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!

The Grandfondo Dobbiaco-Cortina changes date

New date for the ski marathon: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 January 2026

With the forthcoming 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games taking place in Italy, the safety bar is inevitably raised and, in line with the provisions of the Government Commissioner, the area where the Dobbiaco-Cortina ski marathon takes place, habitually at the beginning of February, falls into the so-called “red zone” more precisely in the period between January 26th and February 24th. This means that it is impossible to organise any sporting events in the weeks concerned.

Registration will reopen on Sunday, April 20th and will be available online. The special ‘early bird’ registration fee will be valid for a whole month until Tuesday, May 20, at the special price of €60 for each race and €120 for the combined, which, among other things, entitles the holder to an additional high-quality gadget. Those who have already secured a bib number can apply to have their registration moved to the new date or for a full refund of 100% of the registration fee.

Folie wins 31km Skating. Race and combined goes to Lauri Lepistö

The curtain falls on the 48th edition of the Ski Classics Challengers event. Folie (ITA) and Lepistö (FIN) win the 31 km in free technique. Great satisfaction for volunteers and the Toblach-Cortina ski-marathon OC. Sunshine at the finish in Fiames and the usual cheerfulness to greet another successful edition

At the Toblach-Cortina Ski-marathon, the course of the 31 km free technique race, much like the one that had provided a long, balanced and uncertain opening race yesterday in classic technique, was speeded up thanks to the sun, which had returned to peep through and illuminate the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites. Around 10 am, starting time at the Nordic Arena in Toblach, yesterday’s thick snow seemed to be just a distant and happy memory. It will certainly be so for Ylvie Folie (ITA) and Lauri Lepistö (FIN), who were first across the finish line in Fiames and did well to inscribe their names in the already rich roll of honour.

The course after the start in the Nordic Arena ‘crossed’ Lake Toblach, the War Cemetery and Lake Landro covered by a light blanket of fog, where quite a bit of selection had already been made in the men’s race. At the transit through the Three Peaks National Park in front there were only seven left. Once they had reached Valfonda and Cimabanche, the sun was already shining again! The breakaway group then sped down the descent, with the characteristic passage through tunnels carved into the rock. By this time, the Italian Paolo Fanton, Lepistö, the Swedish Ekloef and Estonian Alev had left. The finish line in Fiames, a stone’s throw from Cortina, once again added that pinch of spice to the challenge, and again provided a spectacle. Lepistö and Alev, particularly the former, had more to offer than Fanton and Ekloef, who battled it out for third place. However, the best in the sprint was Lepistö, already third yesterday in the 31 km CT.

The women’s race smiled on Italy, especially South Tyrol, which celebrated the success of Ylvie Folie and gave a colourful one-two with Julia Kuen. The two, about a minute apart at the finish, exploded with joy for each other. In the women’s race the selection was made very early, around 3 km there were already five left: together with the two Italian women were Bepoix (3rd), Hutter and Koenig. When Folie decided to pick up the pace, namely in the section from the Three Peaks National Park to Cimabanche, no one was able to keep up with her, thanks also to the help of a male athlete, and she built up a 35’ gap at the downhill attack.

The combined classification of the weekend awards today’s winner Lauri Lepistö (FIN) ahead of Eklöf (SWE) and Rinner (ITA). In the women’s event, Hilda Löf (SWE) won over Anna Happ (GER) and Nicole Donzallaz (SUI).

The Toblach-Cortina Ski-marathon Organising committee, thanks to the work of the many volunteers led by president Herbert Santer and the vice president Igor Gombac, closed another successful edition: the forty-eighth. Almost 200 people put their heart and spirit into ensuring supplies, clothing transport and the perfect preparation of the track. All that remains is to renew the appointment for 2026!

Nygaard & Börjesjö: and who else?

The Ski Classics Challengers circuit event started from Toblach, Nygaard (NOR) and Börjesjö (SWE) won the 31 km in classic technique.

OC Toblach-Cortina Ski-marathon celebrates the opening under the snow, big party at the finish of Fiames-Cortina d’Ampezzo, tomorrow the 31 km FT.

An old-fashioned spectacle! Perhaps this is how one can describe what was seen on the opening day of the 48th Toblach-Cortina Ski-marathon. The 31-kilometre course, with the start in the Nordic Arena in Toblach, passed through the most fascinating places in Hochpustertal and Ampezzo, as well as through the tunnels of the former Dolomite railway: a spectacle made even more impressive by the snowfall. The snowfall had been falling since the hours before the 10 o’clock start and had whitened the trees and surroundings, but also made the course very hard, which in the end crowned Andreas Nygaard (NOR) and Malin Börjesjö (SWE) as winners.

A slow pace characterised the men’s race, given the heavy snowfall in Hochpustertal and especially in the Ampezzo region. When the snow is slow and sloppy, the ideal habitat of the cross-country skier is… the wake of another cross-country skier. The only Swede Ekloef (6th) tried to make a difference on the hard, near the Three Peaks National Park, but failed to get away. A group of 19 athletes then formed with all the best skiers. At the pass at Passo Cimabanche 13 of them managed to dig a small gap of 12” on the pursuers. They then faced the downhill stretch towards the finish line in Fiames, where some athletes managed to pull back, thanks to the very slow snow found by the outriders. The final solution could only be the sprint, where Andreas Nygaard again showed all his strength. The fresh Marcialonga champion crossed the finish ahead of everyone, winning the sprint over Francesco Ferrari and the Finnish Lauri Lepistö, who preceded the Italian favourite Dietmar Noeckler at the photo finish.

A lot of selection was made in the women’s race, which saw, after the first 3 km section, already six athletes taking the lead. The Swedish Börjesjö made things clear on the slightly uphill sections, thanks also to her excellent equipment, as she admitted at the end of the race. Arriving at the Cimabanche Pass (21st km), Börjesjö had a 34-second margin over the closest pursuer Oda Nerdrum (NOR). At that point, with only 10 km downhill to go and in the company of male athletes, it was done for the Swede. The defending champion Heli Heiskanen (FIN), in the company of Anna Schmidhofer (AUT), narrowly missed out on the Norwegian Nerdrum, who nevertheless defended her place of honour.

Awaiting all ‘finishers’, those who made their way along the Lake of Toblach, the War Cemetery, Landro, Valfonda and Cimabanche and then into the galleries towards Fiames, were the metal medals with personalised high-relief.

The organising committee led by Herbert Santer said to be delighted with the setting, which was made even more beautiful by the snow. A big applause also goes to the many volunteers from Toblach and Cortina, who have been working for weeks to ensure the success of one of the most popular races of the circuit.

Tomorrow, however, it will still be track time with another 31 km to run, this time in free technique. The course is the same as today: appointment at 10:00 a.m. with the start from the Nordic Arena.

What a success for the press conference of the great cross-country skiing events in Dobbiaco.

The opening was embellished by telephone greetings from FISI President Roda and by the speeches of FISIP President Paolo Tavian and FISI Deputy Vice President, as well as President of Fondazione Cortina, Stefano Longo.

Tour de Ski, 3 Zinnen Ski-Marathon and Granfondo Dobbiaco-Cortina were told through the words of the organizers and the beautiful images on the screen.

Last but not least, the first edition of the PARA Cross-Country Skiing World Championships in Italy was presented, with guests of honour being the coordinator of the Italian national PARA cross-country skiing team Paolo Marchetti and the World Cup athlete Giuseppe Spatola – who arrived a few hours earlier from Norway.

Go to the Presskit

Registrations open on Saturday, 1 June, with special “early bird” fees.

Ten personalised “backpack & towel” sets will be up for grabs for the first 100 registered participants.

The magic of the Granfondo Dobbiaco-Cortina is set to continue as it prepares for its 48th edition on the weekend of 1 and 2 February 2025.

The 2025 edition will follow the much-loved format: on Saturday, 1 February, enthusiasts of the classical technique will tackle the 42 km TC race, while on Sunday, 2 February, fans of the free technique will take on the 35 km track. Both races start from the military airport in Dobbiaco and finish in Fiames, Cortina d’Ampezzo, against the stunning backdrop of the Pomagagnon mountains. The route includes iconic passages by the picturesque Landro and Dobbiaco lakes, the unparalleled Tre Cime view, and the Mountain Grand Prix at the Cimabanche Pass (1529 m).

Registrations for the 48th Granfondo Dobbiaco-Cortina open on Saturday, 1 June. Participants can register online and take advantage of the special “early bird” rates available throughout June: €65 for the classical technique race, €50 for the free technique race, and €115 for both. All registered participants will receive a special gift. The event also supports young skiers with the “30 for U23” programme, offering reduced registration fees of €30 (€60 for both races) for those under 23.