exactly the same time and were therefore both declared winners on equal merit. In 1999 the same Johann Mühlegg (who had changed nationality in the meantime) won a second time ex aequo with his Spanish fellow Juan Jesús Gutiérrez, this time on the 70 km route. In 2004 the Marcialonga was included in the Cross-country Ski World Cup: among the women, for Gabriella Paruzzi, the victory in the Trentino race for the conquest of the crystal cup was decisive. Some top athletes did not participate, fearing to exhaust their energies in view of the continuation of the season. On 22 February 2003, the Autonomous Province of Trento awarded the four "founding fathers" of the Marcialonga with the seal of San Venceslao as a sign of gratitude and homage. In 2013, the memorable year in which the Fiemme Valley hosted for the third time the Nordic Ski World Championships and the cross-country skiing competitions of the XXVI Winter Universiade, the highest number of participants was registered, with 7,570 athletes. Another peculiarity of the 40th edition was the lengthening of the route (72 km, instead of the classic 70 km) to allow transit through the town centers of Canazei and Predazzo. Track The Marcialonga track (which can be covered with cross-country skis throughout the winter season and on foot, with roller skis, by bicycle and on horseback in the summer months) crosses the entire Fassa Valley and then Fiemme valley: it is long, with a total difference in height of about . The average skiing time is about 3 hours and 13 minutes at an average speed of 21.5 km/h. The race starts from the so-called "plain" of Moena, located at an altitude of above sea level, at the gates of the town near the municipal stadium. The morning start is one of the most spectacular moments of the competition and it takes place in line and in steps: the first to start are the "senators" (those who have participated continuously in all editions since 1971) together with the strongest professional athletes; at the center, the skiers who in previous editions have obtained a good placement; at the last, all the remaining amateur sportsmen, affectionately called "the bisons". After the start, the track goes on the right bank of the Avisio stream: the skiers face the first ascent towards the Moena Alpine Training Centre of the State Police and go up the