Crowds supporting at a Skyrunning event copyright Ian Corless

The ISF announces the 2013 World Ranking Races with 50 races selected from 14 countries and four continents which, at the end of the season, will establish the world’s 100 élite athletes in the three disciplines:  Sky, Ultra and Vertical.

The ranking is based on a consolidated formula also used in other sports but for the first time, adapted to mountain courses.  The formula comprises an exclusive ISF algorithm, which also takes into consideration factors such as the number of élite athletes participating and the winners’ advantage over the other top finishers.

The three best results in each category are counted with a correction factor for races with at least five élite athletes from the current year’s ranking present.  The fifty 2013 ranked races are based on:

2013 World Race Ranking – Sky

Tom Owens behind ‘Hernando’ in the early stages of Zegama 2012 copyright Ian Corless

SKY – races more than 22 km and less than 50 km long with at least 1,300m positive vertical climb (SkyRace® and SkyMarathon®)

2013 World Race Ranking – Ultra

Tom Owens running a ridge at the stunning Trofeo Kima copyright Ian Corless

2013 World Race Ranking – Vertical

In January, the ISF published a first list of élite athletes based on the analysis of the results of the most significant races in 2012 in twelve countries in three continents.  At the end of the season the 2013 élite ranking will be published and, in 2014, the goal is to include one hundred races.

To give a global vision of who the world’s top athletes are, the ISF has devised a ranking system based on a number of variables including the number of élite athletes present at each event. In order to create a basis for 2013 for the Sky, Ultra and Vertical Kilometer® distances, a first list of élite athletes has been drawn up based on an analysis of the results of the most significant races in 2012 in twelve countries and three continents.From 2013 an exclusive algorithm will also be applied.  The 2013 ranking will be based on 50 selected races (20 Sky, 20 Ultra, 10 VK), with the aim of reaching 100 races in 2014.

The ISF 2013 World Ranking represents the first major step towards an instant panorama of the world’s top races and élite runners – an indispensable tool for athletes, organisers and sponsors alike.

ISF website http://www.skyrunning.com