The Ice Trail Tarantaise (ITT) is unique. Its course is exclusively at high altitude (1850m alt min) which is the highest in Europe ( medium altitude and altitude max.) and secondly, by the Summit La Grande Motte which is located at 3653m above sea level making this the highest trail in Europe.
Fancy a challenge? Registration open soon HERE
You can view the official website HERE
Skyrunning website available HERE
Anton Krupicka talks about New Balance and his experiences of being in and around Barcelona for the Skyrunning Cavalls del Vent 2012
You Tube clip HERE
Presented by New Balance Spain
Tony expresses his gratitude for the opportunity to race the iconic Cavalls del Vent.
As Tony says “Kilian Jornet, Miguel Heras and Tofol Castanyer are the top mountain runners in the world…. ”
Tony placed second overall in the race behind Kilian Jornet. His fellow countryman Dakota Jones placed third.
2012 saw the ISF take running above the clouds to new heights. The vision of Marino Giacometti and Lauri Van Houten was fulfilled with the first event, the Transvulcania La Palma and this set the stage for an incredible year of racing. The inclusion of ultra distance races made some of the worlds greatest runners realise that Skyrunning had something new to offer. Tough, technical and gnarly courses at altitude with incredible competition.
With a season over and a new year ahead, we have great pleasure in releasing the 2013 calendar. Certainly from an ultra perspective the inclusion of the Ronda dels Cims in Andorra will set the stage for a battle ‘royal’ at the 100 mile distance. This course is renowned for its difficulty and altitude gain at 13,000m. As a season final, we have UROC (Ultra Race of Champions) in Colorado. At 100km this will provide an incredible closure to what I am sure will be the best Skyrunning year ever!
As you will know, I have had great pleasure to be at many of the events in 2012 and this will continue in 2013. I will be bringing you news, reports, articles, images, facebook posts and tweets as an exciting year above the clouds unfolds…
– new races, new format
Skyrunner® World Series celebrates 10 years!
November 30, 2012 Press release by Lauri Van Houten, ISF
It’s curtains up on the 2013 Skyrunner® World Series which celebrates ten years with some of the best and most exciting races across the world. The new Series is divided into three stand-alone circuits: Sky, Ultra and Vertical, each with their own titles and prizes – clean and simple!
The introduction of the ultra distance this year wrote a new page in skyrunning. The Series kicked off with the Transvulcania Ultramarathon on the Spanish island of La Palma, which saw probably the deepest field of world-class runners to date. The spectacular 83km course and 4,400m vertical climb will represent a major challenge to competitors in 2013 as once again the race opens the Ultra Series.
The success of the 2012 Ultra Series paved the way for our first 100-miler – the Ronda dels Cims. With a gruelling 13,000m-elevation gain, the race will take place on the longest day under the full moon crossing the entire Principality of Andorra.
The Speedgoat 50K will be back with top runners and a fast course reaching three passes at 3,400m altitude in Snowbird, Utah, USA.
Two favourite skyrunning locations from the past also make a comeback: Val d’Isère and Vail, Colorado. The Ice Trail Tarentaise, 65 km with 5,000m vertical climb, will test the best against the spectacular backdrop of the Rhône-Alpes Region, site of the ’92 Winter Olympics while Vail in Denver, Colorado, will host the Ultra Race of Champions “UROC” – the Ultra Series final. American and European legends will compete in this new 100 km race, very much at high altitude with four passes at 3,600m – a race of champions indeed.
Two of Europe’s most famous mountains feature in the Sky Series: the Mont-Blanc Marathon which will also host the KM Vertical in Chamonix the same weekend, and the new Matterhorn Ultraks, a fast, 46 km race in Zermatt, in the shadow of the world’s most famous peak will, without a doubt, attract top runners.
Spain’s long-standing testing ground of champions, the Maratòn Alpina Zegama-Aizkorri, launches the Sky Series and the popular Pikes Peak Marathon in Colorado USA, will again feature. To close, yet another new venue offers both a nocturnal Vertical and the Sky Series final: Skyrunning Xtreme, a short, steep technical race towering over Italy’s famous Lake Garda.
Russia’s Mount Elbrus Vertical Kilometer® launches the entire skyrunning season and the Vertical Series on May 7. Entirely over snow, the VK reaches an altitude of 3,450m, the world’s highest race of its kind. The Vertical Series continues with the Ribagorza Vertical Kilometer® on the site of the 2012 SkyGames® in Spain, followed by Greece’s Gerania Vertical Kilometer®, dominating the Corinthian Gulf.
See below for the full calendars in each Series.
Some numbers from the 2013 Skyrunner® World Series: nine new entries, two brand new races – 653m kilometres and 43,632 vertical climb – six races located in the world’s top ski resorts (Chamonix, Zermatt, Vallnord, Val d’Isère, Snowbird, Vail) – without a doubt some of the best places to run in summer…see you there!
Information
Ranking points
The three best results in each Series are scored in ranking. Ranking points in the final races of all three Series will be increased by 20%. Ranking points breakdown: 100-88-78-72-68-66-64-62-60-58-56-54-52-50 down to 2 points to 40th position for men and 15th position for women.
Legend
SKY – races more than 22 km and less than 50 km long with at least 1,300m positive vertical climb (SkyRace® and SkyMarathon®)
ULTRA – races over 50 km long that exceed the SkyMarathon® parameters (Ultra SkyMarathon®)
Contact:
Lauri van Houten, International Skyrunning Federation
Tel +39 335 8000061 lvanhouten@skyrunning.com
| Looking back over the 2012 skyrunning season, it was, to say the least, an intensive year. It was a year of major transition from the past format of main races and trials, to the introduction of the Ultra distance and separate circuits. The transition was complicated and not without difficulties but it paved the way for a completely revised 2013 format.
The season saw triumph and tragedy, great champions, bright young stars, new races and spectacular locations. At the beginning of the season in May, the introduction of the Ultra Series wrote a new page in skyrunning history. The Transvulcania Ultra Marathon not only perfectly embodied skyrunning’s “sea to sky” concept, but had probably the deepest field of world class runners to date, including American legends like Anton Krupicka, Geoff Roes, Rickey Gates, Mike Wolfe Joe Grant and 21year-old Dakota Jones who went on to win the race. Dakota, Tony and Joe came back for more…
The more gruelling courses typical of European skyrunning have almost surprisingly gone down well with the American runners, giving us the conviction to keep it “tough and technical“ rather than provide a watered-down version to appeal to a wider public – something to look forward to on the other side of the Atlantic next year together with a selection of the best that Europe has to offer…and our first 100-miler. The 2012 SkyMarathon® Ultra Series has represented the first and most important encounter among top European and American Ultra runners with a level so high that all the mens’ race records in the Series were broken! Legendary ultra runners competing in the Series (apart from those mentioned above) include: Kilian Jornet, Ikker Karera, Andy Symonds, Dawa Sherpa, Francois D’Haene, Erik Clavery, Seb Chaigneau and among the women: Nuria Picas, Anna Frost, Lizzy Hawker, Maud Gobert, Darcy Africa, and Nikki Kimball. Kilian Jornet the sport’s top star, yet again gave a command performance taking not only the World Series combined title, but also the Ultra Series title, totalling seven outright victories and two third positions in all three disciplines. 2011 World Series champion Luis Alberto Hernando placed second and Britain’s Tom Owens moved steadily up the ranking to take third position. Ultra Series’ runner-up was Andy Symonds and Germany’s Philipp Reiter placed third.
Nuria Picas has finally shown that talent and determination go a long way by winning some of the toughest races on the Series. She finished second after Forsberg in the World Series combined ranking and won the Ultra Series outright. Anna Frost, after a superb start at the Transvulcania Ultra, was plagued by injury throughout the season but fought tenaciously for a second position in the Ultra ranking where Forsberg placed third.
Alongside Forsberg, another star was born: 23 year-old Italian, Silvia Serafini who, like Forsberg, began skyrunning just this year, testing her skills in all three disciplines to climb to third position in the world ranking. Two world records highlighted the Vertical Kilometer® Series on the gruelling course in Fully, Switzerland with1,000 metres elevation gain over just 1.9 km distance. The men’s record of 30’42” set by Italian Urban Zemmer is just a short step from climbing at 2,000 metres per hour – upwards! French runner Christel Dewalle set the women’s record in 36’48”. Overall Vertical Kilometer® Series champions were Urban Zemmer and Spain’s Laura Orgué. In 2012, prize money amounting to €140,000 (including the Series’ final prizes) was awarded to 148 athletes. The figures are still small for the huge effort and incredible performances involved, but as the sport grows, prize money will do like-wise. Complimentary accommodation, travel subsidies and promotion are more ways that a top runner can benefit – and so will the sponsor. Major industry players are now investing in trail running and many brands have top runners and teams participating in the Series. See Team ranking Media coverage of skyrunning events reached new heights this year from print to websites, blogs and social media, to videos, podcasts and television on a global level. A big thanks goes to all those who followed the skyrunning heroes through thick and thin, in heat and cold and darkness, breaking news in real time and capturing high-flying emotions in images, text and videos. Look out for the 2013 Skyrunner® World Series calendar to be announced next week. We’ll be focussing on new events and personalities, a worldwide ranking for runners and races, regulations and safety issues as well as the announcement of the 2013 European and 2014 World Championships. |
Nice video here that captures the Skyrunning Cavalls del Vent 2012
It was an epic race in epic conditions. Kilian Jornet took the win ahead on on Tony Krupicka with Dakota Jones in third.
In the ladies race, local lady Nuria Picas ran an awesome race to win ahead of Anna Frost and Emelie Forsberg
| Zemmer and Orgué Vertical Champs |
 Italy’s Urban Zemmer triumphs in today’s Vertical Kilometer® Series final in Spain and adds the world champion title to his recent world record. Ladies’ race winner was Spain’s Blanca Maria Serranowhile Laura Orgué maintains the ranking leadership and the title.
Zemmer, fighting a virus, managed an excellent 35’46”, just 3’ more than his course record last year and well over his time set in Fully, Switzerland recently where he established the world record in 30’26” (over a shorter, artificial course). Second was Slovenian Nejc Kuhar 35’56’’, third, Italian Marco Facchinelli, 36’47’’ and fourth, France’s Didier Zago in 37’49’’. The women’s podium was all-Spanish: Blanca Maria Serrano 44’33’’, Alba Xandri, 46’53’’, Vanesa Ortega 47’00’’ with Britain’s Tessa Hill fourth in 49’41’’. Race favourite Silvia Leal was fifth – leaving Laura Orgué’s 2011 course record of 44’01” intact.
215 competitors scrambled up the rugged 3.65 km long course to the summit of the Puig Campana. Towering 1,208m above the famous Costa Blanca, the steeper inclines reach 35.5% gradient. Vertical Kilometer® Series Ranking Men 1. Urban Zemmer 2. Nejc Kuhar 3. Luis Alberto Hernando 4. Marco Facchinelli 5. Didier Zago
Women 1. Laura Orgué 2. Silvia Leal 3. Blanca Maria Serrano 4. Zhanna Vokueva 5. Alba Zandri With this final Skyrunner® World Series race, the 2012 season closes but stay with us for an overview of the year’s events and, above all, look out for the 2013 calendar out soon featuring all the best races…and some exciting surprises in store! |
After a light dusting of snow during the night, runners for the 18th edition of La Course des Templiers had the prospect of a very cold day on the trails.
With a temperature range of -3-4 deg and a very strong wind, cold was going to be a major issue. On the start line runners assembled dressed for cold weather and believe me, they got it! Although the ambient temperature rose above 0 deg’s the general feel was considerably colder.
Stirring music, red flares and the runners left Millau at 0515 for 70+ km’s on trails.
Prior to the race we had a stacked field of runners but due to a string of late season injuries, several key runners were unable to run. Notably Leadville 100 winner Thomas Lorblanchet and Philipp Reiter. UTMB winner, Francois d’Haene although carrying a knee problem decided to make the start however dropped early in the race.
In the ladies race the notable drop before the race was Francesca Canepa who had started the Endurance Trail (102k) on Friday and stopped midway. For some reason she had planned to run ‘both’ races over the weekend! Anna Frost had been injured since Cavalls del Vent and was 50/50 but after having a short test run the day before. She ‘taped’ her legs considerably prior to the start and like the true competitor she toed the line see how things would go… after all, she was joint leader with Nuria Picas of the Ultra Skyrunning series and ‘Templiers’ would decide the champion.
The Race
Maud Gobert from France had set the early pace but she had been caught by Nuria Picas and passed. Emelie Forsberg and Lizzy Hawker chased. Frosty unfortunately never felt right in the early stages and she told me after the race;
“it was so cold and I just wasn’t performing as I should, it was a tough decision but a correct decision to pull out at the 22k check point before I did more damage”
Maud Gobert and Emelie Forsberg set the early pace followed by Lizzy Hawker. Nuria running from behind, caught Lizzy and passed her and then pursued the front-runners. Once Nuria caught them she pulled away taking Emelie with her. One has to say that if anybody deserved the ‘Champion’ title it is Nuria… she has consistently performed well throughout 2012 not only in the ultra series but Skymarathon and Vertical K. Nuria eventually pulled away from Emelie leaving her being pursued by Maud and Lizzy.
Between 22k and 35k Lizzy caught and passed Maud. Emelie Forsberg now chasing Nuria was caught by Lizzy who rallied. With Nuria crossing the line as race winner with a comfortable margin of almost 10 minutes, a race really was coming together for the 2nd place. In the end it came down to a sprint finish with Emelie just pulling away from Lizzy to beat her by 9 seconds. Without doubt it was a ‘royal’ podium. Emelie was only recently crowned world Skyrunning champion at Kinabalu and Lizzy Hawker has just had a golden patch with three superb wins at the shortened UTMB, Run Rabbit Run 100 and Spartathlon.
The men’s race had a clear favourite with last year’s winner; Andy Symonds. However he had a race in front of him. Julien Rancon was an early protagonist and eventually forged ahead of the race with Fabien Antolinos, Miguel Heras and Andy Symonds in pursuit. Julien has had a very successful 2012 with 7 races and 7 victories but no race had been longer than 60k.
With just over 10k to go, Julien Rancon had a 45 seconds lead over Fabien Antolinos and 1 minute over Miguel Heras. As I waited at the finish news came in that Fabien Antolinos had dropped; a real shock at such a late stage of the race. This left the door open for Fabien Antolinos to surge away from Miguel Heras.
He crossed the line in an emotional state. Tears in his eyes… he had run Templiers only the previous year and placed 4th. This was a sweet victory. Miguel Heras placed 2nd just over 3 min later and put to bed a mixed season.
On the line Miguel said:
“I am happy with the placing. I ran a good race but Antolinos was better… It’s always nice to run well and todays course was very pleasurable”
Andy Symonds ran into the finish with a massive smile and took an opportunity to dive into a pool of mud just before the finish line much to the satisfaction of the ground. Andy has become very much a hero in France. His win last year at Templiers cemented this.
La Course des Templiers was the last race in the Ultra Skyrunning series and as such a final presentation was made. Kilian Jornet and Nuria Picas stood on the podium to receive the respective awards from ISF President Marino Giacometti. Two great champions!
Note:
To add to that magical ambiance, it helps to know that Nant was one of many points in a network of secret trails built by the Knights Templar, the monastic, international military order formed at the end of the First Crusade with the mandate of protecting Christian pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem. The Knights Templar, known for their architectural skills and fighting alongside Richard I were the first warrior monks and were prevalent in that part of France until their downfall in 1307.
The race route uses the secret paths of the Templars. It has included two long tunnels that had been used as shortcuts to beat enemies to strategic locations. The region has become a popular tourist attraction primarily due to the success of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.
Key points on the course are the old village of Peyreleau, Route Alleyral, St Jean des Balmes, Roquesaltes (a protected site and an usual stone structure with a protected arch), the old castle of Montmejan, old cobbled streets of La Roque Ste Marguerite and Massebiau that has an old bridge.
The course has key points on the course of difficulty:
Coverage for the 2012 ultra Skyrunning Les Templiers starts today with photos, tweets and facebook posts coming live from Millau.
Runners from around the world will arrive, register and prepare for Sunday’s race.
Race day coverage will start at approximately 4am and run all day. You can read a preview of the race HERE.
I will be covering key points of the race as follows:
Photographs will be tweeted live and uploaded to facebook as and when possible and images will be uploaded to my blog with a report and summary the evening after the race.
Please spread the word and encourage following the race. This is the final of the ultra World series. Kilian Jornet will be crowned champion but the ladies race is open… it’s going to be an exciting race!
A race preview from Skyrunning is available below:
The final of the Skyrunner® Ultra Series raises the curtains on the 72 k Course des Templiers in Millau, France on October 28 with a larger-than-life start-line that has become the hallmark of skyrunning events.
Sunday’s race will pit the world’s top runners against each other and particularly the women’s field is set for battle with stars like Anna Frost, Nuria Picasand Emelie Forsberg competing for the Ultra Champion title. Maud Gobert, last year’s winner, will not only have to deal with the top three ranked runners but will face heavy-duty competition from Lizzy Hawker, Silvia Serafini and Francesca Canepa. The men’s title has, to all effects, already gone to Kilian Jornet who boasts 300 points – unattainable even if Andy Symonds wins.
Andy Symonds is of course a firm favourite for a repeat performance and other British runners feature strongly as podium contenders: Tom Owens, ranked 3rd in the recent World Series final in Malaysia, will no doubt excel, while Terry Conway, forced to retire at the Ultra Cavalls del Vent, is ready for another shot at a big international event.
Spain’s Miguel Heras who, like Conway, was a victim to the weather at the last event, is a consistent top performer. Of the French runners competing in the Ultra Series, Francois d’Haene, fourth at Transvulcania and 6th here last year is joined by Greg Vollet, while sadly Thomas Lorblanchet, second last year, and three-times race winner, is injured.
The end of the long racing season is taking its toll and counts several other notable absentees which include American Dakota Jones, Germany’s Philipp Reiter and Italy’s Giuliano Cavallo. (See Ultra Series ranking)
Look out for Stephanie Jimenez (France) and Fulvio Dapit (Italy), a husband-and-wife team but respectively Salomon and La Sportiva on the racing scene. Both are recent Ultra “converts” who are expected to perform well in this incredibly deep field which also includes past race winner, Nepal’sDawa Sherpa, together with a long list of first-rate French runners.
With such a dazzling line-up let’s not forget all the 2,500 competitors who will face a total 3,200 metres of ascent and ascent along 73 kilometres together with a forecast of… zero temperatures. The steep rocky course along the secret paths of the Templars promises to close the season in the best possible way where everything can only be described as “ultra”.
The biennial Trofeo Kima is a jewel in the Skyrunning calendar. thanks to its spectacular mountain passes, brutal terrain and its ability to attract the best ultra runners in the world. Ian Corless reports from the cloud laden course and finds that it more than lives up to its reputation….
This article is available in Running Fitness dated November 2012. It also has a great article on Lizzy Hawker ‘The Queen of Ultras’
So many pictures… so little time!
Here is a selection of my favourite images to come out of the 2012 Cavalls del Vent part of the Ultra Skyrunnnig series.
Walking to the race start from our hotel, Frosty and Dakota relaxed with Kilian, Tony, Philipp and Terry behind.
The rush for the first corner in Baga
Kilian leading Tofol before Tofol retired
Dakota Jones running through the mist and rain at 2200m
Skyrunning is all about being above the cloud
Local hero and ladies winner, Nuria Picas
It was that cold Tony Krupicka wore a jacket with a hood!
Emelie Forsberg pushing hard in the early parts of the race
Dakota Jones
The day before the race, Kilian Jornet, Emelie Forsberg, Philipp Reiter and Terry Conway running to CP2 on the Cavalls del Vent course
The stunning scenery and views that we all missed on race day
Terry running on our day 1 recce
Emelie bouncing across the finish
Tony & Kilian on the finish line
Nuria triumphant
and finally a photo that sums up the sadness that we all felt, the day after the race when we all learned that during the night a female runner had passed away due to cardiac arrest induced via hypothermia. Our thoughts and best wishes go out the family.
It’s in the women’s field that the most rapid revolution lies however. Young, talented runners with no skyrunning history debut and rise to glory in just one season and, note, women are finishing in the top ten overall, closing the gender gap. Sweden’s Emelie Forsberg is one of these ladies. Twenty-five years-old, she ran her first skyrunning race just this year and in only one season conquered the World Series combined title in a field stacked with highly competitive Spanish runners like Nuria Picas, Blanca Maria Serrano and Nuria Dominguez.
IAN CORLESS 
