TROFEO KIMA 2016 Race Preview – Skyrunner® Extreme Series

Posted on August 23, 2016 by talkultra

Extreme is personified with the imminent running of the 2016 Trofeo Kima. Tough, challenging, technical, inspirational. memorable… KIMA is not for everyone! For over 20-years this race has been the example provided to the world of what a Skyrunning race can be. The vision of Marino Giacometti was way ahead of its time, but now, the world is catching up. Two years ago saw the creation of the Tromso SkyRace by ‘Kima’ stars, Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg. Last year we witnessed the inaugural Glen Coe Skyline which incorporated elements of the other 2 races to create something quite unique for the UK.

In 2016, the three races combined to create a new challenge, the Sky Extreme Series – three races of which two must be completed to rank.

Kima covers 52km with 4200m of vertical gain and goes over 7 passes linked by refuges. Exposed crest, snow, ice, steep rocks, technical terrain and Via Feratta provides one of the ultimate challenges available.

The recent Tromso SkyRace set the stage for 2016 with stunning victories by two Brits, Tom Owens and Jasmin Paris. Paris will mis Kima due to prior race commitments but her presence is confirmed for Scotland. Owens by contrast follows up his purple patch of running (silver at the Skyrunning World Champs, victory at SkyRace Comapedrosa and victory in Tromso) by running in Kima, a place where he last raced in 2012 when he placed 2nd behind Kilian Jornet. On recent form, Owens is without doubt the men’s favourite. He has pushed his stamina recently with many events and quality training but he just seems to be getting stronger and stronger!

Jonathan Albon (UK) who won Tromso SkyRace ahead of Luis Alberto Hernando in 2015 and recently placed 2nd to Owens at the same race in 2016 has rejigged his racing plans and has decided that Kima is just too good too miss. He did say in his interview on Talk Ultra podcast (here) that he will use Kima as a learning curve but I still anticipate a top performance!

Whilst on a UK theme, it’s important to acknowledge how the Extreme Series has really captured the hearts, minds and yes, legs and lungs of the Brits, primarily due to a race on home soil. Donnie Campbell winner of the Lakes Sky Ultra, 3×3 and many other races will test himself on Italian soil. He knows the challenge is the next logical step in his progress as a Skyrunner. ~~Joe Symonds~~ (*not confirmed), brother of Andy Symonds and winner of the 2015 Glen Coe Skyline will also get his Extreme campaign underway! 2015 Dragons Back Race winner, Jim Mann will also join the Kima party along with Glen Coe Skyline RD, Shane Ohly.

Main contenders for overall victory will come thick and fast from a world class line-up of experienced Skyrunner’s who know how to push to the limit on the ultimate terrain.

Marco De Gasperi needs no introduction, the Italian was there in the beginning and still pioneers a true path in the sport.

Sota Ogawa made the podium in Tromso and no doubt he will bring guts and determination to the Italian mountains for a repeat performance.

Fulvio Dapit has raced Kima many times (6th in 2014), is arguably one of the most experienced Skyrunner’s on the start list and although he is unlikely to win the race, he will be in contention. However, he has become a new Dad recently; he may be tired!

Bhim Gurung won the inaugural Yading SkyRace which kicked off the 2016 Skyrunner World Series. Just this last weekend he raced at Matterhorn Ultraks where he finished 7th. Kima’s technical terrain will be a challenge for the Nepalese runner but not the altitude.

Eirik Haugsnes won the inaugural Tromso SkyRace and has performed consistently in technical and challenging races. A recent top-10 in Tromso once again shows he has the fitness for a repeat performance. *update 23rd August, Eirik has withdrawn from the race.

Alexis Sevennec is a runner who mixes ski mountaineering and Skyrunning seamlessly. An ever-present on the Skyrunning circuit, he has always run well at the Dolomites SkyRace and most recently at SkyRace Comapedrosa.

Manuel Merillas is a last minute entry to the race and after placing 2nd in 2014 behind Kilian Jornet, he is likely one of the hot favourites for a podium place. However, his results in 2016 have not been as impressive as in 2014 and 2015, maybe Kima will be a turning point?

Andre Jonsson was on fire early season and then had a couple of mixed races, particularly at the Dolomites SkyRace where he performed below expectation. At Ultra SkyMarathon Madeira, Jonsson dictated the pace from the start and looked set for a great victory only to crumble on the final climb. It’s all a learning curve and Kima will no doubt be a huge test but it’s one that he is happy to take on.

Florian Reichert has been racing on the Skyrunning circuit for years and has always been a consistent performer who has experienced Zegama, Transvulcania, Glen Coe and so many more races. He comes to Kima with experience and an understanding of the challenge ahead.

Philipp Reiter is racing less these days due to commitments working for Salomon, however, he always has a great level of fitness and the more technical the terrain, the happier he is. He showed this at Tromso recently. Philipp would be the first to say that podium is unlikely but he will be in and around the top 10.

Pablo Villa has raced a great deal at the moment, SkyRace Comapedrosa and just recently at Matterhorn Ultraks. Kima is a challenging race and Villa’s performance will depend on his powers of recovery.

Dani Garcia Gomez, Iban Letamendi, Paul Hamilton, Jan Bartas, Luca Carrara, Matt Cooper, Matt Lefort, Aaron Newell, Konrad Rawlik, Leo Viret, Situ Vives Bosch, Allan Spangler and Pieter Schaaps amongst others will also toe the line in what will be a very exciting men’s race.

The ladies race has recently been brought to life with the announcement that Emelie Forsberg will use Kima as her comeback race from a very serious injury and operation. At Tromso SkyRace, Forsberg tested her knee and fitness on the VK course and came away with a victory in a 3 up sprint for the line. The last time Forsberg raced in Kima it ended in tears; all set for what looked like to be a course record run when disaster struck with a navigation error and a huge loss of time. Chasing like a demon, Emelie pulled back places and eventually finished 2nd behind Kasie Enman. Having seen Emelie run in Tromso, I personally feel that we are going to see an on fire Forsberg on the mountain passes, the only 2 questions I will have and probably Emelie has: 1. How will the knee hold up? 2. How will Emelie’s endurance be for a 7-hour outing? If the answer the these two questions is positive, I think we will see Emelie win the race.

Emanuela Brizio won Kima in 2010, was 3rd in 2012 and 3rd in 2014. I have no reason to doubt that Emanuela will not be on the podium again, this year I think it will be 2nd but victory is a distinct possibility.

Ruth Croft had a great result at Transvulcania earlier this year and just won the 30km event at Matterhorn Ultraks. Kima will be a complete learning curve for Ruth, I doubt if she will have ever experienced a course that offers so much technical running.

Nuria Dominguez was 4th at Kima in 2014 and will no doubt be in the mix – a podium place is a distinct possibility,

Natalia Tomasiak was 4th lady at Tromso Skyrace and she can therefore handle the technical terrain and distance. Her finishing time though was over 60-minutes slower than race winner, Jasmin Paris. Therefore, it’s unlikely that Natalia can contest for the win but top-5 is possible.

Elizabeth Barker like Natalia ran Tromso and finished 7th. A top-10 is a possibility in Italy.

Zuzana Urbancova, Kristina Aluzaite, Elisabet Bertran Masenanes, Olga Lyjak, Tanya Pacheco, Kathrin Schambeck and Hana Krajnikova are all running and may well contest the top-10 or top-5 podium places.

Thanks to the support of our Partner Migu Xempower, Sponsor Alpina Watches and Official Pool Suppliers, Scott Running, Compressport and Salomon.

About Skyrunner® World Series
Skyrunning was founded in 1992 by Italian Marino Giacometti, President of the International Skyrunning Federation which sanctions the discipline worldwide and sports the tagline:
Less cloud. More sky.

The Skyrunner® World Series was launched in 2004 and has grown to represent the peak of outdoor running defined by altitude and technicality. In 2016, the Series, composed of four disciplines, features 23 races in 15 venues on three continents.

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Hernando, Jones and Olson for Transvulcania La Palma 2015

Posted on January 22, 2015 by talkultra

It’s only January and already the world of Skyrunning is hotting up with the announcement that 2014 Transvulcania La Palma champion and Skyrunning Ultra Distance World Champion, Luis Alberto Hernando will return to the island to defend his crown.

Luis Alberto Hernando had an incredible 2014 and his return to Transvulcania is eagerly anticipated. A true champion, the tough and challenging course is one that he relishes, however, Luis will not have things his own way!

Salomon Running new signing, Dakota Jones won the race in 2012 and he is back once again to test himself. Dakota raced in 2014 but had a disappointing race (his words) placing 10th. With a new team and definite plan to race theSkyrunner® World Series and Skyrunner® Continental Series, I think it is fair to say that the American will push Luis all the way to the line.

Timothy Olson loves the trails on the island of La Palma. In the past couple of years he has made the island his families home as he prepares meticulously for the race. Timothy is very clear, a podium place is a main objective. He came close in 2013 with 4th place and last year he placed 8th.

More athletes will be announced in the coming weeks and months as we all anticipate the 2015 Skyrunning Transvulcania La Palma.

Check out the Skyrunner® World Series calander HERE

Check out the Skyrunner® Continental Series 2015 HERE

Check out Skyrunning HERE

Transvulcania La Palma website HERE

Statement from ISF re Speedgoat 50k

Posted on July 31, 2012 by talkultra

Marino Giacometti, ISF President, in reply to the Speedgoat issue comments:

“It’s taken a while for us to get all the feedback together but here goes:

The ISF board conferred with the new Athletes Commission, ATRA and the organiser, Karl Meltzer and we came to the following decision:

Everyone concurs that runners must stay on the course. However, as things stand only guidelines exist in America. In this case there was no written regulation at Speedgoat – something Karl says he will include in the future.

On Kilian’s own admission he cut the course and ran by skyrunning rules. It seems that possibly some of the other runners did the same.

As a race on the World Series calendar, ISF rules state that organisers’ rules must be adhered to and in the case of a dispute ISF rules will prevail.

We respect the organiser’s difficult decision and will apply a 3 minute penalty* to Kilian which means he maintains first place in the race and consequently 100 points for the Ultra Series ranking. *Penalty (6.15 COMPETITOR’S RACE CONDUCT – a) Competitors must follow the course markings on sight, go through all the checkpoints…..) and (6.16.1 A penalty from three minutes to disqualification will be applied for: c) Not following the race course signage, voluntarily or otherwise…

We believe that it’s correct to assign the record to the second runner (Rickey) who ran the designated course. Whether Kilian gets the prize or not is exclusively up to the organiser and we already know that decision.

I’d like to add that the majority of skyrunning races worldwide (not just in Europe) take place in parks or protected areas and generally are capped for this reason – as well as for safety reasons of course. (The ISF rules (4.22) and (3.13) address these environmental issues).

Regarding the Pikes Peak precedent in 2004, the situation was different. The rules there state clearly no switchback cutting. The winner, Agustì Roc, was disqualified and given a 20 minute penalty which meant he dropped some places and received the relevant points for his final position.

Everyone we consulted agreed that there’s a need in the future for race organizers to publish clear, simple and written regulations and, with the new Athletes Commission, we’ll be reviewing ours as well!! A pre-race briefing should also be held to illustrate the regulations and the course to all the competitors. We’re actually working on standardizing this for all organizers, so it should be easier for everyone all round. Certainly it’s not easy to find a compromise but “rules are rules” and, as Anna Frost says “let’s keep it simple”!

Marino

Skyrunning South Africa – press release

Posted on May 25, 2012 by talkultra

South African trail running takes to the Sky official press release – 24nd May, 2012

In 1991, an Italian man by the name of Marino Giacometti (pictured left) introduced the world to a brand new concept of running. Traversing some of Europe’s highest peaks including Monta Rosa in northern Italy and Mont Blanc in France, Giacometti’s dream was to create a series of unique and challenging mountain running events that encapsulated the true meaning of “running in the clouds”. A few years later, and with the first high altitude trial hosted on the slopes of Mount Everest, Skyrunning was born.

Twenty years on, and as the interest in Skyrunning continues to grow at a rapid rate in both Europe and in North America, as well as in Asia and New Zealand, South
Africa begins a new chapter in the development of off-road running as this dynamic sport makes its way to our country’s mountain ranges.

In August 2011, the South African Skyrunning Association (SASA) was founded, becoming a voting member of the International Skyrunning Federation (ISF). As part of its mandate, SASA’s goals and objectives include helping with the ISF’s vision of growing and promoting the sport of Skyrunning on a global basis, introducing local South African runners to the idea of competing on a national Skyrunning circuit, and international runners to the opportunity of competing on South African soil.
So what is Skyrunning you ask? The ISF have introduced a unique criteria that defines a Skyrunning event. From specific cumulative altitude gain across the race route profile, to minimum and maximum elevations above sea level, Skyrunning events encompass a wide variety of mountain terrain. Comprising of events such as the Skymarathon®, Skyrace® and Vertical Kilomoeter®, as well as the newly introduced Skytrail, some 35 000 athletes world-wide enjoy National, European and World Series events. The Skygames®, which takes place every four years in the same year as the Olympics, also offers Skyrunners from around the world the opportunity to represent their country in a multi-disciplined format of mountain races.

As one of the primary objectives of SASA, its mandate includes identifying existing trail and mountain running events in South Africa that will be interested in hosting a national Skyrunning circuit event. Coupled with these existing events, the opportunity also lies in the introduction of new mountain running races as part of this national circuit, events that will continue to pioneer this new chapter in the county’s mountain running scene, all gaining recognition as official Skyrunning races. “There are many quality South African races which already exist and qualify to host a national circuit event,” says James Hallett, founder of SASA. “With a landscape that boasts some exceptional mountainous terrain, I feel that South Africa has the potential to become a world class Skyrunning destination.”

For the local runners, it’s an opportunity to join SASA as a registered Skyrunner®, allowing them to enter and compete in these various national circuit events to accumulate points, much like a Formula 1 driver would throughout a racing season, in the hopes of being crowned national Skyrunning Champion.

“We feel that the idea of competing on a national circuit will appeal to both elite athletes and regular runners alike, allowing them to challenge themselves and others each year. This will not detract from them being a regular trail runner, however with the added opportunity of being selected to represent South Africa at a Skyrunning World Series event, or even a Skygames®, it’s something that we feel will encourage runners to join, opening up many avenues for aspiring athletes wanting to perform on the world mountain running stage.” says Hallett.
South African Skyrunning Assocoiation

As part of SASA’s launch campaign, thanks to the ISF and funding from the organisers of one of Europe’s longest standing European Skyrunning Series races, the Sierre-Zinal Skymarathon®, a top South African athlete will be heading to Switzerland in August to compete in the 2011 event.

Linda Doke is one of South Africa’s most accomplished trail athletes, having performed exceptionally well at some of South Africa’s premier trail running events over the past 8 months including the 2011 Salomon Skyrun and 2012 ADDO Elephant Trail Run (victory in the women’s category for both races). Having also recently competed in her 16th Two Oceans Ultra-marathon, as well as having a solid training base behind her as she prepares for her 10th Comrades Marathon in June, SASA has selected Linda not only for her ability as a runner but also as a fitting ambassador to represent South African Skyrunning.

“I’m incredibly excited to have been selected to represent SASA at the Sierre-Zinal in August,” says Doke. “I’m sure that being a part of the Skyrunning World Series, the race will be very tough, as will all the seasoned alpine speedsters I’ll be competing against, so it’s a real privilege

to be a part of it. With the Skyrunning concept having taken Europe by storm, and through the formation of SASA, South Africa has a fantastic opportunity to showcase its most technically challenging trail and mountain races to the world.”

SASA will be hoping to announce the 2013 national Skyrunning circuit later this year, with negotiations having already begun with interested event organisers. Runners wishing to sign up as registered Skyrunners should keep their eyes on the official SASA website for more details as and when they break, including information about the events hosting the national circuit.

Should you wish to find out more about Skyrunning, please visit the SASA website or folllow our social media channels on Facebook and Twitter

You can also contact SASA by emailing skyrunningsa@gmail.com