Ryan Sandes and Ryno Griesel to attempt ‘DGT’ – Drakensberg Grand Traverse

Posted on March 3, 2014 by talkultra

Fresh from an incredible victory at Transgrancanaria, Ryan Sandes will attempt the 220km Drakensberg Grand Traverse with Ryno Griesel.

The Drakensberg Grand Traverse (DGT) is a 220km route, traversed from the north to the south of the Drakensberg mountain range in South Africa. Unmarked, the route is extremely difficult and technical and spans parts of the Free State and Kwa-Zulu Natal province as well as the mountain kingdom of Lesotho.

Ryan Sandes at Transgrancanaria ©iancorless.com

Gavin and Lauri Raubenheimer first made the traverse in 1999 in a time of 105-hours 39-mins. With only 3-official records and 15-failed attempts, the DGT is a serious undertaking. Ryno Griesel and Cobus Van Zyl were the last to set a record in 2010 shattering the 1999 time. Griesel and Van Zyl set a new benchmark, 60-hours 29-min and 30-secs.

ryno-griesel ©kelvintrautman

Ryno Griesel will return to the DGT in 2014, this time with Ryan Sandes, “I am really excited to be running the Drakensberg Grand Traverse with Ryno, it’s going to be one of the biggest adventures of my life,” says Ryan. “The route is extremely challenging and the slow nature of the terrain makes the Traverse that much harder. I always want to see how far I can push my own boundaries and for me this is going to be the ultimate test.”

Ryan Sandes ©iancorless.com

“It will be an all or nothing attempt” Ryan commented after winning the 125km Transgrancanaria. Scheduled for the last week of March, this record attempt will come just 2-weeks after the Transgrancaria. It’s a testament to Ryan’s level of fitness and dedication to the sport he loves.

“It will either be a great training run or a mistake,” explained Ryan “I feel really good and although Transgrancanaria was a hard effort, I feel confident I will be in good shape for the DGT. You have to remember, the DGT trail is very hard and technical, so it is not all about running, it’s about hiking and covering ground efficiently.”

The run will be completely self-sufficient with no support, pacers or crews. Sandes and Griesel must carry all they need; however, they are allowed to use a GPS to aid navigation.

Griesel commented on redbull.com that over recent years the record has moved from hiking to faster and lighter hiking. Griesel and Sandes are the first to approach the DGT from a purely run perspective; sleep will be a rare commodity and thus it brings many elements of self-awareness. Fatigue, tiredness and navigating while still trying to cover ground quickly and efficiently will mean both are tested to the full!

Griesel and Sandes can be followed on www.redbull.co.za/draktraverse

The website will plot their live GPS location onto an online map.

Links:

Ryan Sandes – http://ryansandes.com
Ryno Griesel – http://www.rynogriesel.co.za
Red Bull – http://www.redbull.com/za/en
Salomon – http://www.salomon.com/sg/activity/trail-running.html

The North Face® Transgrancanaria® race day images

Posted on March 1, 2014 by talkultra

Ryan Sandes and Nuria Picas were crowned 2014 champions of the The North Face^® Transgrancanaria^®

Ryan Sandes (Salomon) won the 2014 edition in 14 hours and 27 minutes covering a total distance of 125km. Julien Chorier (Hoka One One/ Compressport) and the current two-time champion of the Western States 100; Timothy Olson (The Noth Face), came second and third with respectively.

Núria Picas (Buff), excelled amongst the female competition with a time of 16 hours and 44 minutes, followed by the Italian Francesca Canepa (Vibram/Montura) with 17 hours and 29 minutes and Fernanda Maciel (The North Face) came third just two minutes later.

A detailed race report will follow.

IMAGES of an exciting day of action:

: Nuria Picas & Ryan Sandes Transgrancanaria ©iancorless.com

: Nuria Picas Transgrancanaria ©iancorless.com

: Ryan Sandes Transgrancanaria ©iancorless.com

: Fernanda Maciel Transgrancanaria ©iancorless.com

: Ryan Sandes at Transgrancanaria ©iancorless.com

: Sebastien Chaigneau Transgrancanaria ©iancorless.com

: Transgrancanaria 2014 ©iancorless.com

Julien Chorier joins COMPRESSPORT®

Posted on February 28, 2014 by talkultra

*Press Release

Julien CHORIER will sport the COMPRESSPORT® colours at this week-end’s TransGrancanaria 125K Ultra Trail in the Canary Islands.

A former competitive cyclist, Julien started trail running in 2007 and never looked back.
Winner of the Ultra Trail Mount Fuji (UTMF) in 2012, two times winner of the Grand Raid de la Reunion, winner of the Hardrock 100 2011 and the 2013 winner of the Andorra Ultra Trail Vallnord (Ronda dels Cims), Julien Chorier has become one of the best ultra-trail runner in the World.
When he’s not running, he can be found cycling or skiing in the French Alps where he resides.

Julien will benefit from the COMPRESSPORT® technologies with:

– Compression garments during the effort in training, and for recovery after the races. – Trail Running garments to race in the best possible conditions
– Pro Racing Socks for improved foot proprioception and comfort

Julien tested Compressport products during his pre-season training and his return was unanimous.

He chose COMPRESSPORT® for:
– Its technical know-how and the specific conception techniques used to develop the products – The consistency of the products’ quality 100% Made in Europe
– The reactivity of the COMPRESSPORT’s staff to his speci�ic demands.

“I’m thrilled to be once again an ambassador of Compressport, a company that thrives on helping athletes to improve their performance, enhance their recovery & to help them travel in the best possible conditions.” said Julien.

This partnership will enable a close collaboration between COMPRESSPORT’s R&D team and Julien in order to develop performance and recovery compression apparel and socks.
His expertise and experience will add to the rapidly developing collection.

An exciting 2014 awaits for Julien when he will return to Hardrock 100 in the USA and Diagonale des Fous in Reunion Island.

Links:

Compressport – HERE

Julien Chorier – HERE

Julien Chorier & Hoka One One Transgrancanaria

Posted on February 28, 2014 by talkultra

all images ©iancorless.com no reproduction or copying please

Julien Chorier and Hoka One One team mates (Caroline Chaverot & Pascal Blanc) freed up some time to head out on the trails of Gran Canaria and allowed me the opportunity to capture some images ahead of the 2014 The North Face Transgrancanaria.

Julien Chorier can be found at – HERE
Caroline Chaverot – HERE
Pascal Blanc – HERE
Hoka One One – HERE
Hoka One One Pro Team – HERE

SCOTT sports partner with Skyrunning

Posted on February 28, 2014 by talkultra

Marco De Gasperi ©iancorless.com

The ISF is pleased to announce SCOTT Sports will partner with the 2014 Skyrunner® World Series, joining other prestigious outdoor brands: Salomon, Arc’teryx, inov-8, La Sportiva and Compressport.

SCOTT Sports will be present not only with a team of top international runners, but will again be present as main sponsor at the successful Matterhorn Ultraks, fourth race in the Sky Series.

The international team of world-class athletes includes Italian Marco De Gasperi, six-time World Mountain Running Champion and top level skyrunner; American Joe Gray, USA Mountain Runner of the year and top finisher at the Course de Sierre-Zinal; vertical and sky specialist Celine Lafaye from France, 10^th on the ISF Sky Ranking; and, from Spain, Pablo Villa, a top placer in the 2012 TDS and the 2013 Gore-Tex Transalpine Run.

The SCOTT team also counts American distance runner Meghan Arbogast, a top finisher at UTMV and Western States, she recently won the USATF Trail National Championship together with new entry Jodee Adams-Moore who will be launching her skyrunning season at the Transvulcania Ultramarathon on May 10. SCOTT Running Director, Scott McCoubrey commented, “Jodee is a perfect fit for the SCOTT team. She is an extremely versatile runner, with a passion for the mountains and running on the trails. Based on her recent success, it should be a blast watching her performances this year.” New British talent Stu Air will join her at Transvulcania.

SCOTT ambassador Ian Sharman, 100-mile champion – winner and record holder of the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning – is director of the newly launched US Skyrunner® Series.

SCOTT Sports has enjoyed much success with the Kinabalu trail shoe – named after the 4,000m Malaysian mountain which has represented the final of the Skyrunner® World Series on many occasions. SCOTT athlete Marco De Gasperi set the standing race record here.

Alongside the Kinabalu, new styles include Trail Rocket and Grip 3.0 are proposed for 2014 together with the new runningcollection – available at the principal Skyrunner® World Series races.

Marino Giacometti, ISF president, commented, “We’re very pleased to welcome on board SCOTT with their team and excellent products. Since the age of 17 when Marco De Gasperi ran his first skyrunning race on Monte Rosa, he has been a great ambassador for the sport and we’re proud to see him at the pinnacle of his career. We look forward to have the rest of the talented team competing at the races – who knows who the next great champion will be!”

Joscha Harms, SCOTT Softgoods and Running Marketing Manager, concludes, “SCOTT Sports is a leading brand for high functioning sporting goods, and is known for innovative products with unique designs. We are happy to collaborate with the Skyrunner World Series to position our Running division as a high functioning trailrunning brand in a very competitive market. We believe that this, paired with our strong products and outstanding performances of our athletes, will increase our brand credibility and integrity within the market.”

SCOTT Trail running team members

Marco De Gasperi (ITA)

Ian Sharman (GBR)

Joe Gray (USA)

Jodee Adams-Moore (USA)

Meghan Arbogast (USA)

Ryan Bak (USA)

Celine Lafaye (FRA)

Pablo Manuel Villa (ESP)

Simona Staicu (HUN)

Stu Air (GBR)

Jeremy Humphrey (USA)

Fabian Alraun (GER)

Gerd Frick (ITA)

Adam Kovacs (HUN)

Stephan Wenk (SUI)

SCOTT Sports

The North Face® Transgrancanaria 2014 pre race and press conference images

Posted on February 28, 2014 by talkultra

Tension builds ahead of the 2014 The North Face® Transgrancanaria with runners arriving from all over the world to take part in the second race of the UTWT (Ultra Trail World Tour).

You can read an in depth race preview HERE

Important news from the last couple of days are key withdrawals from the ladies race; firstly Julia Bottger has decided that recent racing and training stress has left a niggling leg injury a disaster waiting to happen and so therefore has made the wise and cautious decision not to start. Nathalie Mauclair was without doubt a potential winner of this years race and unfortunately she too has withdrawn saying that she too has a niggling leg injury and that she doesn’t feel ready.

In the men’s race, Miguel Heras once again has picked up an injury in the build up to the race and his problematic injury issues continue. Will he be ready for Marathon des Sables?

The 125km The North Face® Transgrancanaria starts at midnight on Friday and images and updates will be provided on this website, Talk Ultra Facebook and @talkultra on Twitter as and when possible.

Thursday evening saw a presentation of some of the key athletes in this years race.

Stuart Air heads to Honk Kong for the MSIG Sai Kung 50

Posted on February 26, 2014 by talkultra

Stuart Air at Ice Trail Tarentaise ©iancorless.com

Brit, Stuart Air (Scott Running) heads to Hong Kong this weekend to participate in the MSIG Sai Kung 50. Stuart had an incredible 2013, new to Skyrunning, he performed exceptionally well at the very tough Andorra Ultra Trail, Ronda dels Cims with a 13th place. Stuart then followed this up with a top placing at Ice Trail Tarentaise against world class competition.

Not content with two tough races, Stuart placed himself on the start line of Tor des Geants. Placing well overall, Stuart set a fastest time for any Brit at the event.

Stuart’s participation at MSIG Sai Kung 50 starts 2014 on the right foot, arguably, Stuart has an incredible year ahead. Hardrock 100 awaits… yes, Stuart was extremely fortunate to be drawn out of the hat and will now line up against one of the most competitive fields ever assembled at the race.

Stuart very much considers himself an Alpinist; embracing the opportunity to go to the mountains, fast and light, Stuart loves vertical and technical terrain.

Coming from a relatively mild but wet UK winter, Stuart feels prepared for the challenge ahead, ‘Training has gone well in the Lake District and Wales’ Stuart said in an interview by Michael Maddess, ‘I have clocked up 60-70 miles and 4000m of vertical per week. The weather has been a challenge, but strong winds, rain and snow all help with the training.’

LINKS

Race website – HERE
Scott Running – HERE
ISF – HERE

Artista Dell’Immagine – Ian Corless. Triathlete Magazine, Italy

Posted on February 26, 2014 by talkultra

Many thanks to Silvana Lattanzio at Triathlete, Italy

Images

Brendan Davies (Team inov-8)

Kilian Jornet (Salomon International)

Robbie Britton fired up for Skyrunning debut

Posted on February 25, 2014 by talkultra

The new team inov-8 recruit has revelled in a phenomenal past 12 months and is now looking ahead to a 2014 calendar stacked with some of the world’s toughest ultra distance races.

Having smashed the course record at the recent 66-mile Pilgrims Challenge, Robbie is now preparing for his Skyrunning debut at Transvulcania La Palma the first race in the 2014 Skyrunner World Series.

In his first inov blog, 27-year-old Robbie writes:

“My 2014 season is underway and I’ve already snared two victories, including the two-day Pilgrims Challenge 66-miler on the North Downs Way. Four years ago the Pilgrims Challenge took me a total of 15 hours to complete, and the on the second day alone I was running for nine hours. This year I broke the course record, clocking a total time of 8 hrs 8 mins for the two days combined. Next up is Transvulcania, on the island of La Palma, one of the Canary Islands. This is the first race in the 2014 Skyrunner World Series calendar and all the world’s best ultra-distance mountain runners will be there. I have been to La Palma once before, taking in a few epic days in the mountains before setting off to sail the Atlantic in a boat built by a crazy old man advertising for crew on Gumtree! At 51 miles, Transvulcania is a little bit short for me but it has more ascent – there’s 2,000m in the first 11 miles – than the 24-hour stuff. I will go there, chuck myself in the mix and see what happens. I am always up for challenging myself. After that I have the World 24hr Running Championships. The target this year is a top-10 finish. I’m already feeling good about my chances as I feel fitter and stronger than I was last year. And what year would be complete without a trip to the Alps? The 103-mile TNF Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) was shortened due to awful weather conditions the last time I ventured to Chamonix in 2012, but the atmosphere of the race got into my blood and this year I will return. I can’t wait.”

In 2013, Robbie won the high-profile 2013 South Downs Way 100 miler in a new course record, ran at the World 24hr Running Championships and completed the gruelling 152-mile Spartathlon race in Greece.

Next month Robbie will attend inov-8’s 2014 UK and European athlete retreat, to be held in the Lake District.

39th Tyn Lon Volvo International Snowdon Race

Posted on February 25, 2014 by talkultra

The first batch of the 650 places for the Tyn Lon Volvo International Snowdon Race / Ras-yr-Wyddfa go on sale this Saturday March 1st at 00.01, as 200 runners who have previously run the race in the last 5 years will be able to apply for the event which takes place on the 19th July.

A further 450 runners will then be invited to apply from the 16th of March. Entries will once again be via a link on the race website www.snowdonrace.co.uk.

Race organiser Stephen Edwards, organising the event for the sixth year, stated:

“We are all set for the deluge of enquiries that will happen come Saturday. It will be the same procedure for entry that has taken place in the previous years, which we feel works well. Those 200 runners who will bag a place will have to have completed the event in the previous 5 years. The remaining 450 places go to the ‘open market’ a couple of weeks later, however those runners must also have experience of mountain running to be able to enter.”

Now in it’s 39th year the race is considered as one of the greatest in the world of mountain running, and attracts some of the best racers in Europe. With names such as Kenny Stuart, Fausto Bonzi, Carole Greenwood, Andi Jones, Ian Holmes and Angela Mudge on the role call of winners, this famous mountain really has been graced by some of the world’s great mountain runners. However, the event has grown over the last four decades to be one on the bucket-list of mere mortals, as just completing the 10-mile race from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon and back is something thousands aspire to, but only hundreds achieve, year-on-year.

Edwards contunues:

“As far as the race is concerned the anticipation and buzz surrounding the event gets better every year. All of our major sponsors and partners are on board and we have terrestrial television highlights confirmed once again for 2014. More importantly we really couldn’t put the race on without the continued support of the likes of Snowdon Mountain Railway, First Hydro and all of the Llanberis committee and community and I suppose that’s what makes this race so magical – it’s an international event, with a local feel, and long may that continue!”

For further race information visit www.snowdonrace.co.uk