SellaRonda Skimarathon

The 1997-born from Vermiglio and the 31-year-old from Molveno, starting as defending champions, set an attacking race from the outset and crossed the finish line in Corvara, in Alta Badia, in triumph with a time of 2h59’38”, finishing ahead, as in 2025, of Alex Oberbacher from Val Gardena and William Boffelli from Roncobello (Bergamo), who in the second part of the race managed to take second place away from the highly rated French duo Anselme Damevin and Samuel Equy, who were then clearly distanced.

In the women’s race, it was Noemi Junod from Aosta Valley (Army Sports Group) who celebrated a second consecutive victory. In 2025 she had won alongside Giulia Compagnoni, and this year she repeated the success paired with Ilaria Veronese from Piedmont (Carabinieri), who showed great form right from the start. The Italian celebration was completed by the experienced Corinna Ghirardi and Dimitra Teocharis, second ahead of the Austrian-Swedish duo Victoria Kreuzer and the versatile Tove Alexandersson, a champion in orienteering and mountain running as well as a top ski mountaineer.

As in the previous year, the SellaRonda Skimarathon was sold out, bringing 550 teams to the start line, for a total of 1,100 athletes from 23 nations. Start and finish, following the annual rotation among the four valleys involved, were set up in Corvara, with the athletes tackling a course of 42 kilometres and 2,700 metres of positive elevation gain. There were four climbs to face, to the Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella and Gardena passes, with as many descents and spectacular passages through the towns of Arabba, Canazei (with a short section on foot) and Selva di Val Gardena.

Magnini and Nicolini immediately pushed hard, reaching the 2,160 metres of Bec de Roces, at the top of Passo Campolongo, in just 37’54”, closely followed by the French pair Damevin and Equy, fresh from their second place at the Pierra Menta. Oberbacher and Boffelli followed 40 seconds behind.

After passing Arabba, the two Trentino ski mountaineers of the Brenta Team increased the pace again on the climb to Passo Pordoi (2,239 metres), opening a decisive gap behind them. The surges by Magnini and Nicolini, who alternated in leading the race, proved decisive against Damevin and Equy, who were then forced to look behind due to the strong comeback by Oberbacher and Boffelli.

At that point, the climbs of Passo Sella and Passo Gardena still remained, with the leading duo managing their effort well and using their remaining energy to complete the feat and secure a comfortable margin, while behind them the battle for second place was heating up. Oberbacher and Boffelli raced intelligently, gradually reducing the gap to the French pair and then launching the decisive attack in the final part of the climb to Sella, reached with a delay of 2’05” from the leading team. Further back were Damevin and Equy, third at 3’08”.

Magnini and Nicolini also overcame the slopes of Passo Gardena and, after the descent towards Corvara, were able to enjoy the well-deserved applause of the crowd, crossing the finish line first with arms raised in 2h59’38”, just under three minutes off the race record (2h56’59”). Oberbacher and Boffelli (record holders together with Filippo Barazzuol) repeated last year’s placing, second at 3’22”. Third place went to Damevin and Equy, who added an international touch to the podium, finishing 7’07” behind the winners, with the Swiss veteran Martin Anthamatten and the German Anton Palzer fourth at 10’58”.

As in the men’s race, the women’s competition also took a decisive turn on the climb to Passo Pordoi, where Noemi Junod and Ilaria Veronese accelerated strongly, breaking the resistance of Victoria Kreuzer and Tove Alexandersson, who paid a high price—especially Kreuzer—for the high pace sustained in the early stages. Not only that, as the Swiss-Swedish pair also had to give way to the determined Dimitra Teocharis and Corinna Ghirardi.

The situation remained unchanged over the subsequent climbs of Passo Sella and Passo Gardena: Junod and Veronese delivered a long triumphant performance and finished with arms raised in 3h41’26”. They recorded the 22nd overall time, more than 10 minutes faster than Teocharis and Ghirardi (3h52’24”), second ahead of Kreuzer and Alexandersson (3h58’03”), who in the final part held off the comeback attempt by Sonia Brussoz and Marcela Vasinova, fourth in 3h58’26”.

In the mixed category, victory went to the duo composed of Debora Agreiter from South Tyrol (former cross-country skier) and Stefan Fuchs, who completed the race in 3h54’11”.

They said
Federico Nicolini (SC Brenta Team): “I really wanted to win the SellaRonda Skimarathon again after last year’s success, and I prepared a lot with targeted training. I really like this race; it’s like doing four vertical races in one evening, always flat out with no break. With Davide there was great understanding right away and, based on last year’s experience, we decided to attack from the first climb. The French initially held on, but then we managed to break away. Great pace with Davide, we alternated at the front and neither of us had a crisis. Now it’s time to celebrate.”

Davide Magnini (SC Brenta Team): “We felt the fatigue from the Pierra Menta, but I wanted to deliver a high-level race because I know how important it was also for Federico. We talked a lot in recent days and today he was really strong. At every passage, both on the passes and in the villages, the Nicolini family was there supporting us. A key strategic aspect in a race like this. The fact that two athletes from Trentino have won the SellaRonda Skimarathon for the second consecutive time is significant. I’m happy and with Kikko we showed strength and great teamwork.”

Alex Oberbacher (Ski Club Gardena): “I’m really happy with how the race went. Given the start list, a podium finish was far from guaranteed, but William and I believed in it and we made it, starting conservatively on the first climb. Then we found the right rhythm and managed to catch and overtake the two French champions. The SellaRonda Skimarathon is a very tough and intense race and we managed it really well. Magnini and Nicolini were on another level today—unreachable. That’s why finishing behind them is even more satisfying.”

Noemi Junod (CS Esercito): “A second victory in two years in one of the classics of ski mountaineering is always a great satisfaction. Today I experienced a unique emotion and I must say a big thank you to Ilaria, who helped me a lot. It was a bit of a strange race—I struggled at the beginning and didn’t feel great, but then I managed to recover, also thanks to Ilaria, who was almost always setting the pace. I’m very happy for this victory and to have shared it with Ilaria, a great friend. The SellaRonda Skimarathon is a magical race; competing in these landscapes is truly emotional.”

Ilaria Veronese (CS Carabinieri): “Winning the SellaRonda Skimarathon has always been one of my dreams and now I’ve finally done it. I can’t believe it—I have tears in my eyes. I’m over the moon. Thanks to Noemi Junod for giving me the opportunity to share this challenge and this joy with her. I’m also happy with how I managed the race. I arrived in good condition after a difficult start to the season. I immediately found the right rhythm in a race that never gives you a break, and the teamwork with Noemi was excellent. I really enjoyed it.”

Gianni Rasom (President of the Organizing Committee): “It was an extraordinary success already before the start, with a record number of nations represented in the history of the SellaRonda Skimarathon—23. The race itself gave us great satisfaction, both for reaching 1,100 participants, the maximum manageable number for our organization, and for the high level of the athletes, especially in the men’s race. The presence of top athletes makes us proud and confirms the prestige our event has built over the years. The rest was done by the extraordinary Dolomite landscape and the starry sky. A big thank you to all the volunteers from the four Ladin valleys for their passion and professionalism.”