Compagnoni wins the 49th Toblach-cortina, Super-Kettunen wins the race and the combined event

Second day at the Nordic Arena with a 26 km skating race:
Compagnoni bides his time, attacks, and claims victory; Amhof 3rd and first in the combined event. Oona Kettunen dominates solo, winning the race and the combined ranking.

Ice-cold eyes and muscles of steel. Finland’s Oona Kettunen (Team Futura) is the winner of the Granfondo Toblach-Cortina in freestyle technique, and by adding yesterday’s second place in the classic race, she also secured first place in the combined ranking. On the men’s side, Luca Compagnoni (Team Internorm) took the win in a race decided midway through the second lap.

A grey, almost threatening sky framed the Nordic Arena of Toblach, where over 500 athletes tackled the 26 km course, partially inside the Nordic Arena cross-country stadium and extending through Val Fonda up to the War Cemetery.
In the men’s race, Compagnoni made his move in the final stages, shaking off his rivals, extending his lead with the support of teammate Davide Battagini, and taking the victory, marking his second podium in a week, after finishing second last Sunday at the 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon. He reached the final straight all alone, celebrating with the crown around his neck and finishing 12 seconds ahead of the young Battagini (born 2005), who is just starting his ski marathons career. Third place went to South Tyrolean Manuel Amhof (14 seconds back), who focused more on the combined ranking and ultimately secured that victory with a comfortable margin over Ivo Nökler. Behind the podium trio, a tight battle unfolded for the “wooden medal,” won by Julian Brunner over Felix Pider, German Daniel Debertin, and Spanish Betriu.

In the women’s race, Oona Kettunen made her intentions clear from the start. By the end of the first lap, she already held a lead of about a minute, which she further extended despite the slightly slow snow due to high humidity. Julia Kuen, returning overnight from the Dolomitenlauf (which she won), tried to close the gap, but her skis did not perform optimally, and she focused on maintaining a position never threatened by France’s Oceane Bepoix (third). The three crossed the finish line with significant gaps, with Kettunen reaffirming her superiority after yesterday’s effort in a truly remarkable performance, finishing just five minutes behind the first male finisher.

Herbert Santer, President of the Organising Committee, expressed satisfaction at the end of the two-day event, praising both the high participation numbers and the successful compromise on the course layout, as well as the strong international presence on the podiums on both days.
With the 2026 edition concluded, thoughts already turn to the next year and the 50th edition, with the firm intentions to bring the Granfondo finish line back under the Cortina bell tower, according to the President, with Vice President Igor Gǒmbac giving a knowing nod.

Armellini “splits” at the Toblach-Cortina. Börjesjö and the vikings at the Nordic Arena

A textbook split for Armellini, who defeats Busin. Three Scandivian women on the podium, Börjesjö dominates over Kettunen and Ivarsson.

Over 500 participants registered for this memorable 49th edition.
It required a photofinish to determine the winner of the 49th Granfondo Toblach Cortina on the first day of the classic race. Mattia Armellini (Team Futura) and Lorenzo Busin (Team Internorm) battled it out for the prestigious victory after a very intense 26 km race.
The women’s podium was entirely Scandinavian, with Malin Börjesjö (Team Internorm) pulling away immediately after the start from Finland’s Oona Kettunen (Team Futura), who made a comeback on the second lap and was then overtaken again. Third place went to her teammate Emma Ivarsson.
It was a splendid day today at the Nordic Arena, with sunshine, perfect snow, a pleasant temperature of -2°C and a large group of cross-country skiers representing 30 countries, making it a great success. Due to a winter that was not very wintery, the race was reduced to 26 km with two laps to be completed partly on the World Cup track and with an extension towards Lake Dobbiaco and the War Cemetery.
The first group started at 9.30 a.m. with the elite and amateurs in the first group, and then an hour later the other amateurs set off for a majestic ride on the tracks that hosted the Tour de Ski 15 days ago.
The best elite skiers immediately broke away from the group, maintaining high speed with high-performance skis. Armellini and Ferrari set the pace, with Busin, Rinner and Stefano Mich just one second behind, followed by their brother Riccardo, who kept the pursuers at bay, closely followed by Amhof and Lorenzi.
The lead group of the race saw constant changes at the top, with Busin covered by his teammate (Team Internorm) Ferrari, while Armellini studied his strategy to surprise the two leaders at the entrance to the stadium. On the short final uphill, Mattia Armellini caught up with Ferrari and engaged in a fierce head-to-head battle with Busin. Only a final burst of speed with a textbook split secured victory by a few centimetres for Armellini who beat Lorenzo Busin. Ferrari, for his part, earned a well-deserved podium finish ahead of Thomas Rinner and Stefano Mich, who finished with the same time.
Then came the plot twist after the flower ceremony had already concluded. The jury disqualified Ferrari for ‘skating,’ which is prohibited in classic races. Therefore, the official awards ceremony saw Thomas Rinner take bronze ahead of the Mich brothers.

Dietmar Nöckler was born and raised on these tracks, and today his good name was upheld by his brother Ivo (8th) and his father Friedrich, 39th overall, born in 1953, who found himself immediately behind a competitor born in 2002: chapeau!

Malin Börjesjö was skilful and tactical. She tried to keep up a fast pace among the best, deceiving her rival Kettunen, who was perhaps counting on jumping onto the top step of the podium, but in the final stretch, the Swede slipped away from the clutches of the Finn and crossed the finish line with a 42″ gap. Joy and a little disappointment for her. She was hoping for a great success as a pair, but her teammate and partner in life, Lorenzo Busin, finished “only” second. Emma Ivarsson, aware of the gap between her and the two leaders, took it easy and finished third, 3’21” behind, battling it out to the end with Austria’s Schmidhofer, who finished with the same time. The first Italian was Anna Giordan, in fifth place.

Course Update

Dear participants,

due to limited snow availability, the course of the 49th edition of the Dobbiaco Cortina will be modified.

Unfortunately, the weather conditions over the past weeks have not been favourable. However, thanks to the high-quality man-made snow, we can still guarantee a well-prepared circuit on which the races can take place.

Thanks to the great effort and commitment of everyone involved, we are pleased to confirm that both races will go ahead as planned, although with a reduced distance compared to the original programme.

We will use all our resources to offer you two race days organised to the highest possible standard. The Dobbiaco Cortina team works like a top-class chef: sometimes you have to adapt and cook with fewer ingredients, but with experience and passion we will still serve you a dish worthy of the occasion.

The updated course and programme are available on our website. Please make sure to check all the information carefully.

 A thank-you for your sporting spirit:
The Organising Committee has decided to offer all participants taking part in this special-format 49th edition a 20% discount on the entry fee for the 50th Dobbiaco Cortina, scheduled for 6–7 February 2027.

Thank you for your trust and for being part of our story.
See you on the snow!