The marathon started from the Mutnovo geothermal power station at the height of 850 km above the sea level. The sportsmen have to cover the distance of 60 km via the Mutnovo pass and the highland plateau at the height of 1,100 m, and finish in the Termalny settlement of the Yelizovsky district, chairman of the competition's organisation committee Boris Kotikov told reporters.
The participants will have no ski-track or preliminarily outlined route. They will ski on a complicated relief with the snow of various thickness, having only a map, a compass, their own skills and rucksacks with the essentials on them.
Sportsmen of at least 1st category and over 19 years of age are allowed to participate in the event.
Participating in the Mutnovo Marathon-2004 will be about 55 skiers, including such famous sportsmen as world champion Olga Zavyalova, sports master Yevgenia Khakhina and others.
Organisers of the competition have noted that the marathon would start in any weather. If weather conditions are extremely adverse, the route of the marathon will be changed.
In the 2003 event, 32 sportsmen from different cities of Russia took part in the competition. Among men, Andrei Yeremeyev (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) was the first to reach the finish. It took him 2 hours and 50 minutes to cover the distance of 56 km. Among women, sport master Yevgenia Khakhina scored the shortest time (3 hours and 8 minutes).
Such a marathon is unique in Russia and has been arousing an increasing interest in professional sportsmen and simply ski fans.
