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.

Marco De Gasperi ©iancorless.com

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

Marco De Gasperi – Vertical Kilometer® Hints ‘n’ Tips

Posted on January 20, 2014 by talkultra

Marco De Gasperi is a legend of mountain and Skyrunning. At the age of 16 he gained special permission to climb Monte Rosa with ISF president, Marino Giacometti and a small group of like-minded adrenaline filled mountaineers. It was the birth of Skyrunning.

The rest his history, Marco has six-world titles and a list of victories from races all over the world. Today at 36-years old, Marco is still one of the few runners who can push Kilian Jornet all the way to the line. In 2013 he did just that with an incredible race at Mont-Blanc Marathon and once again at the Dolomites SkyRace.

Born in Bormio (in the Alps) a hub for skiing and short-track skating. Living at 1200m provided Marco with advantages, however, he only found his true vocation at the age of 10-years. Marco had tried to adapt to Skiing and Nordic Skiing but the reality was soon apparent; he just didn’t have the required size and bulk required to be competitive. The mountains beckoned; daily he would leave the town, climb a peak and return in the same day.

At 12-years old an encounter with Adriano Greco introduced him to the winter past time of ski mountaineering and running in the summer months. Adriano was very much a coach and guide for Marco. He was introduced to a new aspect of sport, a new discipline that was at its birth. In 1994, Marco ran his first Vertical Kilometer® on the slopes of the Matterhorn.

Marco’s knowledge is invaluable in regard to mountains and how to run them! I chatted to the ‘legend’ while he was helping to coach future stars of the sport on a training camp in Portugal

Do you do any specific training for a Vertical Kilometer®?

My season always includes mountain races and races with plenty of climbing, so, I like to devote myself with specific training in the gym to build strength. For example, I use leg extension, leg press and other exercises such as squats. I also do up and down reps on a large box (60cm high), this is great for strength and endurance. It is also important to apply yourself outside and of course finding a steep incline of 30% and running at a smooth and consistent pace is ideal; it’s difficult to run all the way but I always try.

The Vertical Kilometer® is very demanding and runners incorporate different techniques to reach the summit in the fastest and most efficient way. Hands-on-knees and ‘poles’ are two methods; do you have a preference?

Application very much depends on the individual needs and demands of each runner and the course. For example, you will find many VK specialists come from a Ski Mountaineering background and therefore they are very well adapted and practiced with the use of poles. Certainly, when slopes become much steeper, poles offer an advantage as they help balance the center of gravity and thus provide a more advantageous position. In principal though, I prefer to try and run!

Aerobically it is very easy to just ‘tip over the edge’ with a VK, do you have any special techniques in training to help to pace yourself?

You need to train and understand the muscular and mental aspects that are required to race a VK well. The correct pace is easy to find if your mind is prepared for the challenge ahead. Take long hills in training at an easy pace, try to keep running and enjoy the process have fun! If I don’t have the possibility to train on long steep hills I like to find a short hill that is steep and I do reps at a faster pace than racing… I walk back down to allow recovery and then repeat

Walking for many will be a key element of a successful VK. I am well aware that you will try to run as much as possible. However, do you practice walking?

Long and steep mountains are very difficult, it’s all about efficiency and yes, sometimes it is far more efficient to walk. It’s about balance; I run for as long as possible but a good climber knows when to switch to maintain rhythm and speed. You want to avoid building up too much lactic acid. I consider myself to be a good ‘walker’ and I am happy to switch as and when required. As for practice, no not really, just go out in the mountains and hike. It’s a perfect way to combine fun and training.

You have already mentioned indoor training and strength work. Have you ever trained on a treadmill and what about core and stability training?

Core and stability is very important, without doubt it provides benefits. Every week I do 3-4 sessions of five key exercises to work on this. In regard to a treadmill; it’s not the best way to train for a VK but maybe you have limited options? It can obviously be better than nothing. Just make sure you have it at an incline and work hard.

In regard to particular VK training, is it better to train on shorter or longer mountains; do you have a preference?

I have many years in the sport, in my opinion; I think that too many long mountains are not good for the specific demands of a VK. In particular, as a race approaches keep sessions in the 30-50 minute bracket.

Tricky question for you Marco, other than yourself (obviously) who do you regard to be the best runners at the VK distance?

You are very kind! I am going to split this. Urban Zemmer with poles, Berny Dermatteis without using poles and Valentina Belotti. I guess it comes as no surprise that these runners are all Italian but the records show that they have the fastest times.

Finally Marco, if you had to provide three invaluable tips for running a Vertical Kilometer® what would they be?

Do 6-7 reps 3 times on a trail that is not too steep, rest by walking down.
Make sure you have easier days between hard sessions
To race and perform well on race day, your legs must be very relaxed and recovered.

Marco De Gasperi is a true champion, not only on the trails and slopes of the mountains but also off them. A gentleman, professional and perfect ambassador for our sport, he gives of his time and experience freely.

As always, it’s a pleasure to speak and learn more about such a wonderful athlete. Thanks Marco!

SWS Vertical Kilometer® Calendar 2014

SPAIN: Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer® – May 8
FRANCE: VK Face de Bellevarde, Val d’Isère – July 11
ITALY: Dolomites Vertical Kilometer®, Canazei – July 18
USA: Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer® – September 12
ITALY: Vertical Grèste de la Mughéra, Limone sul Garda – October 10

Links:

Marco De Gasperi website HERE
Scott Running HERE
Forestale HERE
ISF HERE

Eirik Haugsnes joins inov-8

Posted on August 10, 2013 by talkultra

Prior to the Skyrunner World Series event in Chamonix, France, six weeks ago, Eirik Haugsnes was a relative unknown in the sport of athletic superhumans.

Two outstanding performances under the shadow of Mont Blanc, however, changed all that.

First the 32-year-old Norwegian, who lives in one of Europe’s most northerly outposts, far from the skyrunning hub, claimed the scalps of many top mountain runners when placing third in the brutal Mont Blanc Vertical Km race.

Less than 48 hours later Eirik was at it again, this time finishing fifth in the elite-stacked Mont Blanc Marathon, which sees athletes tackle over 2,500m of grueling mountain ascent.

Having never previously raced in the Alps or over the marathon distance, suddenly he found himself as one of the hottest properties in skyrunning.

It’s therefore no surprise to learn of inov-8’s delight at recruiting Eirik to their talented international team, beating off interest from rival brands in doing so.

“The weekend in Chamonix was an incredible one for me,” says Eirik, who wore inov-8’s X-Talon 190 shoes in the vertical km and Trailroc 245 footwear for the marathon.

“I’ve done a lot of uphill-only races in Norway over steep and technical terrain and knew the Mont Blanc Vertical Km would suit me.

“As a relative unknown I was given an early individual start time, while the guys expected to clock the fastest times set off later.

“I just went for it. I pushed hard right from the beginning and maintained that intensity all the way up the climb.

“To get the third fastest time (35:02) and be within 30 seconds of the winner (Saul Antonio Padua Rodriguez) was really pleasing.

“I wasn’t supposed to be doing the Mont Blanc Marathon two days later, but on the back of my result in the vertical km race I was offered a place.

“Again, I gave it absolutely everything in the race and maintained a really good pace. The last 10km, however, were really tough. My body was in pain but I pushed through it.

“It was my first race over the marathon distance so to clock 3:47:59 and finish fifth over such a tough course was great.

“I also did it without any support. I had no team on the course to help me and drank only what was at the aid stations.

“I noticed inov-8 had a big team in Chamonix and was really impressed to see five of their runners place in the top-10 men and women for the marathon.

“I have always loved the brand, its philosophy and their big ambitions, so to now join the inov-8 team is really exciting for me.”

Living in Finnsnes, Troms, Eirik was brought up on a diet of cross-country skiing and was one of the best juniors in Norway, recording many podium places in national competitions.

In 2002, he achieved a then-world record for the fastest time skiing unsupported across Greenland, enduring terrifying whiteouts on route – something he says has aided his mental toughness for mountain running.

Eirik began running just five years ago and has since become one of the best mountain exponents in Norway, where many races are uphill-only, featuring ascent of between 500m and 1,800m.

This year, prior to his Chamonix double-header, he finished fifth in two very different races – first the Empire State Building Run-up in New York, which he completed in 11 minutes and four seconds, and then the 83km Transgrancanaria ultra-marathon on the Spanish Island of Gran Canaria, for which he clocked 8:55:24.

“The Empire State Building Run-Up involves scaling 86 floors and 1,576 steps as quickly as possible,” he said.

“In the town where I live the tallest building I could find has five floors. I did a lot of repetitions of those five floors in training!

“Before Transgrancanaria the only off-road races I had done were uphill races in Norway, so it was a totally new experience for me to be competing both up and down big mountains.

“I also went there having only trained in the snow, which every year covers our town between November and May – I think I live closer to the North Pole than the Canary Islands!

“I was therefore happy to finish fifth on the hard-packed trails, especially as for the last 30km I was totally wasted and running on empty.”

The Matterhorn Ultraks is part of the Skyrunner World Series and will see athletes battle it out over a stunning course that includes 3,600m of ascent.

And as for being the new kid on the skyrunning block, he adds: “I rise to it. I think it gives me an advantage. There are no big expectations on my shoulders, except those I put on myself.

“I will continue to run for adventure and to challenge my limits.”

LINK:

inov-8 HERE

Zeagama-Aizkorri 2013 – Trail Magazin, Germany

Posted on August 4, 2013 by talkultra

The latest edition of Trail Magazin is available on line and can be downloaded for just 4€ from HERE

Transcript:

Zegama-Aizkorri

When asked about Zegama, Kilian Jornet replies, ‘It’s Zegama’. In other words, no explanation is needed. The word itself is enough. Zegama-Aizkorri is THE ultimate mountain race.

Located in the heart of the Aizkorri nature reserve, Zegama village is the hub for the Zegama-Aizkorri race. On July 7^th 2002 in conjunction with the Amezti Mountain Society, the Zegama-Aizkorri Alpine marathon was created, its main goal to promote and revitalize the Zegama region in terms of economics, culture and tourism.

The race is now one of the most prestigious alpine marathons in the world. It was the European Mountain Race Championship event in 2008 and is now a key race in the Skyrunning World Series.

At 42.195 kilometers it is a classic Sky marathon. The route has an accumulated height gain of 5472m over the Aratz massif and the Sierra of Aizkorri which includes the four highest peaks in the Basque Autonomous Region; Aratz, Aitzkorri, Akategi and Aitxuri at the highest point of the course at 1551m. Starting in the town of Zegama at 296m runners climb to Otzaurte at 652m. From here, following paths and mountain tracks with stunning natural beauty, participants are confronted with forest; rocky slopes, technical ridges and high grazing pasture land. It’s a tough and technical course. A capped field of 450 must cover the terrain within the eight hour cut off.

The Race

It is the race that many want to do… like London Marathon or an Ironman event; the race has far more demand than places available. The 2013 allocation of 450 participants saw over sixteen countries represented.

After several years of very wet and cold weather, a race day with good conditions could see the long-standing records of 3:54:18 by Rob Jebb in 2005 and 4:38:19 by two-time world champion, Emanuela Brizio set in 2009 challenged.

However, snow and rain in the days before race day ruled out ‘good conditions’ underfoot. As it happened, race day was a glorious, warm and sunny day. Maybe even a little too hot for some. As 450 eager participants departed from the start line, the early morning mist lifted and what lay ahead was a stunning day of mountain racing by the best in the world.

Kilian Jornet and Luis Alberto Hernando had placed one and two respectively at Transvulcania La Palma just two weeks earlier. Emelie Forsberg and Nuria Picas also had the same result on the island of La Palma, would we see a repeat in the Aizkorri nature reserve?

Last minute entrant, Marco De Gasperi dictated the early pace in the men’s race with Kilian Jornet and South African, AJ Calitz close on his heels. Marco, a world champion in his own right had been injured in the build up to Zegama and although he started the race, his long-term plan was always to pull out at halfway.

On the climb to Otzaurte Kilian and Marco had dropped AJ and pushed the pace. Hands on knees, bent double; they pushed from left leg to right leg at a relentless pace while all behind suffered. Pre race favorite, Luis Alberto Hernando running with ‘poles’ was minutes back.

Stevie Kremer from the US (now living in Italy) pushed hard in the early stages of the ladies race. She is the current long course world mountain running champion and although new to Skyrunning, she was not letting this daunt her. Stevie said post race, “I am new to Skyrunning and although I love to climb I was worried by the technical aspects of the descents, in particular the last descent which dropped from 1551m to the finish line. I wanted a time buffer!”

Behind Emelie Forsberg followed patiently. She looked calm, relaxed and focused. A surprise came from Nuria Picas. Nuria had placed second in 2012 at Zegama and was now lying in seventh place minutes behind the front of the race.

US runner, Dave James who is a USATF 100m champion had his first experience of a Sky Marathon, post race said, “The ridgeline I crawled over would make a great place for a trail if they would move some of those jagged rocks out of the way he laughed. Welcome to Skyrunning in Europe; an entirely different “sport” that combines the ascent and descents of the mountain in its purest form! Poles, hands on quads, people descending on their butts, knee-deep mud and power hiking! Was I at a mountain trek or a running event? Or was it a perfect mix of the two? The most historic off road race in the Basque Country, Zegama has it all, and for me is the toughest marathon in the world!”

As Marco dropped from the race, Kilian was left alone. He was running within himself. Enjoying the views, the blue skies, the incredible support.

“I drifted away a little,” said Kilian, “I was enjoying a wonderful day in the mountains and then suddenly I heard deep breathing. As I looked around I saw Luis Alberto Hernando, he had caught up with me along the ridgeline, and he was focused. I suddenly realized I had a race on my hands”.

Kilian was correct. Luis Alberto had the bit between his teeth and he was pushing harder than ever before… he wanted to move up from second and top the podium. If Kilian was going to win this race, he was going to have to earn it. From the final summit at Aitxuri the two dropped some 1300m on technical, twisty, muddy and very slippery terrain. Pushing each other to the limit they would alternate the lead. This race could come down to who makes a mistake!

With just a couple of kilometers to go, trail turned to road and Kilian made his move. He opened a small gap over Luis Alberto and at the line he had a handful of seconds to spare. It was an incredible finish and one that was reflected on the faces of both. Bent double, hands on knees they gulped for air. Each a spent force! They had raced hard and the best man had won

Behind, Tadie Pivk from Italy flew around the final bend, arms outstretched. He had made the podium.

The ladies race also reflected the excitement of the men’s race. Early leader Stevie Kremer was caught and passed by Transvulcania La Palma winner, Emelie Forsberg. Emelie was in her element, she just loves the mountains and you can see it reflected in her smile. Stevie was joined by teammate, Silvia Serafini and the two pursued as fast as they could.

Behind, Nuria Picas was having a stunning race, she moved up from eighth on the first climb to now catch Silvia and Stevie and go past them. As Stevie had predicted it was all going to come down to that final descent! Pushing the pace Silvia twisted an ankle and although not out of the race it hampered her ability to chase.

Emelie ultimately was a comfortable winner of the race. Nuria in the final meters of the finishing straight waved to the crowd and high fived… suddenly Stevie appeared! She had made up time on that final drop from the summit. Had Nuria been facing the wrong way, she may very well have lost second place. Nuria turned and ran for the line. It was close, so close that only three seconds separated Stevie and Nuria in the final results.

Zegama is without doubt a highlight of the mountain running racing calendar. The course and the crowd support are like a stage of the Tour de France. Although weather conditions were perfect for race day, underfoot was less than perfect. Despite this, Kilian missed the course record of 3:54:18 by only twenty seconds. The ladies record of 4:38:19 was very safe with almost 10 minutes to spare.

Race results

Men

1. Kilian Jornet (Salomon Santiveri) – 3h54’38”

2. Luis Alberto Hernando (Adidas) – 3h54’50”

3. Tadei Pivk (Crazy Idea) – 3h58’07”

Women

1. Emelie Forsberg (Salomon) – 4h48’12”

2. Nuria Picas (FEEC) – 4h49’55”

3. Stevie Kremer (Salomon Agisko) – 4h49’58”

Technical details:

DATE: 26th of May, 2013
START AND FINISH: Zegama ( Guipúzcoa ) –09:00 Start.
TOTAL LENGTH: 42.195 km.
CONTROL POINTS: 14
REFRESHMENT POINTS: 13
FLYING SPRINT: Aizkorri ( 22.58 km )
ACCUMULATED HEIGHT GAIN: 5.472 metres
MAXIMUM ALTITUDE: 1.551m Aitxurri
MINIMUM ALTITUDE: 296m Zegama.
TECHNICAL PERCENTAGE OF COURSE: 70% approx.
CLIMATE: Medium mountain, possibilities of intense heat, strong winds, fog or rain.
TIME LIMIT: 8 Hours
DIFFICULTY: Very high.
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 450

Episode 40 – De Gasperi, Jornet, Air, Forsberg

Posted on July 26, 2013 by talkultra

This is episode 40 of Talk Ultra and on this weeks show we have audio from Marco De Gasperi on the finish line at the Dolomites Skyrace. We have a chat with Kilian Jornet. We introduce a new regular addition to the show called ‘smilesandmiles’ with Emelie Forsberg. We have an interview with Brit, Stuart Air about his 13th placing at Ronda dels Cims and for one show only, Philipp Reiter is my co host!

00:13:20 NEWS

Hardrock 100

Sebastien Chaigneau – 24:25:50 (counterclockwise course record; old record, Karl Meltzer 24:38, 2009)
Troy Howard – 25:20:09
Scott Jaime – 26:38:43

1. Darcy Africa – 29:54:55
2. Darla Askew – 31:09:52
Betsy Nye – 36:46:42

Eiger Trail

Iker Karrera 11:38
Urs Jenzer 12:28
Konrad von Allmen 13:13

Francesca Canepa 16:18
KathrinZbinden 17:06
Helene Ogi 17:33

Dolomites VK

Kilian Jornet 32:43 – SPA – * new course record
Urban Zemmer 32:50 – ITA
Philip Gotsch 32:54 – IT

Antonella Confortola 41:02 – ITA
Emelie Forsberg 43:01 – SWE
Iva Milesova 43:09 – CZE

Dolomites Sky

1. JORNET KILIAN (ESP) SALOMON SANTIVERI – 2h00’11”

2. DE GASPERI MARCO (ITA) GS FORESTALE – 2h00’14”

3. PIVK TADEI (ITA) CRAZY IDEA – 2h04’10”

1. FORSBERG EMELIE (SWE) SALOMON 2h26’52”

2. SERAFINI SILVIA (ITA) SALOMON AGISKO – 2h36’55”

3. DOMINGUEZ NURIA (ESP) TEAM ESPANA – 2h37’41

00:28:31 – MARCO De GASPERI AUDIO from the Dolomites HERE

Ice Trail Tarentaise

1. Kilian Jornet (Salomon) 07:35:32 new course record
2. Francois D’Haene (Salomon) 07:40:13
3. Philipp Reiter (Salomon) 08:12:38

Ladies:

Emelie Forsberg (Salomon) 09:11:11 new course record (and 10th overall)
Christel Dewalle (Terre de Running) 10:08:58
Francesca Canepa (Team Montura/Vibram) 10:31:59

Badwater 135

Carlos Sa 24:38
Grant Maughan 24:53
Oswaldo Lopez 25:27

Catherine Todd 29:55
Pam Reed 30:39
Meredith Dolhare 32:52

Vermont 100 (Grand Slam)

Jason Lantz 15:23
Chad Ricklefs 15:26
Nick Clark 15:54
Ian Sharman 15:57 *

Larisa Dannis 18:38
Traci Falbo 19:13
Amy Rusiecki 19:53

Zoe Romano completes TDF route on foot and now is finishing off in Corsica – http://www.zoegoesrunning.com

00:44:25 – KILIAN JORNET audio HERE

01:01:36 – BLOGS

What makes us happy? Emelie Forsberg – http://emelieforsberg.com/what-makes-us-happy/

“Happiness is a basic foundation in my everyday life. For me there are many ways to experience the joy in the everyday life. It´s about finding the happiness no matter what daily situation you choose to be a part of. To be satisfied with what you are doing.”

01:02:37 – SMILES AND MILES with Emelie Forsberg

No Talk Training this week but we are introducing Emelie Forsberg’s new regular slot called, Smiles and Miles with Emelie Forsberg. Emelie will be talking about what makes her tick but also she is going to bring a much needed female element to the show, so, if you have a question or would like us to discuss a particular topic, please email Emelie at:

smilesandmiles@yahoo.com

This initial audio, like the rest of the show was recorded on location so apologies for the audio.

01:30:58 – INTERVIEW, Stuart Air

This week’s interview is with Brit, Stuart Air. Stuart entered the 177km Ronda dels Cims, arguably one of the toughest 100 milers out there. Not only did he complete it but he placed 13th. I caught up with him after Ronda and just before he toed the line for the Ice Trail Tarentaise. At Ice Trail he proved Ronda was no fluke by placing in the top 20.

02:03:27 – UP and Coming RACES

Australia

Queensland

Flinders Tour – 50 km | 50 kilometers | July 28, 2013 | website

Canada

Alberta

Canadian Death Race | 125 kilometers | August 03, 2013 | website

France

Haute-Corse

Via Romana – 62 km | 62 kilometers | July 28, 2013 | website

Jura

Le tour du lac | 57 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Tour du Lac de Vouglans | 71 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Loiret

L’Orleans-Océan | 410 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Savoie

Courchevel X Trail 54 km | 54 kilometers | August 04, 2013 | website

La 6000D | 65 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

TCT 50 | 50 kilometers | August 04, 2013 | website

Trail du Tour des Fiz | 63 kilometers | July 28, 2013 | website

Ultra 6000D | 110 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Germany

Bavaria

Chiemgauer 100 k Mountain Ultra Run | 100 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Chiemgauer 100 mi Mountain Ultra Run | 100 miles | July 27, 2013 | website

Chiemsee-Ultramarathon Juli | 108 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Brandenburg

Berliner MauerwegNachtlauf | 62 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Lower Saxony

STUNT 100 | 100 miles | August 03, 2013 | website

Iceland

RacingThePlanet: Iceland 2013 | 250 kilometers | August 04, 2013 | website

Russia

Elbrus Ultra Trail | 105 kilometers | August 01, 2013 | website

Spain

Aragon

2 Cara del Aneto | 69 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Vuelta al Aneto | 100 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Cantabria

UTPE – Ultra Trail Picos de Europa | 120 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Sweden

Stockholm Ultramarathon 100 km | 100 kilometers and 50km| August 03, 2013 | website

Switzerland

Grisons

Swiss Alpine Marathon K78 | 78 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

United Kingdom

England

Oxfam Trailwalker | 100 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

The 50 Mile Challenge | 52 miles | July 26, 2013 | website

The Montane Lakeland 100 | 100 miles | July 26, 2013 | website

The Montane Lakeland 50 | 50 miles | July 27, 2013 | website

Scotland

Devil o’ the Highlands Footrace | 43 miles | August 03, 2013 | website

USA

Alaska

Resurrection Pass 100 Mile Ultra Trail | 100 miles | August 09, 2013 | website

California

Angeles Crest 100 mile endurance run | 100 miles | August 03, 2013 | website

Colorado

Grand Mesa 100M | 100 miles – 50 miles and 37 miles | July 27, 2013 | website

Mountain Ultra | 220 kilometers | August 02, 2013 | website

Wild West Relay | 200 miles | August 02, 2013 | website

Idaho

Wild Idaho 50K Enrudance Run | 50 kilometers | August 03, 2013 | website

Wild Idaho 50M Enrudance Run | 50 miles | August 03, 2013 | website

Maine

Great Cranberry Island Ultra Marathon | 50 miles | July 27, 2013 | website

Maryland

Catoctin 50k Trail Run | 50 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Minnesota

Minnesota Voyageur Trail 50 Mile Run | 50 miles | July 27, 2013 | website

Ohio

Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run | 100 miles | July 27, 2013 | website

Pennsylvania

Viaduct Trail 150 Mile Ultramarathon | 150 miles – 100 miles and 50 miles | July 26, 2013 | website

South Carolina

Landsford Canal 50 K | 50 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Utah

Speed Goat 50K Ultra Marathon | 50 kilometers | July 27, 2013 | website

Virginia

Dahlgren Heritage Rail Trail 50 km | 50 kilometers | August 03, 2013 | website

Washington

White River 50 Mile Trail Run | 50 miles | July 27, 2013 | website

Wonderland Trail | 93 miles | August 02, 2013 | website

02:06:53 – CLOSE

02:11:49

LINKS:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/talkultra/Episode_40_-_Jornet_De_Gasperi_Air_Forsberg.mp3

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

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

Website – talkultra.com

Dolomites Skyrace RACE SUMMARY

Posted on July 22, 2013 by talkultra

Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg once again show incredible powers of recovery to win the ISF Skyrunning European Skyrace in the Dolomites, Canazei.

After placing first and second respectively in the Vertical Kilometer just forty eight hours previous, Kilian and Emelie excelled in the Skyrace. Emelie dominated the ladies event from start to finish but Kilian had a much tougher time. Racing his favourite sparring partner, Marco De Gasperi, they pushed each other over every meter of the Canazei course and in the end it was an explosive sprint from Kilian that provided the victory just three seconds clear of Marco.

Marco explained after the race, ‘we kept pushing, racing Kilian is always hard, he pulled away a little on the climb to Piz Boè but I always had him in sight. We had lots of snow that can provide an advantage when going downhill but can reduce pace when running on the flat or up. It was tough race!’.

I asked Kilian about racing Marco, “I was a little worried racing Marco. This race is only two hours and therefore would suit Marco. I expected him to push hard from the start and cause me some problems. I decided to run hard uphill but Marco remained in touch. The descent is long and technical and the opportunity to pull away was impossible. Ultimately it cam down to a sprint and I found that little extra.’

It was an epic battle, post race Marco was a little disappointed to once again repeat a second place behind Kilian just like at the Mont Blanc Marathon. Marco’s time will come once again. The pace at the front was so fast that Kilian and Marco both broke the old course record.

Interviews with Kilian Jornet and Marco De Gasperi are available on the next episode of Talk Ultra out on Friday.

Tadei Pivk arrived four minutes after the dynamic duo to take the third spot on the podium, a repeat of his performance at Zegama-Aizkorri. Ionut Zinca from Romania placed fourth and Alexis Sevennec fifth making it a truly varied European podium fitting of a European Championship with representation from Spain, Italy, Romania and France.

Tadei Pivk third place overall

Emelie Forsberg produced once again another stunning performance and dominated the ladies race. Her time of 2:26:52 was just fifty two seconds off her 2012 time and almost certainly, had Emelie had someone to push her during the race she could have broken the course record. The day after the race, relaxing in the Canazei sun she told me of her passion for running, the mountains and the sport. It is reflected in all she does. A true ambassador for the sport.

You can listen to Emelie’s new regular slot on Talk Ultra this coming Friday ‘Smiles and Miles with Emelie Forsberg. You can email questions to her here: smilesandmiles@yahoo.com

Silvia Serafini produced a stunning performance for Italy and moved her way up through the field for second place and a silver medal, ten minutes behind Emelie. Spain produced third and fourth places with Nuria Dominguez and Maite Maiora and Poland completed the top five with Dominika Wisniewska.

The Dolomites SkyRace® has for many years represented an ideal playground for the world’s top athletes. The steep technical course and spectacular panorama has runners coming back for more time and again. Today, 540 runners finished the race – the top 60 men within half an hour of the new course record. Fans of stats will also be pleased to hear that Kilian broke the male ascent record set by Augusti Roc and Emelie Forsberg broke the female descent record set by Angela Mudge.

A total of 23 European nations were ranked to date. Look out for the final race on July 27, when the Ultra distance will be disputed for the European title at the Trans D’Havet, Vicenza.

Italy leads the national ranking with 622 points, followed by Spain and France. Spain leads the medal count however, with two gold and a bronze, followed by Italy and Sweden. The final ranking will be confirmed after this weekends ultra at Trans D’Havet.

European Skyrunning Championship

Medal count

Spain – 2 gold / 1 bronze

Italy – 1 gold / 3 silver / 2 bronze

Sweden – 1 gold / 1 silver

Czech Republic – 1 bronze

National ranking

1. Italy – 622 points

2. Spain – 558 points

3. France – 480 points

4. Sweden – 380 points

5. Czech Republic – 216 points

Race results

Men

1. JORNET KILIAN (ESP) SALOMON SANTIVERI – 2h00’11”

2. DE GASPERI MARCO (ITA) GS FORESTALE – 2h00’14”

3. PIVK TADEI (ITA) CRAZY IDEA – 2h04’10”

4. ZINCA IONUT (ROU) VALETUDO SKYRUNNING – 2h07’26”

5. SEVENNEC ALEXIS (FRA) CRAZY IDEA – 2h07’58”

Women

1. FORSBERG EMELIE (SWE) SALOMON 2h26’52”

2. SERAFINI SILVIA (ITA) SALOMON AGISKO – 2h36’55”

3. DOMINGUEZ NURIA (ESP) TEAM ESPANA – 2h37’41

4. MAIORA MAITE (ESP) TEAM ESPANA – 2h37’58

5. WISNIEWSKA DOMINIKA (POL) – TEAM POLAND – 2h40’30”

Dolomites Skyrace – RACE IMAGES

Posted on July 21, 2013 by talkultra

Dolomites Skyrace IMAGES – Quick Selection

Posted on July 21, 2013 by talkultra

ISF

Skyrunning European Championships

Posted on July 16, 2013 by talkultra

The ice at Ice Trail Tarentaise hasn’t even melted and just 48 hours later we ae looking ahead to the third edition of the European Skyrunning Championships which start this coming Friday, the 19th. with the Vertical Kilometer®. The series of events will have seven world champions representing sixteen nations.

Please Note:

A course recce for Trans D’Havet will take place on Tuesday July 23rd and Wednesday July 24th. You can download a PDF document with information HERE

On July 25th at 1500 we will have an introduction to Skyrunning with Salomon athlete, Philipp Reiter. This will involve a ‘live’ interview followed with Q&A and then ISF President, Marino Giacometti and Dr Roi (Sky Doc) will provide a small talk and answer questions. Information available HERE

Schedule:

Vertical
Dolomites Vertical Kilometer®, Canazei, Trento, July 19
Sky
Dolomites SkyRace®, Canazei, Trento, July 21
Ultra
Trans d’Havet, 80k, Piovene R, Piccole Dolomiti, Vicenza – July 27

The Dolomites will again host two of the events in the three-year history of the Championships. The record on the unforgiving Vertical Kilometer® course just 2,1 km long, stands at 33’16” by world record holder Italian Urban Zemmer and Antonella Confortola in 39’13” back in 2008 when the course was inaugurated.

The classic Dolomites SkyRace® favoured by the world’s top runners offers a new challenge after record-breaking performances here this year by Kilian Jornet in 2h01’52”, and the three top women, Sweden’s Emelie Forsberg, American Kasie Enman and Spaniard Mireia Mirò – all under record time. Forsberg’s record stands at 2h26’00”. The challenging and often technical course represents one of the toughest proving grounds for the relatively short distance: 22 km but with 1,750m climb to the summit of the Piz Boè which, at 3,152m altitude, towers above the start and finish of the race in Canazei.

The much anticipated Ultra is embodied by the Trans d’Havet, a point to point 80 km long with 5,500m vertical climb traversing the Piccole Dolomiti in the Veneto Region. The route, technical in stretches, includes 6 km of tunnels dating back to the First World War, created by General D’Havet, to whose name the race is dedicated. At the launch this year, the men’s winning time was 10h58’44”, no doubt destined to fall with the top European runners participating here in 2013.

Participants

Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg will test their powers of recovery and just five days after impressive victories in what many are now considering an iconic Skyrunning race, the Ice Trail Tarentaise, they will toe the line for all three events in the European Championships.

It is going to be difficult to bet against them, certainly Kilian has the ability, powers of recovery and experience to top the podium in all three events. However, Luis Alberto Hernando has pushed Kilian close in three events already in 2013 and he will most certainly be keen to move one place on the podium higher.

Nuria Picas missed Ice Trail Tarentaise so that she could save all her energy for the ultra race, she desires the Euoropean Championship crown and keeping in mind Emelie Forsberg’s recent calendar and the fact that she will have participated in the VK and Sky race the weekend before, one has to say that Nuria may well be the favourite for the Trans d’Havet race.

Michel Lanne joint winner of the Mont Blanc Mrathon Ultra race will almost certainly be a hot favourite at Trans d’Havet along with an in-form Philipp Rieter who took third place at Ice Trail Tarentaise.

The Sky distance race will be extremely competitive, Nicola Golinelli (4^th Mont-Blanc Marathon) Florian Reichert (9th at Mont Blanc), Tadei Pivk (3rd at Zegama), Matheo Jaquemoud, Augusto Roc (three time world champion), Didier Zago and Dimitris Theodrakakos will go head-to-head for the title.

However, so will Kilian Jornet. On this course, I don’t see Kilian loosing, however today, 17th July, we have had confirmation that Kilian’s favourite sparring partner, Marco De Gasperi will toe the line. Not only is this great news for the race but it is great news for us. No doubt after the head-to-head battle at Mont Blanc we will see a repeat performance on the slopes os Canazei.

The ladies Sky race will be equally competitive with Emelie Forsberg, Celine Lafaye (2nd Mont Blanc), Maite Mayora Elizondo and Silvia Serafini as strong favourites. However, nobody will have an easy run with strong competiton coming from Zhanna Voueva, Laura Orgue, Stephanie Jiminez, Ragna Debats to name but a few.

Maite Mayora Elizondo at Haria Extreme

The Vertical at Canazei is regarded as one of the toughest. It is incredibly steep, to put this in perspective, even Kilian Jornet used ‘poles’ in 2012. Without doubt Kilian is a strong favourite but the men’s field has real quality and ‘VK’ specialists; Urban Zemmer will lead the charge for the title, closely followed by Marco Facchinelli, Tadei Pivk, Didier Zago, and Augusti Roc.

Antonella Confortola will be the hot favourite for the ladies. Emelie Fosberg will push hard but she is still learning in the VK as is Zhana Vokueva. Tessa Hill from the UK is slowly becoming a VK specialist and she stated at Mont Blanc that she was already seeing a progression from her 2012 form. The ever present Corinne Favre is always a contender, as is Laura Orgue. Sivia Serafini, Celine Lafaye, Maite Mayora Elizondo and Ragna Debats will double up with the Sky race and have every possibility to make the podium in both races.

Antonella Confortola

To date, the sixteen countries entered are: Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden.

The winning formula? Easy: the European Skyrunning Championships are open with individual titles at stake in each discipline. Ranking is based on the sum of the highest points scored in two out of three events. The national title is based on the score of the first three men and one woman in all three events.

Links:

Skyrunning HERE

Coverage and imagery will be provided by iancorless.com via Facebook Talk Ultra and Twitter

Mont Blanc Marathon and inov-8

Posted on July 8, 2013 by talkultra

Team inov-8 placed five athletes in the top-10 men and women at the 2013 Mont Blanc Marathon – a brutal Alpine route which included 2,511m of gruelling ascent and 1,490m of daredevil descent. Watch their story of exhaustion, elation and commitment.

Video by Dave MacFarlane (website)