This year saw the forty-fifth installment of this international race take place from 6-8 January 2012. As always, it led through the Jizera Mountains
(mapa) following the so-called Jizera arterial route, which is about 50 km long.
The first race was held in 1968. In 1970, all the members of the Expedition Peru 1970 climbing expedition participated in the 4th year of the
Jizerská 50. Only four months later, they tragically died, buried under a stone avalanche below Huascaran, which was caused by a disastrous earthquake. Since then the race has been called the "Expedition Peru 1970 Memorial", and it is organised in their honour.
The Jizerská 50 had already been considered a very well-organised race for a long time, and in 1995 it was included into the Euroloppet European Championships of cross-country skiing marathons. In 1999, it became a part of the Worldloppet Ski Federation – an international sports federation of cross-country marathons. In 2003, it was run as a part of the FIS Marathon Cup for the first time. Recently, the Jizerská 50 was included in the new international Ski Classics series, which comprises 6 events: Marcialonga in Italy, König Ludwig Lauf in Germany, Vasaloppet in Sweden, Birkebeinerrennet and the final race Norefjellrennet, both in Norway.
The three days of Jizerská 50 races are organised for all cross-country skiing fans and lovers without any performance limits. That means that participants are not only professional cross-country skiers, but there are thousands of amateur competitors as well.
As for 2012, the traditional and popular Jizera 50 race was accompanied by the Intersport Jizera 25 (in classic style). Both races took place on Sunday 8 January. The opening race of the whole competition weekend, the Bedřichov 30, a 30 km freestyle event which is also becoming increasingly popular, this year took place on Friday 6 January. Spectators could also watch the Jizera Company Race, a children’s relay race, the following day.
The main 50-km race in classic style started at the Bedřichov ski stadium and included 4,800 competitors, some 800 more than the previous year. The starting list comprised the elite world long-distance competitors, headed by last year’s winner Anders Aukland from Norway. The Czech Republic was traditionally represented by Stanislav Řezáč and Petr Novák, and Martin Koukal, a long-term representative and World Champion from the 50-km freestyle race in Val di Fiemme 2003, competed in the race for the first time in his career this year.
You will find the official results of the 45th Jizera 50 ČSOB Insurance Company event
here.