Alta Badia - The Maratona Changes To Remain Itself
Everything changes, and everything flows. Humans change, often failing to learn the right lessons from the past; mountains around us change, often due to human actions; cyclists struggling on the passes change, and their metamorphosis is more than positive, just as the Maratona changes in an attempt to improve while remaining true to itself. "Mutatio" is the theme of the 37th edition and is a principle dear to us because humans can exist only in relation to others, in a continuous process of transformation. Will the Maratona change? Certainly, it will change. Just as the thousands of cyclists pedaling on the Dolomite passes will change. Panta rei, everything flows.
Numbers and requests
Despite the passing years, and speaking of mutations, the allure of the Maratona seems never to change. This year, requests for participation were nearly four times higher than the available bibs. The total number of requests is 31.500, while the number of participants is set at 8.000. As always, 50% of the participants are Italian, and 50% are international, representing 86 nationalities, while 1.500 will be volunteers, and there will be 6 hours of live streaming on the national channel Rai2.
Courses and closed passes
As always, there are three routes that characterize the Maratona dles Dolomites – Enel, winding through the epic passes of the Dolomites, strictly closed to traffic. Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, Giau, Falzarego, Valparola: anyone can test themselves and ride in scenarios of incomparable beauty. And discover once again that nature, including the magnificent flowers that color the meadows and fields around the rocky massifs at the beginning of summer, is what we must safeguard. Today more than ever.
· The Maratona course: 138 km and 4230 m of altitude difference
· The Medium course: 106 km and 3130 m of altitude difference
· The Sellaronda course: 55 km and 1780 m of altitude difference
The Sella Pass will also be on the agenda of the Giro d'Italia 2024 during the 17th stage on Wednesday 22nd May.
Green Maratona and charity
The Maratona has always placed sustainability at the center of its mission. Edition after edition, it strives to introduce new initiatives to make the event more ecological and reduce its impact on the environment. This commitment is made possible through close collaboration with partners. Another fundamental pillar of the Maratona is solidarity. For the 2024 edition, 400 charity-registrations were sold, the proceeds of which (over 73,000 euros) were donated to three associations. The Association of Groups of Belluno "Insieme si può Onlus/ONG" is committed to a quality education project in Uganda, while the Association "C'è Da Fare ETS", founded by Paolo Kessisoglu, is dedicated to providing psychological and psychiatric support to young adolescents in difficulty. The Widmanns association contributes to the training of African surgeons and intensive medical care at the Nhkhoma Hospital in Malawi.
Training program
Technogym - Official Training Partner of the Maratona, has created an application rich in resources for cycling enthusiasts, especially those preparing for the Maratona routes. This innovative app offers a wide range of video workouts and programs specifically designed for cycling. Every day, users can enjoy a personalized experience thanks to the combination of scientific research, artificial intelligence, and engaging and stimulating video content.
Musixmatch: The musical partner of the Maratona
The Maratona dles Dolomites – Enel is thrilled to welcome Musixmatch into the partner family. Musixmatch is the world's largest music data company. It is an Italian reality, born in Bologna, and combines music, data, and artificial intelligence to amplify the music experience. Together, we imagined how the inspirational and evocative power of words linked to songs would find an extraordinary point of contact with the values and spirit of cycling. This inspiration will accompany us during the event, making the experience even more unforgettable.
Enervit: 70 years of passion for cycling and sports nutrition
2024 is an important year for Enervit, celebrating its first 70 years. We have a strong connection with the Maratona dles Dolomites, and celebrating this anniversary by cycling together in the Dolomites excites us enormously. Over the years, with our Team and the support of the Equipe Enervit, we have always been by the side of all the athletes who have tackled the three routes: we have given them advice on nutrition and supplementation, listened to their voices, absorbed their experiences, and shared the emotions of the race. Always with one goal, to ensure that each participant could face the granfondo at their best, crossing the finish line with a smile to bring home an indelible memory. Our roots in cycling date back to the seventies when with the Enervit Team we started our journey into the world of sports and functional nutrition with medical-dietary assistance at the Giro d'Italia. Since then, we continue to share the innovation of our products through partnerships with UCI World Tour teams, Lidl-Trek, UAE Team Emirates, champion Tadej Pogačar, and the Italian Cycling Federation. The sporting spirit is a positive energy that makes us better.
Cyclists' opinions
After last year's Maratona dles Dolomites – Enel, a satisfaction survey was conducted among the participants, of which we summarize the most significant data. The Maratona is liked, this is a fact. On a scale of values from 1 to 5, safety and the courses are rated 4.5 and 4.89, respectively, while the difficulty of the routes is rated 4.1. In deciding to participate in a sporting event, it is therefore very important that the organization ensures maximum safety on the route during the race and that the event takes place in a beautiful, suggestive, fascinating environment. The fact that the Maratona takes place in Alta Badia is decisive (4.39), and cyclist-tourists are very satisfied with the destination (4.56). The intention to participate again is very high: 87% of people stated they want to participate in future editions, while only 0.34% do not intend to register for future editions. The companions of the racers are mainly the partner (31%), friends (24%), and family (21%). Regarding knowledge of Alta Badia, 64% of respondents said they already knew it, and 36% had never been there. But 99% said they would gladly return to Alta Badia. Finally, good old word of mouth is the most effective 'marketing' channel, accounting for 56%, while the website reaches 14%, and social media 8%. From this information, reduced for convenience to bare numbers that are very important for us to understand where and how to improve in the future, we increasingly realize that an event like the Maratona dles Dolomites – Enel has entered the imagination and desires of those who not only cycle but interpret cycling as an important moment in their lives.
SELLARONDA BIKE DAY E DOLOMITES BIKE DAY: TWO EVENTS WITH THE DOLOMITE PASSES CLOSED TO MOTORISED TRAFFIC
The month of June is full of events that are now part of the cycling calendar, and the cycling events in Alta Badia once again combine the beauty of the landscape with sustainability. In fact, there are three days that allow those who do not have the opportunity to participate in the prestigious Maratona dles Dolomites-Enel to enjoy the Dolomite passes closed to car traffic. It begins on Saturday 8th June with the Sellaronda Bike Day, which will be repeated in September, and continues on Saturday 22nd June with the Dolomites Bike Day. The decision to make the Dolomite passes accessible only to cyclists for a few days each year confirms how sensitive Alta Badia is to the issue of sustainability.
These are non-competitive cycling events accessible to all, without the need for registration. The respective routes follow the route of the Maratona dles Dolomites-Enel, and other legendary routes.
On 8 June, the already traditional Sellaronda Bike Day takes place, during which the passes around the Sella Group are closed to traffic. The event will be repeated on 7 September. In June from 08.00 to 14.30, keen cyclists will be able to take part in the non-competitive event, which runs in an anti-clockwise direction, is 53 km long and has an altitude gain of 1637 metres. The official merchandising of the event, available in the shops of the organising valleys, was created by designer Manuel Bottazzo and produced by Sportful. www.sellarondabikeday.com
The protagonists of the Dolomites Bike Day on 22nd June, on the other hand, are the Campolongo, Falzarego and Valparola Dolomite passes, scenes of epic exploits that have made cycling history. The route runs along the ring that begins in Alta Badia and leads over the Passo Campolongo to Arabba and the Livinallongo Valley. It continues to the Falzarego Pass and then to the Valparola Pass before reaching the villages of La Villa and Corvara to finish the ride. The route, which is closed to traffic from 08:30 to 14:30, is 51km long and has a total elevation gain of 1.370m. The route must be ridden in an anti-clockwise direction. www.dolomitesbikeday.it
