This weekend's Tartu Ski Marathon to go ahead on original route as planned
The organizing committee has confirmed that the 52nd Tartu Ski Marathon will go ahead this weekend on the route between Otepää and Elva as originally planned.
In recent weeks, the organizers of this weekend's Tartu Ski Marathon had been concerned about the lack of snow on the racetrack, meaning less maintenance than usual was possible.
"The snow cover is thinnest on the Palu to Elva section, so I went to check that part of the track again at the weekend," explained chief organizer Indrek Kelk.
"The snow that has fallen in recent days was helpful, and snowfall is also forecast for the end of marathon week. The track's head groundskeeper was there this morning, and I can confirm that all marathon distances can be held on the original track," Kelk added.
The entire length of the track is now skiable, with classic tracks on both sides and a compacted snow layer up to 4 cm thick at the bottom of the track, mostly 2–3 cm. The freestyle track is said to be in good condition, though participants will need to take special care in some places.
Over the past week, Tartu Ski Marathon track groundskeeper Assar Kütt has been testing various lighter maintenance techniques in order to avoid using a large tractor, which is not suitable for the current snow conditions.
Further track preparation work depends on the weather conditions and will be finalized by the end of this week. There are no plans to do any more work on the tracks before the snowfall, and if necessary, additional snow will be added to the sections of the track where needed.
The organizing team is also prepared for heavier snowfall, which may require emergency track maintenance. If an additional 10 cm of snow falls, the current temperatures mean it will be possible to prepare a so-called classic track.
The 52nd Tartu Ski Marathon takes place next Saturday and Sunday (February 14–15).
On Saturday, the children's races will be held in Tähtvere Sports Park in Tartu.
On Sunday, the classic races take place – the 63 km main race begins at Tehvandi and the 31 km race starts from Arula.
More information about this year's Tartu Ski Marathon, including how to register, is available here.
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste, Michael Cole
