Tag Archives: Skyrunner

Garmin Mourne Skyline MTR 2017 Race Preview

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The Skyrunning UK season concludes in Ireland this coming weekend with the Garmin Mourne Skyline MTR. What a year it has been! From the very first edition, the GMSMTR has sold out and demand continues to exceed places available. It’s a testament to the team behind the race.

The 2016 edition was won by Germain Grangier in a time of 3:49:39 and the ladies’ race was dominated by Jasmin Paris running 4:30:02. However, the ladies course record still stands with USA based runner and Salomon athlete, Stevie Kremer.

Ian Bailey, former course record holder at the Garmin Mourne Skyline MTR returns in 2017 and will not only be looking for victory but dipping under the 3:49:39 set by Grangier last year.

Skyrunning UK Series champions will be confirmed in Ireland. The battle is on for a male champion, Tim Campion-Smith is the odds-on favourite with a convincing 25-point lead. Jason Millward, Tomasso Migliuolo and Jonathan Palmer are in with a shout. Tim Campion-Smith will not run in Ireland, however, Jason Millward will! With a 20% bonus at stake for the final event, if Millward wins or places 2nd, he would leapfrog Campion-Smith for the 2017 overall title by dropping his lowest ranking points (9th at Ben Nevis Ultra) and replacing them with points from the Mourne Skyline MTR – 1st would provide 30 points, 2nd 26.4 points and *3rd would provide 22.8 points.

It is likely that Jonathan Palmer will move from equal 3rd to 3rd overall after the Mourne Skyline MTR. Of course, if Millward has a poor run and Palmer has a great run, this could change!

*3rd place would not be enough for overall victory, it would provide a total of 45.8 points to Campion-Smith’s 48-point tally.

The ladies race is wide open! Kirsty-Jane Birch currently leads the ranking with 11 points but it looks like she will not race in Ireland and therefore she will not have three qualifying races. This leaves the door open for 2nd placed Rebecca Morgan who has 5 points and will race at the Mourne – in many respects, she just needs to finish the race but a top-10 would guarantee overall victory.

As in previous editions, there is a wealth of talent toeing the line. Look out for:

Seamus Lynch, Jonathan Palmer, David Hicks, Barry Hartnett, Ryan Stewart and Shane Donnelly.

Linda O’Connor, Megan Wilson, Martsje Hell, Elizabeth Wheeler, Karina Jonina, Jacqueline Toal, Shileen O’Kane, Hazel McLaughlin and importantly Janne Geurts who placed 2nd at the V3K but this is only her 2nd Skyrunning UK race and therefore cannot qualify for the Series despite having the most points.

Owned by the National Trust, the Mourne Mountains are an area of outstanding beauty, it includes Slieve Donard (850m), the highest mountain in Northern Ireland and Ulster and as such it provides a perfect location for a mountain race.

Among the more famous features, the Mourne Wall is a key element of this region and a key aspect of the race. Comprised of forest path, fire roads, single track, granite trail and tough uneven broken fell, the race is a tough challenge. In just 35km the course has a brutal 3370m of ascent and no less than 9 peaks, the highest being Slieve Donard at 850m.

 

The coastal town of Newcastle hosts the start of the race and a short section of road leads into Donard Park via the promenade entrance and the ‘Granite Trail’ awaits for a long and relentless climb. Dundrum Bay is visible to the west, before a fast-downhill section to a climb of the stony and challenging Glen River Path to the Col between Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh.

At Hare’s Gap, the first major peak awaits, Slieve Bearnagh, first passing the North Tor before reaching the summit quickly followed with the technical ascent of Slieve Meelmore. The Mourne Wall becomes a key feature of the race and for the first time the runners follow its line for just 0.4km before veering right and descending towards The Mourne Way path.

Fofany Dam precludes the only road section of the course which leads to the Mourne Wall and the style between Ott and Slieve Loughshannagh. The climbs and summits come thick and fast now; Slieve Loughshannagh, Slieve Meelbeg and the course continues to follow the Mourne Wall leading to a repeated climb of the technical and challenging Slieve Meelmore, this time in the opposite direction. The toughest climb of the day follows, Slieve Bearnagh.

Passing around the North Tor it is downhill towards Hare’s Gap and a steep climb next to the Mourne Wall towards Slievenaglogh and Slieve Commedagh, Northern Ireland’s second highest mountain. It is ironic that Slieve Commedagh should lead into Slieve Donard and the highest point of the race. On a clear day, the views are magnificent out over the sea, inland towns and villages are visible and of course, the Mourne Mountains. From the summit, it’s all downhill to the finish via the rocky Glen River Path and a fire road that leads into Donard Park and the finish.

You can follow the race in words and images at iancorless.com and a race summary and image selection will be posted on skyrunninguk.com

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Limone Extreme 2017 Summary and Images – Migu Run Skyrunner World Series

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What an epic day in Italy!

The final race of the 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series turned out to be an epic day.

Young gun, Jan Margarit and Skyrunning legend Marco De Gasperi went head-to-head in a full-on battle as they climbed and descended in the mountains that back onto Lake Garda. It was Margarit who dictated the pace on the early climb while De Gasperi followed just a minute or so back with Aritz Egea and Peter Engdahl.

However, De Gasperi closed to Margarit and the duo ran side-by-side for much of the race pushing each other all the way beyond the 20km mark. The final descent is renowned for its punishing technical running and it was here that De Gasperi opened a small gap, reversing the result from Dolomites SkyRace earlier in the year when Margarit dropped the Italian on the final descent.

Needless to say, De Gasperi’s win on home soil not only is a popular one but it also confirms De Gasperi’s skill and perseverance in the sport. He won’t mind me saying but he is twice the age of Margarit. 

Young German runner, Stefan Knopf was around 10th place on the first climb but ran a stunning 2nd half of the race to take the final podium place ahead of Peter Engdahl.

For the ladies’ Ragna Debats laid it all on the line knowing that she could win the series with a 1st or 2nd place. On the first climb, she pushed and pushed with Laura Orgue hot on her heels. Michelle Maier followed and in 4th was the orienteering world champion, Tove Alexandersson.

As the race progressed, Debats went through a bad patch allowing Maier and Alexandersson in to the first and second slots. Despite pushing, Debats found it difficultl to find her rhythms and when she finally did it was too late, the other two had leaped ahead.

Alexandersson gave it everything and opened up a gap of 4-minutes over Maier. Pushing the pace, she took several tumbles on the final descent and as she crossed the line in Limone she collapsed – her legs cut, her feet bloody, her hands and arms damaged. It was a seriously gusty run and one that wiped her out completely. 

Maier finished 2nd and Debats 3rd.

The big question would come around who would win the series? In many respects, it was Laura Orgue’s to lose. Unfortunately, Orgue had a bad day, a very bad day for her and Sheila Aviles finished ahead of her and in the process, took the 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series title. 

Limone Extreme over the years has had many an epic battle, this year was no different.

It was a confirmation of experience and an introduction to new names and new faces. Marco De Gasperi and Sheila Aviles were crowned 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series champions and now as the Skyrunner season comes to an end, everyone looks ahead to 2018 and 2019 for a new era in Skyrunning.

Less Cloud, More Sky!

The COMBINED title was won by Jonathan Albon and Maite Maiora, the two most consistent athletes over all Skyrunning disciplines in the 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner World Series.

1 – Tove Alexandersson (SWE) 3h31’11”
2 – Michelle Maier (GER) 3h43’03”
3 – Ragna Debats (NED) 3h45’39”
4 – Holly Page (GBR) 3h51’46”
5 – Sheila Avilés Castaño (ESP) 3h54’20”

1 – Marco De Gasperi (ITA) 3h07’32”
2 – Jan Margarit Solé (ESP) 3h07’58”
3 – Stefan Knopf (GER) 3h10’51”
4 – Oriol Cardona Coll (ESP) 3h13’18”
5 – Petter Engdahl (SWE) 3h14’56”

THE FUTURE IN THE SKY – 2018 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series Announced

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Getting steep and getting high, the 2018 Skyrunner® World Series was announced today.

Since 1989 and the pioneering days of Marino Giacometti, Skyrunning has developed and grown into one of the most prestigious mountain running circuits in the world.

The catchphrase, Less Cloud, More Sky sums the sport up perfectly.

2018 brings a new circuit with old and familiar races but importantly the distances of SKY CLASSIC, ULTRA and EXTREME combine – SKY CLASSIC and SKY EXTRA.

The 2018 Season

China will kick-off the season with the Yading Skyrun in April.

May brings us two iconic races that over the years have become favorites for Skyrunner’s all over the world, Transvulcania and Zegama-Aizkorri.

June kicks-off with USM – Ultra SkyMarathon Madeira followed by TBC, Olympus Marathon (Greece).

Buff Epic 42km (Spain) is the first race in July closely followed by High Trail Vanoise (France) and the iconic Dolomites SkyRace (Italy) and Comapedrosa (Andorra).

Tromso SkyRace (Norway) is a stunning way to start August and the highly anticipated Trofeo Kima (Italy) returns (this race is every two years) on the same weekend as Matterhorn Ultraks (Switzerland).

The RUT 25km (USA) begins September and then Skyline Scotland will host the Glen Coe Skyline (Scotland) ahead of the Ultra Pirineu (Spain).

Pirin Ultra SkyRace (Bulgaria) kicks-off October and Limone Extreme (Italy) concludes the season once again in the mountains that back on to Lake Garda.

BONUS RACES

Each of the bonus races will award 50% extra points.

There will be three Sky Classic and two Sky Extra bonus races. 

Sky Classic

  1. Olympus Marathon
  2. SkyRace Comapedrosa
  3. Limone Extreme

Sky Extra

  1. Ultra SkyMarathon Madeira
  2. Trofeo Kima

RANKING

Sky Classic Ranking

The Sky Classic Ranking will take into account a maximum of the five best seasons’ results in this category.

Sky Extra Ranking (Extreme and Ultra Races)

The Sky Extra Ranking will take into account a maximum of the four best seasons’ results in this category.

Overall Ranking

The Overall Ranking will be the focus of the season and a foretaste of the single ranking that will apply from 2019.

All athletes scoring points in any race will enter the Overall Ranking.

The ranking will take into account a maximum of the best two results in each category.

BONUS POOL

The 2018 End of Season Bonus Pool will increase amount 66,000 EUR (in increase from 60’000 EUR in 2017). Men and Women will be equally rewarded and emphasis will be put on the Overall ranking. The breakdown will be as follows:

1st Place:

Sky Classic 5000 euro

Sky Extra 5000 euro

2nd Place:

Sky Classic 2500 euro

Sky Extra 2500 euro

3rd Place:

Sky Classic 1500 euro

Sky Extra 1500 euro

THE FUTURE IN THE SKY – 2019 VISION

The Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series in 2019 will continue within the footsteps pioneered by Giacometti, Meraldi and Brunod to establish itself as the premier circuit for mountain running worldwide.

Varied distances, varied terrain and locations all over the world.

As the running world continues to grow at a pace, the Skyrunner® World Series will look to set new standards in 2019.

  1. Races will not exceed 16-hours.
  2. Distances will be 22km to 66km.
  3. A SkyRace will be clarified by technicality, speed, intensity and extreme terrain.
  4. A race rating of 1 – 3 will based on the following:
  • Climbing difficulty.
  • Altitude reached.
  • Single vertical difference.
  • Snow fields and glaciers.

For example, Extreme races are 3.

THE BIG NEWS

A single ranking for 2019 to determine who is the best Skyrunner® in the world.

SEASON

The calendar will run April to October with a spread of races that will number 15-20 on different continents.

RACE STATUS

Four races in the season will be ‘SuperSky Races’ and will reward more points.

THE ‘KONA’ OF THE SKY

Ironman has its KONA and Skyrunning will have its THE SKY MASTERS – a race to end the season that will gather the best-of-the-best to race head-to-head at an iconic location.

PRIZE MONEY

Each SkyRace will have a price purse of 6000 euro.

 The end of season bonus pool will amount to 100.000 euro.

More details and information to follow

Limone Extreme 2017 Preview – Migu Run Skyrunner World Series

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The 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series draws to a conclusion on the stunning shores of Lake Garda for the Limone Extreme weekend of racing. The mountains that back onto this iconic location provide a wonderful playground to Friday’s VK (VK World Circuit) and Sunday’s Classic SkyRace.

It’s been a long season of Skyrunning all around the world. Recently, Jonathan Albon and Maite Maiora were crowned EXTREME champions in Scotland at the Skyline Scotland and at Ultra Pirineu, Ragna Debats and Luis Alberto Hernando were crowned champions for the ULTRA category.

This weekend in Limone we will have two champions crowned for the CLASSIC sky distance and in addition, we will have COMBINED champions. The combined champions having scored points in the 2017 season over different race distances.

Over the years, Limone Extreme has grown to be a pinnacle event on the calendar and as the last race of the Skyrunner World Series, it is often a crouch race for points, therefore, fast and aggressive racing is guaranteed over the 27km course with 2450m of vertical gain.

Marco De Gasperi will go head-to-head with Aritz Egea and young gun, Jan Margarit for the Sky Classic title, it is et to be an epic battle with nine out of the top ten male runners toeing the line.

Limone gives a 20% bonus, so, it’s all to fight for!

The ladies’ race may be even more exciting than the men’s, it is wide open! Ragna Debats has already won the Ultra title and she would need an incredible run in Limone to pull off the overall tittle – it is possible though! In reality, Laura Orgue is the favourite with a strong threet coming from Sheila Aviles. These two have fought each other in the mountains in 2017 and now it comes down to who will perform in Italy! Hillary Gerardi and Oihana Azkorbebeitia will also figure.

Joining the line-up for the SWS title is a host of world-class talent who will not only impact on the results of the race but they will more than likely impact on how the SWS points are allocated and therefore influencing who are the champions for 2017.

Remi Bonnet and Stian Angermund-Vik are likely winners of the race, Bonnet has won here in the past and Angermund-Vik has been unbeatable in 2017. Joining these two is Eugeni Gil. Hector Haines and Pascal Egli – all theree have had their fair share of podium places. Marc and Oscar Casal Mir, Kiril Nikolov, Eduard Hernandez and Julien Martinez round out the top contenders.

The combined titles are also at stake and here there is a very interesting prospect with Maite Maiora not racing and Ragna Debats toeing the line. Should Debats place first or second, she will take the title from Maiora. For the men, Jonathan Albon has an untouchable lead.

RUN the RUT Sky Ultra 50km 2017 Summary and Images – Migu Run Skyrunner World Series

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An incredible weekend of Skyrunning concluded at the RUT 50km in Montana today and Luis Alberto Hernando and Ragna Debats were crowned champions.

The RUT, part of the Migu Run Skyrunner World Series took place in the resort of Big Sky, Montana. One of the key races in the 2017 World Series and the only race in the USA along with it’s shorter 28km Sky Race.

The 0600 start was mild in comparison to others years and a 500m climb kicked off the race making sure everyone was going to get warm pretty quickly. The first 45-minutes were undertaken in darkness and then a most incredible sunrise welcomed a new day.

Covering 50km (31 miles) the race has 3040m of vertical gain and loss and there are sections of this course, including the ascent and traverse of Headwaters ridge, as well as the ascent and descent of Lone Peak, which are extremely steep and technical. This is a true mountain course!

To many a Skyrunner, that is a calling card for a full-on, adrenaline packed mountain running adventure. Containing 60% single-track, 25% dirt road and 15% off-trail, the RUT really did provide a spectacular race.

What transpired was a stunning day of racing. Luis Alberto Hernando from Spain was head and shoulders above the competition running early on with Scott Patterson from Alaska but after the traverse of Headwaters Ridge he put the hammer down and left the completion fighting for 2nd. On the climb to Lone Peak, Hernando pushed and pushed, occasionally stopping to look to see how much gap he was opening up, by the summit it was over 10-minutes.

Patterson followed looking consistently strong ahead of a fragmented chasing group – the course, altitude and heat was really having an impact! So much so that the Alaskan faltered and a strong Morgan Elliott moved up from 4th after Lone Peak summit and into 2nd. He held this place all the way to the line crossing in 5:24 to Hernando’s 5:10.

Patterson somehow held on for 3rd but at the line he was shell of his former self. Dehydration took its toll and as he approached the line his legs gave way resulting in him crawling across the line to round out the podium in 5:33.

In the ladies, Ragna Debats followed on her incredible form to take a strong victory. She looked calm and relaxed throughout the day and post race she acknowledged how much she had loved the race, “It was an incredible day, I was looking around and relaxing but I was a little complacent. At the summit of Lone Peak I was caught by the 2nd lady and I had to put the hammer down to win the race.” Not only did she win but in the process set a new course record 6:13.

Continuing to show incredible promise, Brittany Peterson followed Debats all the way to the line. She had looked strong throughout the day, at the finish she looked as though she had energy to spare. Her time 6:18 allowing her a 20-minute margin over Kristina Pattison who placed 3rd in 6:42

  1. Ragna Debats (NED) 6:13
  2. Brittany Peterson (USA) 6:18
  3. Kristina Pattison (USA) 6:42
  4. Anna Dalton (USA) 6:43
  5. Phoebe Novello (USA) 7:42

 

  1. Luis Alberto Hernando (ESP) 5:10’
  2. Morgan Elliott (USA) 5:24’
  3. Scott Patterson (USA) 5:33’
  4. Pere Aurell Bove (ESP) 5:39’
  5. Chad Trammell (USA) 5:43’

RUN the RUT 2017 Race Preview

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3-days, 3 races and 3 incredible experiences, Big Sky Montana hosts the Run the Rut weekend of racing. If ever a race weekend existed that should combine with a holiday experience, this is it, Big sky is located between the idyllic town of Bozeman and the iconic Yellowstone Park.

The isolated Lone Peak mountain provides a stunning backdrop for the Run the Rut races of VK, Sky and Ultra with all races climbing to its summit via technical ridge and difficult climb.

Utilizing what would be ski runs in winter, it’s easy to understand why the Rut has gained a reputation for providing a tough and technical test even for the most experienced runner.

The VK is the next race in the new VK World Circuit and this race takes place on Friday September 1st. The Sky Classic and Ultra continue the 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner World Series taking place on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd respectively.

The Rut races have become flagship races in the USA. And are the only US based races in the 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner World Series. This is primarily due to the technical nature of the trails. You see, access to open land and mountains is not the same as in Europe. Strict land management is in place and ‘off-trail’ races just don’t exist. The Rut have managed to work around this by using the Big Sky resort which does not have to comply with land permission issues.

Vertical K

The VK kicks off the action from the Big Sky Resort up to the summit of Lone Peak at an altitude just short of 3000m gaining 3,632 feet in just over three miles.

SkyRace

The SkyRace is the most pleasing race of the Rut weekend as the proportion of vertical gain and technical running all blend together in the most logical and pleasing course.

The men’s race has all the makings of a classic with some serious competition coming from Aritz Egea who is looking for 2017 SWS victory – he raced last weekend in Switzerland and will be tried.

But Jan Margarit is a man on form with victories at the Dolomites SkyRace and Comapedrosa, for me, he is the odds on favourite for victory! Remi Bonnet has won in the USA in past years and is the likely contender to give Margarit a tough run. However, Pascal Egli is having great year and he will no doubt be one to watch.

Eugeni Gil Ocana is on fire in 2017 and if he is not too tired after placing 2nd at Matterhorn Ultraks, he is a likely podium placed finisher. Expect strong competition to come from Julien Martinez, Oscar and Marc Casal Mir, Sintu Vives, Marc De Leon, Eduard Hernandez, Pere Rullan and Dai Matsumoto.

Laura Orgue is the hot favourite in the ladies’ race having raced well multiple times in 2017 – victory at Dolomites SkyRace and 2nd place in Comapedrossa. Hillary Gerardi has been a revelation in 2017 with a string of strong and consistent performances. Addie Bracy, Glykeria Tziatzia and Jennifer Asp (still not sure if she will run the Sky or Ultra) are also podium contenders.

SkyUltra 50km

The long course gains over 3000m of elevation and as with all the other races visits the summit of Lone Peak.

The men’s race is an interesting one with Luis Alberto Hernando missing UTMB to run here in the USA and gain valuable points for the SWS. Competition for the Spaniard will no doubt come from Italian Franco Colle who has excelled on this course in the past editions.

BREAKING NEWS (31st August)

I have also had conformation that Timothy Olson and Seth Swanson will also toe the line here at the RUT making the fight for the 50km very competitive. Olson is back to his old days with some great form as of late, he placed 10th at Transgrancanaria, 4th at Power of Four and he won Penyagolosa in Spain.

Equally, Swanson is back on a roll with 4th at San Fran 50 in December 2016, 6th at Hong Kong Ultra 100km early 2017 and 2nd at Lavaredo recently.

Matt Shyrock returns after success in the 2015 racenand a recent run at Tromso SkyRace. Pere Aurell Bove is having a great year but just last weekend raced in Switzerland at Matterhorn Ultraks – he will be tired! Australia’s Caine Warburton will be a contender for the podium as will Johan Lanz from Sweden, Russia’s Dmirtry Mityaev, Czech Republic’s Robert Krupicka and the Portugal’s Andre Rodriguez. Peru’s Remigio Huaman always runs strong and he along with Kiril Nikolov from Bulgaria round off the main protagonists for the podium.

The ladies’ race is headed up by Ragna Debats who won last weekend’s Matterhorn Ultraks. Ragna is on a roll at the moment and in great form but two 50km races in 7 days and a long-haul flight will no doubt take its toll.

 

Strong competition will come from Michelle Maier, Ekaterina Mityaeva, Kristina Pattison and Jennifer Asp.

*****

Race summaries and images will be posted on this website after each race.

Images at iancorless.photoshelter.com

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Matterhorn Ultraks 2017 Race Summary – Migu Run Skyrunner World Series

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The Matterhorn provides a stunning backdrop for Switzerland’s Matterhorn Ultraks race, a 49km Skyrunning race with 3600m of positive and negative gain. Now in it’s 5th edition, the race once again is in the Migu Run  Skyrunner® World Series.

It is a magical race that provides a circular journey that starts and concludes in the picture postcard mountain town of Zermatt with the towing Matterhorn ever-present to inspire the runners.

The day started with rain and cloud. It was an ominous beginning. But by the time the runners had reached the high-point of the course at thee Gornergrat, the rain was easing, the cloud was clearing and suddenly the sun broke through. What followed was a glorious and hot sunny day.

Whispy white clouds penetrating the blue of the sky, we all knew though that it wasn’t going to last… with 2 hours of running the sky turned grey, the rain arrived and low mist enveloped the mountains; the beautiful Matterhorn was gone!

Wild expansive space, high mountains and the 3100m Gornergrat provides the high point of the race and the first indication of how the race would play out. Marco De Gasperi was pushing the pace closely followed by Aritz Egea and Eugeni Gil.

In the ladies’ race, Ragna Debats was already dictating the race and the pace but Sheila Aviles and Laia Andreu were very close and chasing together.

A 1000m drop from the summit is broken by a small climb at Riffelalp and then Furi follows at 24km at 1880m. Two short sharp climbs follow, the first to Schwarzsee at 2583m and approximately 28km covered. Here De Gasperi was leading Gil Ocana, Anthamatten and Egea – it was all too close to call! For the ladies, Debats was still at the front, but like the men, anything could happen.

A drop down to 2200m from Schwarzsee was followed with another 500m+ climb and then what follows is mostly a flat runnable plateau that gently weaves up, down and left to right all the way to Trift. De Gasperi had taken the lead now and was flying, Gil Ocana chased but the Italian was looking too strong – he really wanted this victory, it was clear to see. Anthamatten was now in 3rd and Egea in 4th.

A short kick up of 100 to 200m follows Trift and then a fast and furious drop of almost 1000m over a distance of 6km leads to the finish line in Zermatt and the assembled crowds. De Gasperi sealed victory in a new course record, bettering Kilian Jornet’s time and this 2017 course was 1km longer – an incredible run.

Gil Ocana held on for an excellent 2nd and Anthamatten placed 3rd. Once again Egea ran an excellent 4th place.

We also witnessed the race of a rising star, Petter Engdahl who placed 5th.

Debats finally managed to open a gap in the latter stages taking a convincing victory ahead of Laia Andreu who had shadowed Debats all the way to Trift.

Aviles placed 3rd followed by Laurance Yerly and Michaela Mertova.

Skyrunning is not just about the uphill and more often than not, it’s the downhill that determines the winner. Today was all about patience and consistency. Racing is often a mental journey as much physical, De Gasperi and Debats today proved this at the Matterhorn Ultraks.

A full gallery of images are available at iancorless.photoshelter.com

all images ©iancorless.com

Results:

1. Ragna Debats (NED) 5h52’05”
2. Laia Andreu (SPA) 5h53’22”
3. Sheila Avilés Castaño (SPA) 6h00’17”
4. Laurence Yerly (SUI) 6h15’45”
5. Michaela Mertova (CZE) 6h20’36”

‪1 – Marco De Gasperi (4h42’31”)‬
‪2 – Eugeni Gil Ocaña (4h45’15”)‬
‪3 – Martin Anthamatten (4h48’59”)‬
4 – Aritz Egea (4h53’50”)
5 – Petter Engdahl (5h00’46”)

Dolomites SkyRace Race Summary and Images – 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner World Series

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The Migu Run Skyrunner World Series 2017 continued a pace with the 20th edition of the Dolomites SkyRace. It was always going to be a memorable one and the race didn’t disappoint!

Thunderstorms, rain and low cloud resulted in a delayed start by 30-minutes. It was hoped that this delay would allow the weather to clear. The rain did stop but the cloud came lower. Unfortunately, the final section of climb to the summit of Piz Boe at 3252m was pulled from the race for safety reasons. This resulted in less kilometers and less vertical gain and ascent.

Course records of course don’t count in situations like this, the previous bests held by Kilian Jornet and Megan Kimmel. Neither of these stars were running today, however, defending champions Tadei Pivk and Laura Orgue, respective 2016 winners were expected to dictate the race.

Laura Orgue did not disappoint, her 4th from the previous day’s VK soon forgotten, the Spaniard dictated the pace and looked strong throughout. At the new summit of the race her margin of lead was in the minutes and all she needed was a sold descent to Canazei to seal victory once again – she did it! Laura’s time 2:36:29 almost 90-seconds quicker than rising Skyrunning star, Hillary Geraldi from the USA who produced a stunning descent to go past early 2nd placed runner Hilde Alders who held on for 3rd, their times 2:37:55 and 2:39:55.

Silvia Rampazzo placed 4th, Zuzana Krchova 5th, Magdalena Kozielska 6th, Oihana Azkorbebetia 7th, Stephanie Jimenez 8th, Katrine Villumsen 9th and Paola Gelpi rounded out the top-10.

In the men’s race, VK and Sky specialist Remi Bonnet dictated the pace on the climb and has a substantial gab over David Magnani, Martin Anthamatten, Ruy Ueda, Marco De Gasperi, Jan Margarit and who’s who of Skyrunning talent. Pre-race favourite, Tadei Pivk, was in the latter half of the top-10 and not looking good!

 

At the high-point of the course the wild and rough descent to the line follows. It’s not for the feint hearted and Remi Bonnet was forced to reduce his pace protecting an injury that almost kept him out of the sport in 2016. This opened the doorway for David Magnani and Marco De Gasperi.

However, it was Jan Margarit who seized the bull by the horns and in his own words, “I ran the fastest descent that I could!” Fast it was, he moved from 5th to take the lead. The pressure was now on with a neck-for-neck race to the line, it was so close but Margarit held on by just 22-seconds to beat Magnani to the line, De Gasperi followed in 3rd just 23-seconds later. It was the close! A real race and just 45-seconds separated the top-3 runners – 2:06:20, 2:06:42 and 2:07:05. All credit to Skyrunning legend De Gasperi who is twice the age of the duo ahead of him.

Remi Bonnet held on for 4th, Martin Anthamatten 5th, Pascal Egli 6th, Martin Stofner 7th, Tadei Pivk 8th, Yuy Ueda 9th and Nadir Maguet rounded out the top-10.

It was a day like no other, fast racing, unpredictable weather and the confirmation of Skyrunning legends and the rise of new ones – just how a 20th edition of a race should be.

Attention now turns to this coming weekend and the Comapedrosa SkyRace in Andorra, in addition to a 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner World Series race, the Skyrunning Youth Championships will also take place.

 

High Trail Vanoise Preview – 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series

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The 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner World Series arrives in Val d’Isere, France this wwekens for the High Trail Vanoise and the Face de Bellevarde VK (VK World Circuit) kicks off the action at 1600 on Friday when runners will climb this classic downhill ski route all the way to the summit.

Skyrunning legend Marco De Gasperi, held the record of 34:51 set on this course many years ago last year Xavier Gachet broke it! This year, Nejc Kuhar will be looking to set a new benchmark along with Marco Moletto. The young runner won’t have it all his own way though, Ferran Teixido, current leader in the SWS rankings will be looking for a strong performance and the ever-present Hannes Perkmann, William Bon Mardion and Marc Faccinhelli will push all the way to the summit.

For the ladies, Francesca Rossi ultimately may be the one to beat! Ekaterina Mityaev and Stephanie Jimenez will be putting on a hard-fought battle along with Corinne Favre and Jennifer Fiechter, but can they beat Laura Orgue’s time of 40:52?

High Trail Vanoise is the main event of the weekend – Ice, snow, glaciers, high altitude, the High Trail Vanoise course has it all. Crossing the iconic Col D’Iseran at 2764m is merely just a taster, at 67km in length, runners will climb and descend many 1000’s of meters with a total vertical gain of 5400m – the high point of the course is the impressive Grande Motte at 3653m.

Luis Alberto Hernando heads up the men’s field, he recently became IAU World Trail Running champion for a 2nd year in a row – Luis has excelled in Val d’Isere in recent years and he is without doubt the one to beat!

Nicolas Martin won the race last-year and apparently, HTV is a priority race for 2017. It’s going to be interesting to see Luis and Nicolas go head-to-head, a little like a few years ago when Francois d’Haene and Luis raced each other – that day Francois won.

Aurelien Dunand-Pallaz recently lead the Ultra Skymarathon Madeira but was pipped to the line by Skyrunner Extreme Champion Jon Albon, we can expect Aurelien to figure at the front of the race along with 3rd place at USM, Dmitry Mityaev who is having a strong year in the world series, he also knows HTV well having podium last year.

Remigio Huaman, Andre Jonsson, Daniel Garcia Gomez, Jan Bartas, Nuno Silva and Scott Hawker head up the competition for the front of the race but it’s a stacked field and we can’t rule any of the runners below making an impression on what is a very tough race – patience pays dividends!

Xavier Teixido, Alexey Kurochkin, Artem Rostovstev, Clement Ripoll, Marc Puig, Francesc Sole Duocastella, Lars Olaf Haaheim and Nicola Alfieri.

Megan Kimmel fresh from victory in Chamonix will be looking to for maximum points in France, her form is great now, she recently beat Transvulcania champion Ida Nilsson by over 10-minutes! Local French lady Anne-Lise Rousset may well have other thoughts though, she won the race last year with a dominant performance and she knows this course well – it will be a tough race! Travelling from the USA, Kristina Pattison will be looking to repeat her performance from last year and hopefully better it.

Ekaterina Mityaeva is moving un from the ‘classic’ distance in 2017 and has already showed some great results, particularly at USM recently. HTV will be a tough challenge but the podium is there for the taking. Nuria Dominguez, Manikala Rai, Eva Maria Moreda and Ildiko Wermescher are all names to watch.

But the greatest threat for the podium will come from Ragna Debats who recently won with a new CR in Greece, Francesca Canepa who took victory at the tough Scenic 113k, the USA’s Hillary Allen who won USM and Gemma Arenas who was the world series champion in 2016 – it’s going to be quite a battle!

Olympus Marathon 2017 Summary and Images – 2017 Migu Skyrunner® World Series

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Olympus Marathon 2017 Summary

It’s not every day that you get to run with the gods, but nearly 1000 runners toed the line to participate in the 2017 Olympus Marathon, the next race in the Migu Skyrunner® World Series. 

The course is tough and beautiful with two directions, up and down. The first half of the race climbs from just 3m above sea level in the sacred city of Dion and the runners climb to 2700m and the impressive Mt. Olympus. Will they be a sacrifice to Zeus? From here, the race drops down and the runners retrace history and myth and finish in Litochoro.

 The race was very much controlled by two outstanding Skyrnunner’s, Aritz Egea and Ragna Debats. Egea just last weekend placed 2nd behind Tadei Pivk at the Livigno SkyMarathon, here he led from the front setting a blistering pace. Victory was never in doubt and this was confirmed when he crossed the line with a new course record 4:24:26.

 “I am feeling very good this year, I think it’s maybe the best form I have ever had. Last year I wasn’t motivated… Sometimes you need a break and I am now reaping the rewards.”

 Previous course record holder, Jessed Hernandez was 2nd in 4:43:12 and a late surge placed Kiril Nikolov 3rd ahead of local favourite and one of the pre-race favourites, Dimitrios Theodorakakos, their times 4:44:32 and 4:46:13.

 For Debats, a very full racing calendar is pushing this lady to the limits but she is handling the strain well. Under the intense heat of a Greek sky she lead the race from the front and took victory with a new course record 5:18:20.

“It was a good day, I am very happy with the victory. I will need to make sure I plan some rest but I am feeling good.”

 Laura Sola de Miguel ran in 2nd place for the whole day and this was her finishing position almost 10-minutes behind Debats in 5:32:05. Glykeria Tziatzia had run in 3rd for the duration of the race and looked strong and confident, however, in the closing miles the heat and strain of the day took over and her pace dropped allowing Hillary Allen to pass and take the final podium place in 5:37:13. A heartbroken Tziatzia crossed the line in 5:46:04 – a name to watch for the future! 

It was a long, hot and tough day for all, when crossing the line the fatigue and dehydration from a tough race was clear to see. The consensus confirmed an incredible course – beautiful and brutal!

A break in the Migu Skyrunner World Series next weekend will see the action continue in Spain and France, with the Buff Epic Trail and High Trail Vanoise.