonderland afresh. Registration for the Engadin Women's Race closes at 6 pm on Saturday, 2 March.

The Engadin Women's Race is the traditional prelude to the Engadin Marathon Week, a week revolving around cross-country skiing. Four days later, on Thursday, 7 March, the Engadin Night Race will be held. The 17-kilometre race first takes its runners across two frozen lakes and then through the mystic forest of Staz.

Finally, the 54th Engadin Skimarathon will be held on the Sunday following the Engadin Women's Race. Up to 14,000 participants are expected to enter the race. The Engadin Skimarathon is the biggest cross-country skiing competition in the Alps and the second-largest globally, with participants from over 60 nations. Athletes from Scandinavia make up the third-largest group of entrants, following Swiss and German athletes.