Ultra Skymarathon Madeira 2016 Preview #USM – Skyrunner® World Series

Posted on June 2, 2016 by talkultra

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.

Course records: Ricky Lightfoot 6h09’56”. Stevie Kremer 7h33’37”

Anticipation mounts for Saturday’s race where the top runners can be followed with our new live tracking system.

Current Ultra Series ranking

Race details

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:

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SKYRUNNING 2016 CALENDAR announced

Posted on December 2, 2015 by talkultra

The International Skyrunning Federation (ISF) is pleased to announce the

2016 SKYRUNNER® WORLD SERIES

Taking Skyrunning to the next level with the best races, new events and what’s more, skyrunning is going EXTREME!

In addition to the successful Vertical, Sky and Ultra formats, the ISF is pleased to announce the introduction of the Sky Extreme Series. Three countries, three super-technical races and runners worldwide will have a real opportunity to embrace the skyrunning ethos.

“When I discovered Skyrunning years ago it was the images of small runners traversing huge glaciers, scrambling rock ridges and descending steep snow fields. I’m really happy to see this new Series, with the most technical races – the soul of skyrunning!” – Kilian Jornet

Sky Extreme kicks off on August 7, with the Tromsø SkyRace^® in Norway, where Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg launched the first, made-to-measure SkyRace in the Northern territories. The biennial Kima Trophy is back and the 2016 series will conclude with a new entry, the Glencoe Skyline. Set in the Scottish Highlands, it’s probably the toughest skyrunning race to date.

The Sky Series counts extends to 8 races in 6 countries and goes to Mainland China with the Yading Skyrun which opens the season in April. The highest race in the World Series, it reaches a breath-taking 4,700m altitude on the Tibetan Plateau in China’s spectacular Sichuan mountains.

More new races include the Livigno Outdoor Race Experience and Santa Caterina Vertical Kilometer^® in Sondrio, Italy, designed by the magic hand of top skyrunner Marco De Gasperi. Summiting the highest point in the Principality of Andorra, the SkyRace® Comapedrosa represents a true skyrunning challenge, reaching nearly 3,000m elevation. New entry from Portugal, the Ultra SkyMarathon® Madeira will offer a challenging and technical 55k to the island’s highest point.

An end of season prize purse to the value of €36,000 will reward the remarkable efforts of the athletes competing in the 2016 Series and the combined prize purse will be over €135,000.

“We’re glad we can give more back to the athletes. In this sport, the rewards don’t just come from touching the sky, but a tangible compensation for their incredible performance.”

– Marino Gicamoetti (ISF President and founder)

2016 SKYRUNNER^® WORLD SERIES

SKY

April 30 Yading Skyrun – 29 km, Sichuan – China

May 22 Maratòn Alpina Zegama-Aizkorri – 42 km, Zegama – Spain

June 26 Livigno Outdoor Race Experience – 30 km, Livigno – Italy

July 17 Dolomites SkyRace^® – 22 km, Canazei – Italy

July 31 SkyRace^® Comapedrosa, 22 km – Andorra

Aug 20 Matterhorn Ultraks 46K – Zermatt – Switzerland

Sept 4 The Rut 25K – Big Sky, Montana – USA

Oct 22 Limone Extreme SkyRace^® – 23 km, Limone Sul Garda – Italy

SKY EXTREME

August 7 Tromsø SkyRace^® – 50 km, Tromsø – Norway

August 28 Kima Ultra SkyMarathon^® – 50 km. Val Masino – Italy

Sept 18 Glen Coe Skyline- 53 km, Glen Coe – Scotland

VERTICAL

May 5 TVU Vertical – Tazacorte, La Palma – Spain

June 24 Santa Caterina Vertical Kilometer^® – Sondrio, Italy

July 10 Kilomètre Vertical Face De Bellevarde – Val d’Isère – France

July 15 Dolomites Vertical Kilometer^® – Canazei – Italy

August 5 Blamann Vertical – Tromsø – Norway

Sept 2 Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer^® – Montana – USA

Oct 21 Vertical Kilometer^® Grèste de la Mughéra – Limone Sul Garda -Italy

ULTRA

May 7 Transvulcania Ultramarathon – 75 km, La Palma – Spain

June 4 Ultra SkyMarathon^® Madeira – 55 km, Madeira – Portugal

July 10 High Trail Vanoise – 68K, Val d’Isère – France

Sept 4 The Rut 50K, Big Sky, Montana – USA

Sept 24 Ultra Pirineu – 110 km, Bagà – Spain

Skyrunner® World Series Ranking

Maximum number of results scored:

Sky Extreme: two best results

Ultra: three best results

Sky & Vertical: four best results

EcoTrail Funchal 2015 – Madeira

Posted on October 31, 2015 by talkultra

©iancorless.com_EcoTrailMadeira2015-5747

Arnaud Lejeune winning the 80km

The first edition of the ECOTRAIL Funchal took place today on the stunning island of Madeira.

For those who know, they will say, Madeira? wow, that is a hilly island for a race. I agree! It’s a very hilly island for a race.

Three events, 600+ people and community united are the key statistics from this inaugural edition.

Starting at 0600m the main event of the day, the 80km race (5400m of elevation gain) departed the centre of the town and under the illumination of head lamps the runners set out for what was without doubt a tough day and for many, night, on the trails of Funchal.

At 0900 the 40km event with 2500m of elevation gain departed from Algeria (Alegria) and finally at 1100, the 17km event with just 250m of vertical gain departed from Bico (PICO) de Barcelos.

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.

First edition races seldom have high quality fields but here in Madeira three world-class French runners toed the line:

Arnaud Lejeune – recent 2nd place at the Ultra Trail Mt Fuji

Julien Chorier – Champion of the Madeira Island Ultra Trail in 2014 and 6th at Western States in 2015.

Fabien Antolinos – 6th at UTMB 2015

Although Lejeune and Antolinus dominated the 80km event and Chorier won the 40km race, 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 17km event where local people arrived in their hundreds to take part and support

The race, the people and the island rely on tourism and without doubt, the ECOTRAIL race adds a great boost.

The 80km and 40km races

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.

17km

Starts from Pico de Barelo and takes in the final sections of the 80km and 40km events to finish on the Avenida do Infante in Funchal.

Race Results

In the 80km race, Arnaud Lejeune lead from the front and had a stunning day on the trails of Madeira. Despite a fall, he arrived in Funchal looking strong. Fabien Antoninus played the bridesmaid and as the latter stages of the race unfolded he obviously decided to take his foot of the gas and save some energy.

Arnaud Lejeune 8:30:09
Fabien Antoninus 8:49:46
Leonardo Diogo 9:51:17

Ana Conclaves was the ladies winner in 12:43:24

All 80km results are HERE

In the 40km race, Julien Chorier raced in 2nd place for most of the day behind Marco Silva but at around 34km, he pulled away and took a strong victory on a course that he said was, ‘very tough challenging and technical!’

Julien Chorier 4:29:55
Marco Silva 4:33:57
Virgilio Ornelas 4:46:07

All 40km results are HERE

The 17km 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 2016 and maybe move up to the 40km distance.

Marten Bostrom 59:36
Francisco Freitas 1:03:39
Jorge Pimenta 1:06:01

All 17km results HERE

At the time of writing results are slowly but surely coming in as all races have not finished. We will update this post with information as and when available.

You can check the ECOTRAIL Funchal website HERE

Registration and pre-race click on an image and view the gallery

The early hours click on an image and view the gallery

Race images 1 click on an image and view the gallery

Race images 2 click on an image and view the gallery

Finish 1 click on an image and view the gallery

Finish 2 click on an image and view the gallery

Episode 90 – Jurek on the #AT, Krar, Kimball, Ayre, Kremer

Posted on July 10, 2015 by talkultra

Episode 90 of Talk Ultra is playing catch up. Yes folks we missed a show… Speedgoat discusses Scott Jurek on the AT. We talk Western States and have an interview with Rob Krar. We have some Richtersveld Wildrun chat from South Africa with Nikki Kimball and Georgina Ayre. We also speak to Stevie Kremer on Ultra Skymarathon Madeira. Talk Training, the News and Niandi co-hosts.

Speedgoat discusses Scott Jurek’s AT attempt

NEWS

Help Nepal – Nepal images ‘FACES of NEPAL’ – order a print and all funds donated to Nepal charities https://iancorless.org/2015/04/28/nepal-appeal-nepalearthquake/

WSER

Magdalena Boulet 19:05:21
Kaci Lickteig 19:20:31
Stephanie Howe 19:32:58
Aliza Lapierre 19:43:22
Emma Roca 20:12:00
Nicole Studer 20:19:56
Sally McRae 20:27:33
Caroline Boller 21:44:11
Erika Lindland 21:47:25
Nikki Kimball 22:01:55

Rob Krar14:48:59
Seth Swanson15:17:28
Jared Hazen15:37:55
Gediminas Grinius15:40:55
Thomas Lorblanchet15:56:32
Julien Chorier16:34:43
Ian Sharman16:44:27
David Laney17:01:37
Andrew Tuckey17:19:17
Paul Terranova17:43:17

Mont-Blanc 80k

Alex Nichols 10:31
Franco Colle 11:03
Andy Symonds 11:04

Mira Rai 12:32
Anna Comet 12:54
Hillary Allen 13:11

FKT for Gary Robbins – In Washington on the 95-mile Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier, Gary Robbins ran 18:52 to cut just over two hours from Kyle Skaggs’s previous supported record, which had stood since 2006.

RICHTERSVELD WILDRUN

Thabang Madiba 13:55:38
Dayle Wheeler 15:16:24
Filippo Faralla 16:46:25

Katya Soggot 15:26:57 (3^rd overall)
Nikki Kimball 16:31:20 (4^th Overall)
Karoline Hanks 16:46:19 (5^th overall)

INTERVIEWS with Nikki Kimball and Georgina Ayre

USM – Ultra SkyMarathon Madeira

Stevie Kremer 7:33:373
Ester Alves 8:14:45
Lucia Franco 9:01:53.

Ricky Lightfoot 6:09:56
Clemente Mora 6:17:22
Nuno Silva 6:24:57

INTERVIEW with Stevie Kremer

Mount Marathon Alaska

Emelie Forsberg 47:48 new CR
Allison Ostrander 50:28
Christy Marvin 52:59

Kilian Jornet 41:48 new CR
Rickey Gates 42:56
Jim Shine 43:11

Hardrock 100 – preview HERE

TALK TRAINING

MARC LAITHWAITE (listen to Waterlogged w/ Tim Noakes HERE)

INTERVIEW

ROB KRAR

UP & COMING RACES

Australia

Queensland

3 Marathons in 3 Days | 126 kilometers | July 10, 2015 | website

Gold Coast Kokoda Challenge | 96 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Victoria

You Yangs 50K Trail Run | 50 kilometers | July 19, 2015 | website

Belgium

Wallonia

ASICS Xtrails – Red Bull Trail Sprinter Houffalize – 110 km | 110 kilometers | July 10, 2015 | website

ASICS Xtrails – Red Bull Trail Sprinter Houffalize – 77 km | 77 kilometers | July 10, 2015 | website

Bulgaria

65km Tryavna Ultra | 65 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Canada

Alberta

Sinister 7 Ultra | 100 miles | July 11, 2015 | website

British Columbia

Broken Goat 50K | 50 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Ontario

The North Face Endurance Challenge Ontario 50 Km | 50 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

The North Face Endurance Challenge Ontario 50 Mile | 50 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

Quebec

50 km | 50 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Finland

Lapland

NUTS Midnight Sun Trail Ultra 125 km | 125 kilometers | July 24, 2015 | website

France

Alpes-Maritimes

Neander-Trail | 50 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Corrèze

L’EDFi du Lac | 100 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Le Tour du Cardant | 65 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Finistère

100 km de Cléder | 100 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Gard

Grand trail Stevenson 126 km | 126 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Grand trail Stevenson 144 km | 144 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Grand trail Stevenson 179 km | 179 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Grand trail Stevenson 224 km | 224 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Grand trail Stevenson 55 km | 55 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Haute-Corse

Restonica Trail – 68 km | 68 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Ultra Trail di Corsica | 105 kilometers | July 10, 2015 | website

Haute-Garonne

Aneto 3404 | 60 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Haute-Savoie

L’intégrale | 77 kilometers | July 19, 2015 | website

Haut-Rhin

Trail du Pays Welche | 50 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Isère

Maratrail des Passerelles du Monteynard | 55 kilometers | July 19, 2015 | website

Jura

Un Tour en Terre du Jura – Jour 1 | 55 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Un Tour en Terre du Jura – Jour 2 | 55 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Un Tour en Terre du Jura – L’intégrale | 110 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Lozère

Grand trail Stevenson 110 km | 110 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Grand trail Stevenson 59 km | 59 kilometers | July 13, 2015 | website

Grand trail Stevenson 65 km | 65 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Grand trail de la Vallée d’Ossau | 73 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Savoie

Ice Trail Tarentaise Val d’Isère | 65 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Ultra Trail du Beaufortain | 105 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Germany

Rhineland-Palatinate

Bärenfels Ultra Trail | 64 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Greece

Kronion Ultra | 70 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Guadeloupe

Rèd Mammel | 50 kilometers | July 24, 2015 | website

Ultra Transkarukera | 120 kilometers | July 24, 2015 | website

Iceland

Laugavegur Ultra Marathon | 55 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

India

Jammu and Kashmir

ZENchallenge Ladakh – 100K | 100 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Ireland

Leinster

Stonemad Multi Stage Marathon – Day 1 Ultra Marathon | 62 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Stonemad Multi Stage Marathon – Day 2 Ultra Marathon | 55 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Italy

Piedmont

Grand Raid International du Cro-Magnon | 130 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Trail del Marguareis | 80 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Tre Rifugi Val Pellice Trail | 54 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol

Südtirol Ultra Skyrace – 121 km | 121 kilometers | July 24, 2015 | website

Südtirol Ultra Skyrace – 66 km | 66 kilometers | July 24, 2015 | website

Veneto

Asolo 100 km | 100 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Asolo 50 km | 50 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Japan

Oxfam Trailwalker Japan | 100 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Mauritius

Xtreme Dodo Trail | 50 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Poland

TriCity Trail 80+ | 80 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Portugal

Ultra-Trail Douro e Paiva 60km | 60 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Romania

Marathon 7500 Elite | 90 kilometers | July 17, 2015 | website

Russia

TransUral | 160 kilometers | July 15, 2015 | website

Slovakia

Nízkotatranská stíhačka | 100 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

South Africa

Rhodes Trail Run | 52 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Spain

Andalusia

Ultra Sierra Nevada | 103 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

USN Trail | 62 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Basque Country

Ehunmilak | 168 kilometers | July 10, 2015 | website

G2handiak | 88 kilometers | July 10, 2015 | website

Castile and León

Gredos Infinite Run – 120 km | 120 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Catalonia

BUFF® Epic Trail Aigüestortes – 105 km | 105 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Cadí Ultra Trail | 80 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Ultra Trail Valls d’Àneu | 92 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Sweden

Swedish Alpine Ultra | 107 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Switzerland

Berne

Eiger Ultra Trail E101 | 101 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Eiger Ultra Trail E51 | 51 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Valais

Trail Verbier St-Bernard – 110 km “La boucle” | 110 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Trail Verbier St-Bernard – 61 km “La traversée” | 61 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Turkey

Gökhan Türe Ultra | 90 kilometers | July 23, 2015 | website

Long Course | 75 kilometers | July 23, 2015 | website

Medium Course | 60 kilometers | July 23, 2015 | website

United Kingdom

Buckinghamshire

Chiltern Ultra Challenge “Intro” 50km Ultra | 50 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

East Riding of Yorkshire

The Montane Lakeland 100 | 100 miles | July 24, 2015 | website

Essex

Saffron Trail Ultra | 70 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

Glasgow City

Clyde Stride Ultra Marathon | 40 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

Hertfordshire

Fairlands Valley Challenge – 50km | 50 kilometers | July 19, 2015 | website

Kent

The 50 Mile Challenge | 52 miles | July 19, 2015 | website

North Yorkshire

Lyke Wake Race | 42 miles | July 11, 2015 | website

Oxfordshire

Race to the Stones | 100 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Scotland

Run the Blades | 50 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Shropshire

Wenlock Olympian Run | 50 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

Wenlock Olympian Walk | 50 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

Somerset

Ham & Lyme 100k | 100 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Ham & Lyme 50k | 50 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

USA

Arizona

Solemates’ CYA 100 | 100 miles | July 11, 2015 | website

California

CTR Lake Chabot Train Run 50 km (Jul) | 50 kilometers | July 19, 2015 | website

Golden Gate Trail Run 50 km (summer) | 50 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Mt. Disappointment 50K Endurance Run | 50 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Mt. Disappointment 50 Mile Endurance Run | 50 miles | July 11, 2015 | website

Northshore 50K Trail Run | 50 kilometers | July 19, 2015 | website

Pacifica 50 km | 50 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Rancho Canada del Oro and Calero Park 50K | 50 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Santa Barbara 100K | 100 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Santa Barbara 100 Mile | 101 miles | July 11, 2015 | website

Psycho Psummer 50K | 50 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Maine

Down East Sunrise Trail Team Relay | 102 miles | July 24, 2015 | website

Maryland

Rosaryville 50k Trail Runs | 50 kilometers | July 19, 2015 | website

Montana

Devil’s Backbone 50 Miles | 50 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

Thunderbolt Creek 50 Km | 50 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Nevada

Tahoe Rim Trail 100M | 100 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

Tahoe Rim Trail 50K | 50 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Tahoe Rim Trail 50M | 50 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

Oregon

50K | 50 kilometers | July 12, 2015 | website

Mt Hood Pacific Crest Trail Ultramarathon | 50 miles | July 11, 2015 | website

Relay | 69 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

South Carolina

Cremator 50 Mile Endurance Run | 50 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

Texas

El Scorcho | 50 kilometers | July 19, 2015 | website

Muleshoe Bend – 60k | 60 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Utah

Skyline Mountain 50 Trail Run | 50 miles | July 11, 2015 | website

Ultra Adventures Capitol Reef 100 Mile | 100 miles | July 10, 2015 | website

Ultra Adventures Capitol Reef 50K | 50 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Ultra Adventures Capitol Reef 50 Mile | 50 miles | July 11, 2015 | website

Vermont

Vermont 100k Endurance Race | 100 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Race | 100 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

Washington

Grey Rock 50K Trail Run | 50 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage | 190 miles | July 17, 2015 | website

Wild Woman Trail 50K | 50 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

Wisconsin

50K | 50 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

DWD Devil’s Lake 50K | 50 kilometers | July 11, 2015 | website

DWD Devil’s Lake 50M | 50 miles | July 11, 2015 | website

Hilloopy 100+ Relay | 100 miles | July 18, 2015 | website

Junkyard Dog 50K | 50 kilometers | July 18, 2015 | website

CLOSE

Show Links:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/talkultra/Episode_90_Krar_Kimball_Ayre_Kremer.mp3

ITunes http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/talk-ultra/id497318073

Libsyn – feed://talkultra.libsyn.com/rss

Website – talkultra.com

Ultra Skymarathon Madeira #USM2015 – Race Images and Summary

Posted on June 13, 2015 by talkultra

Images to purchase HERE

Waking up at 0400 to pouring rain is never a great way to start a day, particularly when you have 55km of tough, challenging and mountain terrain to get over. After a couple of recce runs in the days leading up to the race, it became very clear that the USM was going to offer a very tough challenge.

Stevie Kremer had flown in from Colorado and was praying for sun. Ricky Lightfoot and Aritz Egea are from Cumbria and the Basque country and ‘it always rains’ they told me, so no need to ask what they hoped for.

The USM course is a unique one. Weaving up and down mountains, around beaches, through dense undergrowth, up a riverbed and of course plenty of climbing and descending. It’s not your ordinary Skyrunning course!

Departing the start line at 0600 on the dot, the runners disappeared down a darkened lane with only head torches and rain for company. It was a brutal start to the day, just 1km to warm up and then a climb of 1400m.

Onwards and upwards the runners climbed and a section of via ferrata at around 6km provided a taster for the final push to the summit. It wasn’t easy going. The mist had come in and visibility was poor. Add to this constant rain and steep gradients.

Ricky Lightfoot and Zaid Ait Malek were the first to appear. The contrast between the two striking, Ricky is tall and well built and a fireman by trade. Zaid is Moroccan, small and probably only about 50kg in weight when completely wet through and wearing three layers of clothes.

They matched each other step-by-step. Minutes later, Aritz Egea appeared looking calm and relaxed in the wet and challenging conditions. With 90 minutes of the race elapsed, the main male contenders came thick and fast and with them, Stevie Kremer.

It was sometime before the 2^nd lady Ester Alves came into sight and the writing was on the wall. Stevie was going to need to crumble to loose this race. Descending over the summit, an inversion came in allowing the surrounding vistas to come clear. 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 a decisive phase around the 30km mark. Climbing from the sea and beach, Ricky Lightfoot continued to extend his lead looking strong. However, Zaid Ait Malek looked in trouble and Aritz Egea was closing. After 5km of ridge running and a technical descent, a riverbed with boulder hopping awaited.

Ricky was long gone but here Aritz moved ahead of Zaid. It looked like a decisive move but as we know, nothing is guaranteed in racing. Behind, Clemente Mora and Nuno Silva were coming to life. In particular Nuno, he ran over the boulders in the river like a man possessed.

But another long climb needed to be ascended and descended before the finish line and here the podium changed. Zaid was having trouble and feeling dizzy. His only option to ease off the pace providing a gateway to third. As Clemente and Nuno battled for 3^rd, Aritz exploded through a lack of calories and was forced to jog/ walk it into the finish. Seizing an opportunity, Clemente proved the stronger and finally pulled away from Nuno and they finished 6:17:22 and 6:24:57 respectively behind Rick Lightfoot’s new course record, 6:09:56.

Steve Kremer was almost in another race by the time the riverbed and the final climb came. However, she did say she wasn’t feeling great. This was the longest race she had ever run! It was academic, Stevie despite what she said ran into the finish looking strong in 7:33:37 almost 45 min ahead of 2^nd placed Ester Alves in 8:14:45. Lucia Franco took the final podium place in 9:01:53.

Post race, Stevie went on to say, ‘USM is one of if not the hardest race I have ever done. I think it is a much harder race than Zegama-Aizkorri. It was relentless terrain and the conditions just made it so much harder. Race organisation was brilliant and course marking superb. It was brilliant but so tough.”

By contrast, Ricky seemed relaxed after his run, ‘It was a great course and one that embodies Skyrunning exceptionally well. However, the first hour of the course is not designed for someone as tall as me! All those trees that needed to be crawled under; I was bent double,’ he said with a laugh. ‘Zaid is only tiny so he could just run. I felt like I was crawling. The views when the mist lifted were incredible. It was almost as though I was running in another race.’

The 2^nd edition of the Ultra Skymarathon Madeira has been a great success. Madeira is an amazing island with a tough and challenging course. The future looks bright for this new addition to the Skyrunning calendar.

Results:

Stevie Kremer 7:33:37
Ester Alves 8:14:45
Lucia Franco 9:01:53

Ricky Lightfoot 6:09:56
Clemente Mora 6:17:22
Nuno Silva 6:24:57

Ultra Skymarathon Madeira #USM2015 Pre Race

Posted on June 12, 2015 by talkultra

It’s the day before the 2015 Ultra Skymarathon Madeira and this morning we had a shake out on a couple of sections of the course with several of the top elite athletes including Stevie Kremer and Ricky Lightfoot.

Renowned for glorious sunshine, Madeira today showed us a very wet day. The rain poured and poured.

It seemed appropriate that the days short run concluded with a run up a riverbed that ultimately will be a very important section of the USM2015 race. Wet rocks that will require boulder hopping is never an easy prospect and this section of the course last 500m. It’s going to be tough.

To be honest, it doesn’t seem as though Madeira posses ant flat. You are either going up or down. Ricky Lightfoot, no stranger to tough and wet conditions said, ‘It’s going to be tough tomorrow. The climbs and descents we have passed over today were quite a challenge while running easy. Taking these sections while racing will be very different.’

Stevie Kremer had a typical beaming smile irrespective of the rain, ‘How did you guys run down that descent so quickly. That is one seriously tough drop!’ Looking at the boulder section, it would be fair to say that Stevie had a mixed look, ‘Oh boy, that section is going to be fun.’

Racing starts tomorrow at 0600 local time. You can read a pre race preview HERE.

Images and race updates will be posted on this website, Twitter @talkulta and on Instagram @iancorlessphotography

USM website is here