The total of 3,500 participants was slightly lower than usual, but enthusiasm seemingly more than made up for this.

Indrek Kelk, chief event organizer, said: "There were so many more details to handle on marathon day."

With poor snow in the race's traditional location, Alutaguse, Ida-Viru County, was almost at the last minute chosen to host the 2025 edition.

The full suite of race categories went ahead in any case.

"We've never had so many races packed into one location at the same time—children's races, the vintage race, 10K classic, the relay race, 10K freestyle—all happening on the same trails," Kelk went on.

"There were so many intersections, and we had to make sure no one went the wrong way. We had a hundred different things to keep track of," he added.

Timo Juursalu, who heads up the Alutaguse sports center, which hosted the race, recalled: "When Indrek Kelk called and asked what I thought about the Tartu Marathon coming here, we were actually out on the course, clearing fallen trees after a big snowfall in early January."

"The guys immediately started working at a speedier pace when they realized the marathon could really be held here. When the news came a few weeks later that Alutaguse was a possible location, the number of visitors over the weekend skyrocketed. It was amazing to see, and I think more locals have started skiing in the evenings now," Juursalu added.

Epp Paal, executive director of Worldloppet, the international federation of long distance cross-country skiing events, said: "People are creatures of habit. When you have the same team preparing this event for decades, you have your established partners and friends who help out at every turn."

"While the people of Ida-Viru County have been very accommodating, we still had to negotiate new agreements and make a lot of extra phone calls for every little detail," Paal continued.

Among other things, organizers of the weekend's happenings had to rethink logistics.

Even the regular track tractor proved too large, so an alternative was sought and found.

The 63-kilometer course was shortened to a 40-kilometer loop, but completed twice.

A team of 300 compared with the usual thousand called for greater efficiency too.

Despite the challenges, the marathon ran smoothly, and skiers stayed on course.

Support stations continued serving refreshments, helping maintain the traditional race atmosphere.

Participants who ERR spoke to gave their approval of how things had gone. One, Vello, said he felt: "Super. Alive, healthy. Well-fed, well-hydrated. Everything is perfect, the track is top-notch. Just super."

"We got here, and the snowbanks were up to the car windows. Where are we? Feels like we've come to Siberia. Amazing, awesome," he went on.

Another, Riho, said: "Even though Tartu [ski marathon] should be in Tartu, Alutaguse is so beautiful this year that it was totally worth coming."

A week before the race was due to take place, organizers confirmed the original venue was unusable.

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