Saturday, February 17 sees the 31-kilometer freestyle race, while the classic traditional race is on Sunday

The full 63-kilometer race will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Tartu's Tehvandi Stadium, while the half marathon begins at 12.30 p.m. at the Arula track.

The weather conditions are expected to be quite different on each of the two days, so participants will also have to prepare for them a bit differently. While on Saturday it should be reasonably mild warm and therefore not necessary to layer up too much, on Sunday the main challenge will be the slippery track.

"On the day of the marathon, we are expecting freezing temperatures and perfect weather for it. For me, the biggest concern is that it this is an unprecedentedly fast marathon course and our previous years have shown that that can lead to a lot of falls," Laugamets told ETV show "Terevisioon."

"Those who go on Saturday will have to be prepared to race in the rain and those who come on Sunday need to be ready for a fast course."

On the classic track, you might even want to take your skis off during some of the descents. "Take care of your equipment and yourself," said Laugamets.

"Another thing is to drink at the refreshment points. Those people who end up requiring medical assistance, they will admit afterwards that they couldn't get a drink or didn't start drinking. Or drinking was not important. But you still need to drink!"

"In terms of clothing... it's always possible to reduce your amount of clothing at the catering outlets – give away your extra jacket, for example. At the moment, the weather should be perfect [on Sunday] in terms of clothing, but the track is very slippery."

Laugamets said it was important for people to ensure they are in good physical health at the start of the marathon. "The most important thing is that you have trained enough and are healthy enough –that you have fully recovered from any previous viral illnesses," he said.

"If in doubt, it's very wise to consult a healthcare professional that you know or, best of all, your family doctor. So that you come to the start in a healthy condition. Life has shown us that if you come in a bit sick and think 'oh, I'll take it easy', then given the frenzy of the start and the frenzy of the race itself, a relaxing race is not a very likely outcome. The adrenaline will still carry you through in the way you want to run the marathon. And that leads to overexertion."

If you are already skiing, but not feeling well, then there is no shame in ending your race. "If you're on the track and you feel unprecedented fatigue, tightness or pain in your chest, then you can always stop the marathon," said Laugamets.

"We have snowmobiles patrolling the track and we have six ambulance brigades. There is medical assistance available at the aid stations. We've provided all the facilities to help you. But it's a matter of how you feel – if something feels different, my advice is to make yourself known. We will assist you. If we get you out of the marathon then it is more likely that we can avoid situations that could otherwise end in sudden death."

According to Laugamets, it is also important for people to take their mobile phones with them on the trail. "The Tartu Marathon is like a song festival, it's an important event. If you have a smartphone and you dial 112 from the marathon course, we will actually start positioning it the instant the call comes in," he said.

"In the past, we've worked with the emergency center remotely, but in the last few years we've had a member of the emergency center staff sitting with us in the booth. So when a call comes in from the track, we can locate your position to within five meters. Then we can proactively start sending out sleds or ambulances. Bringing a phone – that would be my very strong recommendation, but I know half of the participants don't bring one."

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