The USM, Ultra Skymarathon Madeira – 55km of tough, challenging and mountain terrain to get over, the next race in the the Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series.
The 2018 edition was arguably the greatest field ever assembled at the USM with a who’s who of elite mountain runners. Heading up the men’s field was last years winner, Jonathan Albon. For the ladies, it was difficult to pick a favourite byut gut instinct said that either Emelie Forsberg on the recent IAU World Trail Champion, Ragna Debats, was the favourite.
Weaving up and down mountains, around beaches, through dense undergrowth, up a riverbed and of course plenty of climbing and descending, the USM course is a unique one – It’s not an ordinary Skyrunning course!
Experienced runners start a little slower for this race and Jonathan Albon and Ragna Debats did just that, placing themselves away from the first three over the early sections of the course, there is a reason…
The USM has a brutal start, just 1km to warm up and then a climb of 1400m. Light rain followed the runners over the early miles until they broke through the cloud – on the other side, blue skies and a different day.
A section of via ferrata at around 6km was followed by a little descending and a final push for the highest point of the day. Dmitry Mityaev from Russia was the first to arrive no doubt feeling confident after a great result at Transvulcania recently. Marco De Gasperi and Franco Colle followed and then Andre Jonsson and Jon Albon.
Emelie Forsberg lead the ladies to the summit and Mira Rai pursued with Ragna Debats a little further back. Emelie was on a mission and looked strong, Mira unfortunately was suffering with stomach issues and eventually had to ease off opening the doorway for Ragna to pursue Emelie. Behind Hillary Gerardi, Ekaterina Mityaev, Nuria Picas and many others followed.
Descending over the summit, the cloud inversion was clearly visible – the landscape awe-inspiring. It was quite special to see so many mountains and trails all above the cloud.
Running the ridges and several more climbing sections, the front of the race didn’t really change until they returned back to the coast. Franco Colle had dropped and now the men’s race had Dmitry leading Marco and Jonathan in 3rd- they were all close though. A descent to the sea was followed by a steep short climb and then another descent which was followed by a section of riverbed littered with boulders. Albon made his move, the obstacle course world champion was in his element and he pulled away from the other two with ease. Marco looked in trouble though and eventually he would ease back out of the top 5. Andre Jonsson though was revived, he moved from 4th and eventually would take a great 2nd ahead of the Russian and then Pau Capell and Dani Jung placed 4th and 5th.
Emelie lead through the riverbed but Ragna was close. With a tough climb to go, it was anyones race. Behind, Nuria Picas had moved from way back into 3rd and looked very strong. The battle at the front was intense and eventually Ragna opened a 1-min gap to finish ahead of Emelie.Nuria Picas would hold on for 3rd.
“USM is one of if not the hardest races out there, I loved it last year and I loved it this year.” said Albon. “It is a course made for me with my obstacle course racing background and it was nice to race today tactically and it alcove together!”
For Ragna, “Emelie pushed hard and really wanted the win, she never gave up trying and it was so tough to finally make a move. It is so pleasing to win against such incredible competition.”
The Santana Vertical Kilometer® (SVK), integrated in the Vertical Kilometer World Circuit, starts near the Vale da Lapa at an altitude of about 780m, in the heart of the Laurissilva forest, a Natural World Heritage Site of Mankind.
The entire course takes place within the Madeira Natural Park, inside protected ecosystems areas that are part of the Natura 2000 Network, an ecological network that has the objective to contribute for ensuring biodiversity through the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora in the European Union.
The final part of the route consists of a very technical and demanding climb that culminates in an emblematic point called Encumeada Alta (1785m), in the central mountain, from where you can enjoy superb panoramic landscapes on the highest peaks of the island.
The course has an extension of 4.8 kilometers with 1003m of positive gradient, where participants can contemplate the splendid and particular views of Madeira Island and feel what nature has of most beautiful.
The ladies race was won by Ruth Croft in 48:54 ahead of Elise Chabbey and Anna Frost, 49:07 and 52:56 respectively.
For the men, Romeu Gouveia beat the 2017 champion, Ferran Teixido, 42:30 to 42:40. Joan Marcelo was 3rd in 43:17.
Episode 147 of Talk Ultra brings you an interview with the amazing running nomad, Felix Weber. We also bring you a selection of interviews from the 2017 Everest Trail Race with Elisabet Barnes, Paul Allum, Becks Ferry, Sondre Amdahl and Ester Alves. We also have the Godfather of Trail, Kurt Decker, co-host the show.
*****
Talk Ultra is now on Tunein – just another way to make the show available for those who prefer not to use iTunes – HERE You can download the Tunein APP HERE
Talk Ultra needs your help!
We have set up a Patreon page and we are offering some great benefits for Patrons… you can even join us on the show! This is the easiest way to support Talk Ultra and help us continue to create!
Many thanks to our Patrons who have helped via PATREON
Tim Freriks and Ida Nilsson do the Transvulcania / TNF 50 double, In the ladies race, Clare Gallagher 2nd and Megan Kimmel 3rd, times 7:07, 7:12 and 7:19. For the men, Zach Miller and Hayden Hawks placed 2nd/ 3rd in 6:15 and 6:20 to Tim’s 6:02.
EVEREST TRAIL RACE
What a race! Sumun Kulung and Chhechee Sherpa took Nepali victories in a super competitive 6-day race through the Himalayas. Luis Alberto Hernando lead the race throughout until the last day…. Sondre Amdahl placed 3rd. For the ladies, Ester Alves and Elisabet Barnes placed 2nd and 3rd behind the Nepali. Full results and images HERE.
*****
00:22:11 Interview with ETR Participants – Elisabet Barnes, Sondre Amdahl, Ester Alves, Becks Ferry and Paul Allum
*****
JFK 50
Eric Senseman took a big win ahead of Michael Owen and Anthony Kunkel – 5:46, 6:03 and 6:05 respectively. Emily Torrence took the ladies top slot in 6:27 ahead of ~Jackie Merritt and Sabrina Little, 6:57 and 7:01.
Camille Herron
Wow, what a 100 at TunnelHill. New WR. 12:42:39
SKYRUN South Africa
Lucky Miya took the win in 12:58 ahead of Sange Sherpa and Christiaan Greyling. Tracey Campbell took the ladies top slot in 19:26 ahead of Misty Weyers and Kate Swarbeck.
Cat Bradleyset a new FKT in the Grand Canyon, rim-to-rim-to-rim in 7:52:20 and Alicia Vargo did a one-way crossing in 3:19:23.
Kelvin T Reid : Hi Ian, I want to ask you a favor. I was always my hope to run Western States. I run qualifying races but never got in. Travis McWhorter after following my story on Facebook he sent me is Western States buckle. I was hoping you could give him a shout out on your podcast.
Importantly, go to iTunes and subscribe so that you automatically get our show when it’s released we are also available on Stitcher for iOS, Android and Web Player and now Tunein.
Please support Talk Ultra by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/talkultra and THANKS to all our Patrons who support us. Rand Haley and Simon Darmody get a mention on the show here for ‘Becoming 100k Runners’ with a high-tier Patronage.
A little rain is never a great way to start a day, particularly when you have 55km of tough, challenging and mountain terrain to get over – the Ultra Skymarathon Madeira, the next race in the Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series started today at 0600 from the town of Santana.
Hillary Allen had flown in from USA and after placing 2nd last year was looking for some sun and the top rung on the podium. Obstacle racing world champion and Skyrunner Series World Champion for the Extreme distance Jon Albon, was looking for a little mud, colder temperatures and was more than happy with a little rain.
Weaving up and down mountains, around beaches, through dense undergrowth, up a riverbed and of course plenty of climbing and descending, the USM course is a unique one – It’s not an ordinary Skyrunning course!
The USM has a brutal start to the day, just 1km to warm up and then a climb of 1400m. Head torches illuminated the trail and light persistent rain followed the runners until they broke through the cloud – on the other side, blue skies and a different day.
A section of via ferrata at around 6km was followed by a little descending and a final push for the highest point of the day. Aurelien Dunand-Pallaz from France was the first to arrive and yes, it was somewhat of a surprise. He was closely followed by Russian Dimitry Mityaev and Jon Albon.
For the ladies, Hillary Allen was making her presence felt with a convincing lead of Ekaterina Mityaev and then Anna Frost followed some time later.
Descending over the summit, the cloud inversion was clearly visible – the landscape awe-inspiring. It was quite special to see so many mountains and trails all above the cloud.
Running the ridges and several more climbing sections, the front of the race didn’t change until they returned to the coast.
A descent to the sea was followed by a steep short climb and then another descent which was followed by a section of riverbed littered with boulders. Albon made his move, the obstacle course world champion was in his element and he pulled away from the Frenchman with ease. At first opening a slender gap but on the steep climb that followed, the Englishman who lives in Norway but the hammer down realizing a course record was possible. Albon crossed the line obliterating the old record of 6-hours 28-second setting a benchmark 5-hours 45-minutes.
Dunand-Pallaz held on for 2nd also breaking the old course record in 5-hours 55-minutes and Mityaev placed 3rd in 6-hours 7-minutes.
Allen’s wish came true – in the closing kilometers from the river bed, she extended her lead over the Russian and took top honors in 7-hours 4-minutes, her time just outside the course record.
Mityaev placed 2nd but looked exhausted and dehydrated when she crossed the line – a great weekend double for her! The previous day she had won the Santana Vertical Kilometer. Frost was expected next but news came in she had withdrawn on the beach section therefore opening the doorway for Catalan runner Eli Bertran. Mityaev and Bertran finished in 7-hours 34-minutes and 8-hours 35-minutes respectively.
‘USM is one of if not the hardest race I have ever done. It was relentless terrain of ups and downs, the variety is incredible and I loved the river bed section,” said Albon. ‘This race is up there with my all-time favourites. I will definitely be back!’
Attention now turns to Lugano next weekend were the Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series continues with the Scenic Trail K113.
Ferran Teixido (Andorra) and Ekaterina Mityaeva (Russia) took top honours at the Santana Vertical Kilometer® on the island of Madeira. The VK is part of the new 2017 Vertical Kilometer® World Circuit – an off-spin from the Skyrunner World Series.
Starting the Vale da Lapa at an altitude of 780m, in the heart of the Laurissilva forest, the 4.8km course goes all the way up, 1003m to be exact through the impressive Madeira Natural Park.
Departing at 1-minute intervals on the stroke of 0900, the runners pushed their legs and lungs to the max as they took on this impressive race – a first for the island of Madeira.
The final part of the route consisted of a technical and demanding climb that culminated with a short section of via ferratta before reaching the emblematic point Encumeada Alta at an altitude of 1785m. From the summit, incredible views all over the island are possible.
VK specialist Ferran Teixido was one of the last competitors to start and he completed the course first in 41:48 gaining valuable points for the Vertical Kilometer® World Circuit. Vitor Jesus and Romeu Gouveia placed 2nd and 3rd.
Regular Skyrunning competitor Ekaterina Mityaeva showed great form and strength winning the ladies race in 51:37 and Salomon International athlete Anna Frost was a surprise last minute entrant – she placed 3rd.
The 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series and the 2017 Vertical Kilometer® World Circuit progresses with two stunning races on the island of Madeira this coming weekend.
The SVK – Santana Vertical Kilometer®
The SVK (Santana Vertical Kilometer® ) covers a course 4.8km in length and a total vertical gain of 1003m and follows on from the most recent VK at Zegama-Aizkorri just last weekend where Stian Angermund-Vik and Laura Orgue took top honours.
The SVK takes place within the Madeira Natural Park, inside protected ecosystems areas that are part of the Natura 2000 Network – an ecological network that has the objective to contribute for ensuring biodiversity through the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora in the European Union. Starting near the Vale da Lapa at an altitude of about 780m, in the heart of the Laurissilva forest, a Natural World Heritage Site of Mankind, the course covers 4.8km. Participants can experience the amazing views of Madeira Island and feel nature at its most beautiful. The final part of the route consists of a very technical and demanding climb that culminates in an emblematic point called Encumeada Alta (1785m), in the central mountain, from where you can enjoy superb panoramic landscapes on the highest peaks of the island.
A total of 78 runners will take on this tough course with Saul Antonio Padua Rodriguez heading up the race. Other runners to watch are Ferran Teixido, Ekatarina Mityaeva, Anna Frost and more.
Runners depart at 1-minute intervals
The USM – Ultra Skymarathon Madeira®
The main event of the weekend is the USM (Ultra Skymarathon Madeira®) – a technical mountain race that consists of steep slopes and trails covering a distance of 55km and 4000m of vertical gain.
Comprised of passages which require technical climbing expertise of grade 2, stunning mountain scenery, mountains, sea cliff landscape plus the addition of an up river boulder hopping scramble; yes, the Ultra SkyMarathon Madeira is a unique race – It is no ordinary race and one that combines mixed elements in a wonderful natural playground.
“This place is incredible. The diversity of nature, the amount of vertical that you get immediately from the sea is breath-taking. The colour of the water is like nothing I have ever seen. I have stopped so many times to say “wow”! The organisers and community runners have made me feel at home already. I don’t want to ever leave…” – Anna Frost
The ladies race will have a tough battle with last years 2nd and 3rd place ladies, Hillary Allen and Anna Frost.
Add to the mix Elisabet Bertran Mesanes, Ekaterina Mityaeva, Eva Maria Moreda, Katarina Lovrantova and Laura Pratt Merino.
In the mens race it’s wide open, the hot favourite may well be 2016 Skyrunner World series Extreme Champion Jonathan Albon who will love the technical nature of the Madeira course. However, Italy’s Franco Colle will be tough competition along with Pere Aurell Bove, Dmityr Mityaeva, Nuno Silva, Roger Vinas and Xavier Teixido.
A full line-up of the start list can be viewed here.
Cristofer Clemente (6:00:28) and Gemma Arenas (6:59:51) took top honours in 2016, who will stand atop the podium in 2017?
The Madeira Ultra SkyMarathon®, now in its fourth year, embodies the sea-to sky concept that personifies Skyrunning.
******
The “2017 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series”
The 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series features 22 races in 11 countries and will reward the champions in the various categories a € 60,000 end of season prize purse.
The Chinese company Migu Run, the creator and owner of an advanced online and offline exercise and health management platform, has been announced as the new long-term title sponsor of the Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series beginning in 2017.
The Series is structured in three categories, Sky Classic, Sky Extreme and Sky Ultra, counting 22 races in 11 countries stretching from April to October.
The rapidly expanding appeal of climbing 1,000 metres sky-high has prompted the creation of this circuit to showcase some of the best races across the world – for starters, sixteen races in eight countries.
The circuit is a Skyrunner® World Series spin-off, launching with double the number of races. They include the world’s shortest and fastest races, the first and only triple VK, some 20-year-old classics and some exciting new ones. With the aim of expanding in the future, the number of races may be increased throughout the season.
Episode 122 of Talk Ultra and we have a 1 hour interview with Pete Kostelnick all about his amazing, record breaking run across the USA. Ryan Sandes talks Raid de la Reunion and Casey Morgan talks about Madeira’s EcoTrail Funchal and the Everest Trail Race. The show is co-hosted by my good buddy from the Twin Cities, Kurt Decker.
RUNNING BEYOND BOOK is now published and available worldwide HERE
I pledge to honor myself, competitors, sponsors, sport and society by choosing to stay clean of performance enhancing drugs. Choosing to not play by the rules steals from hard working athletes who choose to do the right thing and challenges the health and integrity of sport. I will be a positive example in the community as an advocate and ambassador for clean sport. I pledge that I have and will always train clean, compete clean and live clean.
I agree to be an outspoken advocate of clean sport
I agree to donate $25,000 to CSC charity partner if I ever test positive
*plus other pledges for brands, amateurs etc
Lanes of Change
Awareness
We are in this together. The more voices that speak in unity, the stronger we are.
Testing
It is time to intervene. Through our partners, we will support, aid and equip current drug testing regimes with the best and most updated tools and research.
Advocacy
We are a community with purpose. It is about the ecosystem of sport working together. We want it to be known that we support people over performances, and we celebrate honesty, integrity and transparency above all.
Restoration
We are human, and we all make mistakes. Together with our partners, we provide a safe place for those who have doped or spoke out against those that have.
IAU TRAIL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Luis Alberto Hernando 8:20
Nicolas Martin 8:30
Benoit Cori 8:30
Caroline Chaverot 9:39 – for me, THE ultra runner of the year!
Azara Garcia 9:44
Ragna Debats 9:47
VK FULLY
Nadir Maguet 30:17
Urban Zemmer 30:28
Marco Moletto 30:28 and Kilian Jornet 30:33
Christel Dewalle 35:57
Beatrice Delflorian 38:42
Serena Vittori 39:04
TEMPLIERS 76K
Miguel Heras (Spain). Now 41 years old, Heras turned back the clock with his second-straight win, adding to September victory at Ultra Pirineu. Here, Heras overtook Jared Hazen (U.S.) with some 6k to go to win in 6:45. Hazen used a mid-race surge to break things open and then held on for second in 6:49. Cedric Fleureton (France) was third in 6:56.
Jasmin Nunige (Switzerland) won Ultravasan for the second time, and went on to run 8:00 here for the win, improving on last year’s finish by four minutes. Yngvild Kaspersen (Norway) stepped up in distance and ran strong for a second-place 8:13. I Núria Picas (Spain), who had seesawed with Kaspersen throughout, was third in 8:22.
IAU 24 HOUR
Dan Lawson from the UK took out the win (Dan has placed 3rd at Badwater and 2nd at Spartathlon) with 162 miles – ouch! Ondrej Velicka 2nd with 160 miles.
Maria Jansson set a new European record 155.74 miles – ouch! Patricia Bereznowska was 2nd with 150 miles.
RAID DE LA REUNION
Francois d’Haene 23:44 that is 3 victories in 4 years
Antoine Guillon 24:15
Javi Dominguez 24:36 – who has had an incredible and consistent year
Andrea Huser 28:00
Juliette Blanchet 29:26
Emma Roca 30:10
00:50:00 INTERVIEW with RYAN SANDES
JAVELINA JUNDRED
Zach Bitter 13:30 beating Hal Koerner’s benchmark 13:47
Brett Sanborn 15:15
Ryan Kaiser 16:40
Dana Anderson 21:03
Adela Salt 21:32
Amy Rasor 22:17
Heather Anish Anderson sets new FKT for the 800 mile Arizona Trail – 19 days, 17 hours and 9 minutes
ECOTRAIL FUNCHAL MADEIRA
In the 80km race,Julien Chorier lead from the front and had a stunning day on the trails of Madeira. He arrived in Funchal looking strong.Casey Morgan placed 2nd just 6-minutes behind the Frenchman andJavi Bodaswas 3rd, 19-minutes later. For the ladies,Wasmes Wasmestook a conniving victory 14-minutes ahed ofNadia MeroniandSylvie Benechwas 3rd, 1-hour after 2nd place.
01:28:07 INTERVIEW with CASEY MORGAN
DAVE MACKEY – an amazing and inspiring story unfolds
On Monday, October 24, Pete Kostelnick broke the longstanding record for running across the U.S. Kostelnick linked the San Francisco and New York City Halls in 42 days, 6 hours, bettering a 1980 46-day, 8-hour record set by Frank Giannino, Jr. Other than a lone zero-mile day early in the run, Kostelnick knocked out 70-plus miles day after day.
HEADS UP – I will be in Nepal for the next two weeks so, I won’t be putting out a ‘normal’ show. However, I have something special lined up. As many of you will know, Adam Campbell had a near fatal climbing accident just 9 weeks ago. I am pleased to say the recovery and healing process is going well. I caught up with Adam and I discussed the whole process and what lessons we can all learn from this in a 1-hour special. Episode 123 of Talk Ultra will be published automatically on Friday October 18th with a simple introduction and close.
The second edition of the ECOTRAIL Funchal took place this past weekend on the stunning island of Madeira.
Portugal and Madeira has in recent years seen a real boom in trail and mountain running and the ECOTRAIL is quite unique in it’s approach of combining trail and city in one. The Funchal edition of the race is now one of six Ecotrail events, the other five – Brussels, Madrid, Paris, Oslo and Stockholm.
Four events, hundreds of runners and the community of Funchal united make the ECOTRAIL Funchal a real highlight in what is a very busy year for this island paradise that attracts tourists year round due to it’s excellent climate.
Jordi Saragossa traveled to Madeira to cover the race for iancorless.com
Starting in the early hours of the day, the 80km main event has a whopping 5400m of elevation gain that climbs up and down the technical trails within the Funchal region. Last year, the race was won by Arnaud Lejeune. Under the illumination of head lamps 100’s of runners set out for a tough day on the trails – Julien Chorier and Casey Morgan headed up a very strong field. Chorier moving up from the 40km distance which he won in 2015.
A weekend of racing, the 80km event is followed by the 40km event (171 runners) with 2500m of elevation gain, the 25km event (263 runners) and the 15km event (301 runners).
Madeira is known for it’s great all year climate but race day proved to be a mix of glorious sunshine, cloud and light rain. However, the conditions for runners were perfect enabling the majority to run in conditions that were neither to hot or cold.
Although Chorier and Morgan dominated the 80km event, the ECOTRAIL Funchal is much more than elite names racing and setting records. The race is all about motivation and inspiration. This was reflected in the 15km event which was by far the most popular event of the weekend, where local people arrived in their hundreds to take part and support.
80km Results
In the 80km race, Julien Chorier lead from the front and had a stunning day on the trails of Madeira. He arrived in Funchal looking strong. Casey Morgan placed 2nd just 6-minutes behind the Frenchman and Javi Bodas was 3rd, 19-minutes later. For the ladies, Wasmes Wasmed took a conniving victory 14-minutes ahed of Nadia Meroni and Sylvie Benech was 3rd, 1-hour after 2nd place.
“The race itself was great, I felt really strong all day. Julien put in a big attack on the second major climb and I had to let him go otherwise I was going to explode but I was pulling him back close to the summit but unfortunately missed a turn and added an extra km or so and never saw him again all day! A beautiful course with a lot of variety. Some really steep technical terrain but also some pretty smooth and fast sections. The weather was just as varied, wet and windy up high but sunny and very hot back in Funchal. A great weekend all round.” – Casey Morgan
In the 40km race, Gence Bertrand was 6-minutes clear of Olivier Morin with Francois Laurent placing 3rd – ‘very tough challenging and technical!’ Fanny Borgstrom was in her own race for the ladies’ finishing over 1-hour clear of Alice Sousa and Leau Sophie placing 3rd.
It was a close 1,2,3 for the men as they all finished within 7-minutes. Manuel Jesus took the tape first ahead of Nuno Pereira and Carlos Pereira finishing just 2-minutes later. Carla Leite was a conniving winner for the ladies’ with a 20-minute margin over Lulia Fuiorea and Susana Azevedo 3rd.
The 15km race was all about fun and in many scenarios it provided a first race opportunity for many locals. No doubt, they will be inspired to look ahead to 2017 and maybe move up to the 25 or 40km distances?
The race started by following the main streets of the town heading east and then up to Curral dos Rameiros and Monte. Following trails, technical at times they head to the 1800m summit at Pico do Arieiro and then drop like stones to Allegria (this is the 40km start).
Navigating through suburban streets a brutal uphill follows and then a descent to Ribeira Grande, Santo Antonio. At Levada Negra another steep climb awaits, unfortunately this is the nature of Madeira trails; they go up and down! From Pico de Buxo they drop downhill towards the sea and stunning views of Funchal. Following trails and paths they navigate to the finish in Funchal with a final stretch running along the coast and the finish in Avenida do Infante.
25km
Starts in the highlands of Santo Antonio and takes in the final sections of the 80km and 40km events to finish on the Avenida do Infante in Funchal. The race has 900m+.
15km
The shortest race of the Ecotrail Funchal – Madeira 2016, will start at Pico dos Barcelos, at 355 meters, the athletes will take a route mostly downhill, going past Levada do Curral, Levada do Castelejo and Levada dos Piornais.
The Ultra SkyMarathon Madeira #USM2016 athlete presentations took place today at the stunning hotel of Quinta do Furão followed with a traditional lunch in the gardens of the restaurant.
Importantly, 16 athletes have been selected for trackers during the race and you will be able to follow LIVE as the race unfolds using this link HERE.
The selected athletes are as follows:
Anna Frost, Ester Sofia Alves, Gemma Arenas, Kristina Pattison, Cometi Anna, Francesc Sole, Remigio Huamán, André Jonsson, Luís Fernandes, Nuno Silva, DimitriosTheodorakakos, Philipp Reiter and Cristofer Clemente Mora.
You can read a pre-race report HERE and find out more information on the official Skyrunning World Series website HERE.
Skyrunner® World Series 2016
Skyrunner® World Series is supported by Migu Xempower, Alpina Watches, Compressport, Salomon and Scott Sports.
iancorless.com is the official photographer and media partner for the Skyrunner®World Series Follow on:
Running and ultra running really is booming in Portugal. Carlos Sa and Ester Alves amongst others are paving the way. Madeira, an island in the Atlantic Ocean lies west and slightly south of mainland Portugal and it is an incredible natural landscape that cries out for challenging races. Madeira is of volcanic origin with extremely rugged topography, as such, it’s the perfect location for a Skyrunning race.
The USM is a technical mountain race which consists of steep slopes and trails covering a distance of 55km and 4000m of vertical gain. It is no ordinary race and one that combines mixed elements in a wonderful natural playground for the adventurous runner. Comprised of passages which require technical climbing expertise of grade 2, stunning mountain scenery, mountains, sea cliff landscape plus the addition of an up river boulder hopping scramble; yes, the Ultra SkyMarathon Madeira is a unique race.
Starting in the town of Santana, a northern municipality of Madeira Island,the runners soon head up a climb of 1400m to Encumeada Alta (1750m). Cloud inversion happens often here and suddenly runners can feel as though they are floating. In the distance as altitude changes, islands appear in and out amongst a sea of clouds.
“The views when the mist lifted were incredible,” said Ricky Lightfoot, 2015 champion. “It was almost as though I was running in another race.”
“‘USM is one of, if not the hardest race I have ever done,” said US based mountain runner Stevie Kremer. “The terrain is relentless and conditions underfoot just make it so much harder than others.”
For the first time, the island of Madeira, Portugal, will feature on the Skyrunner® World Series. The 55 km course with a brutal 4,000m vertical climb will welcome runners from across the globe up for the challenge.
Anna Frost, fresh from a 7th place at Transvulcania is just one of the competitors who loves skyrunning and island-hopping. Speaking to Lauri van Houten she says:
“This place is incredible. The diversity of nature, the amount of vertical that you get immediately from the sea is breath-taking. The colour of the water is like nothing I have ever seen. I have stopped so many times to say “wow”! The organisers and community runners have made me feel at home already. I don’t want to ever leave…”
Frosty will be joined by Americans Hillary Allen, who is looking strong after her 5th place in Transvulcania and Kristina Pattison who is now fit and fired up to compete in Madeira after a recent illness and a a late withdrawal from Transvulcania.
Strong competition will come from Spaniards Gemma Arenas (6th) and Anna Comet, who placed third overall last year in the SWS.
Cristofer Clemente from Spain, second on the 2015 SWS Ultra ranking and in last year’s race, is among the men’s favourites with new-entry Remigio Huaman from Peru who finished 7th at Transvulcania. The line-up includes Philipp Reiter from Germany who has been missing from racing for some time, Jan Bartas from the Czech Republic, Dimitrios Theodorakakos from Greece, Pau Bartolo as well as competitors from Japan Skyrunning.
Nuno Silva and Ester Alves, 2015 Portugal National Champions, will no doubt perform well on home ground after placing respectively 3rd and 2nd last year.
Notable absentees include Mira Rai with a stress fracture and Paul Hamilton who will sadly miss the whole season. Also, Alicia Shay and Chris Vargo are unable to race (they have had to return to the USA) even though they travelled to Madeira directly after two great runs in La Palma at Transvulcania Ultramarathon.
Other runners to watch out for:
Elisabet Bertran
Anna Strakova
Luis Fernandes
Martina Valmassoi
Franch Pons
André Jonsson
Rick Floyd
André Rodrigues
Hidenori Fukuda
Lucia Franco
Santiago Soria
Zuzana Urbancova
Tiago Silva
Hana Krajnik
Ron Braz
Sachiko Kotani
Albert Herrero
Yukari Fukuda
Mindaugas Grigas
The Madeira Ultra SkyMarathon®, now in its third year, perfectly embodies the sea-to sky concept pioneered by skyrunning – with some very technical stretches up to Grade II, and a via ferrata sections just below the island’s highest point at 1,861m altitude.
The 2016 Skyrunner® World Series is brought to you with a new management company, Geneva based SkyMan SA
SkyMan SA is pleased to present a new Main Partner, Migu Xempower, a Chinese exercise and health management platform which also counts a rich experience in organising marathons, city and mountain races for millions of runners.
The well-established, Sky, Ultra and Vertical format is joined by the Extreme Seriespresented by Alpina Watches, which more than ever expresses the true spirit of skyrunning defined not only by distance, but vertical climb and technical difficulty.
Skyrunner® World Series is supported by Migu Xempower, Alpina Watches, Compressport, Salomon and Scott Sports.
iancorless.com is the official photographer and media partner for the Skyrunner®World Series Follow on:
A descent to the sea was followed by a steep short climb and then another descent which was followed by a section of riverbed littered with boulders. Albon made his move, the obstacle course world champion was in his element and he pulled away from the Frenchman with ease. At first opening a slender gap but on the steep climb that followed, the Englishman who lives in Norway but the hammer down realizing a course record was possible. Albon crossed the line obliterating the old record of 6-hours 28-second setting a benchmark 5-hours 45-minutes.
Attention now turns to Lugano next weekend were the Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series continues with the Scenic Trail K113.
Add to the mix Elisabet Bertran Mesanes, Ekaterina Mityaeva, Eva Maria Moreda, Katarina Lovrantova and Laura Pratt Merino.
Frosty will be joined by Americans Hillary Allen, who is looking strong after her 5th place in Transvulcania and Kristina Pattison who is now fit and fired up to compete in Madeira after a recent illness and a a late withdrawal from Transvulcania.
Strong competition will come from Spaniards Gemma Arenas (6th) and Anna Comet, who placed third overall last year in the SWS.
iancorless.com - Photography, Writing, Talk Ultra Podcast 