Sapporo International Ski Marathon 2009

March 4, 2009

A trip to Japan to ski Sapporo Marathon is not only about skiing just another race or getting the last missing stamp on an almost full Passport. This is really about discovering the legendary hospitality and excellent conditions set up by our Japanese friends. It starts by the Worldloppet Passport Holder’s reception party which was, as all other race related events (registration, food, stamps, showers,etc.) organized in Sapporo Dome which provides the best before and after race facilities of any WL race. There all foreign skiers were invited to introduce themselves and were warmly cheered by the audience. On the next day (race day), after changing clothes in a heated room where once again foreign skiers were the object of curiosity and many picture taking from our Japanese friends we got a separate starting line (see picture) so that we could, at least once in our life, start in first position. Then after the race Sapporo Dome shower room really gives opportunity for best relaxing before coming back to the hotel. And last but not least, our friend Minoru Matsuyama, his wife and their 9-year old boy Suomi (who did 25k in the Czech Republic in January and 10k in Sapporo !!) had organized in the evening a very nice Japanese meal in a hotel where many foreign skiers were invited. Definitely the best pre and post-race conditions are found in the Sapporo Marathon, at least for foreign WL skiers.

During the race itself this was another story: it had snowed all night long before and in the morning the track was covered by 30 cm of fresh snow, slowing down not only the first skiers (the winner’s time was 2:51 hours which is more than 30 minutes more than the average winning time) but also all skiers after the first ones. Fresh snow on both sides made it narrower than usual and almost impossible to pass slower skiers. Additionally starting in the first wave might be good for one’s ego but you really need to know yourself in order not to burn too many calories during the first part of the race, which is globally uphill. The track itself was not that challenging as other years because most steep downhills and turns were slowed by the fresh snow. It was simply a very slow race this year, definitely not the one where you could set up a new time record for 50 km (by the way I did set a record but it was for my slowest 50K race ever ;-).

Some IAWLS members results on the 50K race:

This page was last revised on June 4, 2009