The 3rd edition of the Skyrunning Matterhorn Ultraks Trail took place at the weekend in Zermatt. Once again, the sun and the stars of the Trail kept on shining all day long. The Swiss Martin Anthamatten imposed himself on the men’s main distance, part of the Skyrunner® World Series, while the Italian Elisa Desco won the female’s race. Nearly 1’800 participants took the start of the “16K”, “30K”, “46K” and “VZR”.
This year, the Spanish armada of the Trail couldn’t cope with the local runner and ambassador of the Matterhorn Ultraks, Martin Anthamatten. “To win such an important race here in Zermatt is a real dream. It’s for sure the greatest victory of my career”, commented the Valais winner after his race. He ran ahead the Spanish Manuel Merillas (4:54’32’’) and Aritz Egea (4:56’13’’). Just shortly ahead until he reached the Schwarzsee, Anthamatten finally managed to clearly step ahead over the last 20kms.
On the women’s side, the winner’s podium remained unchanged with the exception of the Italian Elisa Desco, who took her revenge on Stevie Kremer (USA). Second last year after the American, she managed the perfect race this year, imposing herself in 5h23’46’’ and only 59 seconds ahead of her rival, but still not breaking her record. The third place goes once again to the Spanish Maite Maiora (5:31’30’’). To note that the American Megan Kimmel dominated the race until the last quarter, she had to abandon a few kilometers from Zermatt.
In total, 1797 adults and 101 children of 58 nationalities and coming from 46 different countries took part in the third edition of the Matterhorn Ultraks Trail. When crossing the finish line, they all looked radiant after their experience within/through an outstanding mountain environment. It was unique! The barrier in Riffelalp with the sound of the alphorns echoing in front of the Matterhorn – This was one of the most beautiful moments in my life. I truly had tears in my eyes”, commented Antoine, participant of the “16K”. At the same time, the atmosphere was festive all through the day at the “Espace Ultraks”, where hundreds of spectators had come to support their favorite participant. Thanks to the video screen, they were able to follow the most significant moments from the heart of the village of Zermatt.
« 46K » MEN
1. MARTIN ANTHAMATTEN (SUI) 4:45’11”532
2. MERILLAS MOLEDO MANU (ESP) 4:54’32”702
3. ARITZ EGEA (ESP) 4:56’13”303
Today, the Salomon Glen Coe Skyline well and truly cemented itself as one of the ‘must-do’ events not only in the UK but the world. At times, it has been a rocky road putting this event on. Not from an organisation point of view I must add but from negative publicity about inappropriate use of the mountains and of course the D A N G E R and the ‘risk-of-death’ that may occur.
Many Scottish papers said that the trails would be strewn with runners going fast and ruining the day of many a mountain lover….
As predicted, the reality was far from the scare mongering of a select few.
Mountain lovers were on the mountains and you know what? They stopped, cheered, applauded and encouraged what (in their words) these ‘super humans’ were doing.
Skyrunning World and European Champion for the ultra distance, Emelie Forsberg won the ladies race and placed 2nd overall. Her performance was quite literally ‘off-the-scale.’ She relegated several of the UK’s top mountain runners to lower positions and post race she said:
Waow! Seriously the best race in this distance. Super technical ridges and gullies (think Trofeo Kima but no via ferrata!) some parts very runnable on nice but still tricky trails. Glen Coe I’m thrilled to have run this race. Thanks to your amazing organization. Even though it was hard all of the nature and the course made me go fast. Thanks all of you standing along the course, you made me feel so welcomed here!
It was a sentiment echoed by the recent Lakeland 50 runner, Jayson Cavill who placed 3rd man and 4th overall:
“Oh my gosh I can’t believe it!! What an amazing race, I am too far gone to put into words just how totally nails that route was, technical descents that went on forever, long steeeeeep climbs that went on for even longer. Great climbing around the ridges and rock faces, I am so so chuffed I really feel like I got the best out of myself today – even if my legs were shot after the first 10 miles – it did hurt a lot! Such a great experience.”
Scotland played ball today too. The previous day’s rain eased over night and the runners were greeted with a perfect day until just after midday. As predicted the cloud came in and with it showers. But at this stage the runners just had one thing in mind; the finish.
In the early stages of the race, it was all going to script with Joe Symonds, Es Tressider and a handful of other top male talent dictating the pace and Emelie Forsberg was holding a slender lead over the 2015 Berghaus Dragons Back winner, Jasmin Paris.
Climbing Curved Ridge was for many, the highlight of the race. Coming just 6-miles in, it was a real brutal way to kick off what would be the UK’s most extreme day in the mountains. For those who don’t know, The Curved Ridge route ascended Stob Dearg (Buachaille Etive Mor) via the exposed Grade III scramble (a ‘Moderate’ graded rock climb).
What followed was a master class of pure Skyrunning by Joe and Emelie. They pushed the pace, extended the gap between the competition and when they entered the Aonach Eagach Ridge barring an accident, the race for the respective top slots was over. However, Joe was only 10-minutes ahead of Emelie… could she close the gap?
Yes!
But only by a couple of minutes. Joe crossed the line in 7:36:21 and Emelie 7:44:19.
“My overall reflections on this race are that the route was absolutely phenomenal. I can’t think of anywhere else on mainland UK that could offer such quality of extreme mountain running. It is no overstatement to say that this really was a first for us in Britain. Elsewhere Emilie has already given her thoughts on how it compares to other races of this distance across the globe. To organise this event was of course brave, given the objective danger involved. But bravery often pays off, and you can mitigate against the dangers, as the organisers did, by taking appropriate safety precautions and vetting participants carefully.” – Joe Symonds
Mark Harris and Jayson Cavill finished 2nd and 3rd men after pre-race favourite Es Tressider tired over the final miles.
Jasmin Paris once again produced another top notch result placing 2nd behind Emelie and 5th overall in 7:54:29, just 10-minutes back from the Skyrunning World Champion. Sarah Ridgway rounded out the ladies’ podium in 9:21:44.
148 runner started the 1st edition of the Salomon Glen Coe Skyline and currently (at the time of writing) 24 have withdrawn from the race. This low drop out rate is a testament to the strict vetting procedure that was put in place by race director, Shane Ohly.
The buzz post race is one of adrenaline, stories and how the Salomon Glen Coe Skyline is the hardest race they have ever done.
The stage is now set. This race is set to become a beacon of Skyrunning, not only in the UK but worldwide.
Expect great things for 2016!
“What a great closer of a long, successful and satisfying season: #glencoeskyline had everything (and more) of a skyrace I expected! It was by far the most technical, most demanding, most dramatic and most scenic race I ever did! It’s amazing what the organizers around Shane Ohly put together here in Scotland. I feel deeply priviledged that I could’ve been part of the inaugural race of what will become an epic on the skyrunning calendar! Thanks for having me here and thanks for your support! I went into the race with a minor injury, but up to the highest point I felt really good. Then I took a tumble on a technical downhill and lost a bit of confidence going down, finishing in 17th place in 8:45 h. After all I’m just so happy and satisfied with a great day out in the mountains and an amazing visit to Scotland! – Florian Reichert
The 3rd edition Matterhorn Ultraks 46K kicks off on Saturday, August 22. As the name suggests, the magic Matterhorn mountain provides a stunning backdrop to this iconic race.
Stevie Kremer, 2014 world champion for the combined title and race winner of 2014, return to Zermatt and will look to defend her title. Recent success in America and 4th place at Sierre-Zinal shows the pocket rocket is in form!
Italian Elisa Desco, placed 3rd at Sierrie-Zinal just 2 weeks ago and has had a mixed 2015 so far. Placing 2nd here last year she will without doubt look to take the top slot.
Megan Kimmel is on fire on 2015 and is my hot tip for victory in Zermatt. A stunning victory at the Dolomites Skyrace and 2nd at Sierre-Zinal shows that the American not only has climbing and descending legs but also plenty of speed.
Maite Maiora, currently ranked third on the Skyrunner® World Series always is a strong and consistent performer, Azara Garcia de Los Salmones has struggled with injury and currently it is questionable if she will run. Paola Cabrerizo, placed 2nd at Zegama-Aizkorri and may well contend the podium, Anna Comet Pascua has been a revelation in 2015 and Eva Maria Moreda.
Stephanie Jimenez and Czech AnnaStrakova along with Holland’s Ragna Debats are top 5 contenders.
Italy’s Tadei Pivk currently leads the SWS ranking with two straight wins in Zegama and Dolomites, without doubt he is a strong contender for the win.
Spain’s Manuel Merillas and Romanian Ionut Zinca however would love to beat Tadei in the pursuit for the top of the podium. Ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively in the SWS. Britain’s Tom Owens may well stir up the apple cart and has all the ability to win this race.
Aritz Egea was 3rd last year and is always a contender for the top-5. Sintu Vives and Jessed Hernandez are among other strong Spaniards and Moroccan Hassan Ait Chaou and Norwegian Eirik Haugsnes will place in the top-10 if all goes well/
Tromsø SkyRace® winner, Jonathan Albon may well be the surprise podium contender. He is an obstacle racing world champion who surprised everyone in Norway.
The records to beat? Kilian Jornet’s 2013 time of 4h43’05” and Stevie Kremer’s 2014 record of 5h18’43”.
The 46 km course takes on a tough 3,600m of ascent and descent. The famous Gornergrat observation station marks the highest point of the race at 3,100m altitude, overlooking the Grenz Glacier and Monte Rosa, Europe’s second highest summit. The entire course is overshadowed by the iconic Matterhorn peak.
Nearly 700 runners from 34 countries will be toeing the line in Zermatt Saturday.
Some 2,000 participants from 44 countries will participate overall in the weekend’s four events – a 30% increase on last year’s figures.
Read my first hand account of the incredible Tromso SkyRace on RUNULTRA
I clamber, drop, grip and ascend and descend as required by the ridge. The rocks were wet and grip via hand or foot was going to be compromised. I was already wearing light gloves to protect from the cold, my shoes were mountain running shoes designed for grip of softer/ muddier ground. I wondered, ‘What will the grip be like on these rocks?’
Episode 92 of Talk Ultra – We speak with Tromso SkyRace winner, Jonathan Albon and we have an inspiring chat with ladies Hardrock 100 winner, Anna Frost. The news and Speedgoat is back after a really busy month racing and working.
Listen to a full in-depth interview with Jonathan Albon on
TALK ULTRA Podcast Episode 92 out on Friday 7th August.
There are many reasons Tromsø SkyRace was set to be one of the highlights of my year. Although a race, I was most looking forward to running in the mountains, crossing streams and the wilderness that this event was set to deliver. There were two race distances – the Tromsdalstind (short) and Hamperokken (long). I’d be taking on the full Hamperokken skyrace which is actually classed as an ultra, more for the time it would take to complete as a opposed to the distance, which was only a modest 45km but had a huge 4400m of elevation gain.
Knowing this was what lay before me it was with a sadistic smile that I learnt the night before the race that the ski lift to the start wouldn’t open in time so we would have to make our own way up to the start! ‘A good warm up’ Kilian said – well, he was probably right.
Jonathan’s race stats:
45.1km Distance
4,373m Elevation
5:48:11 Moving Time
8:10/km Avg Pace
5,842 Calories
After reaching the start it wasn’t long before we were off. In an attempt to run my own race (unlike in previous races this year) I tried to start easy, warming up into it. It was hard judging were I was placed anyway as the short course started at the same time so I was content with just running. I started with the mindset that I didn’t care where I would place, I would run in the mountains and enjoy myself. So that is what I did. It wasn’t until the top of the first summit, Tromsdalstind, where we turned for a big descent splitting from the short course that I started to get a feel that I was in the top 10.
The summit was covered in snow and the route turned to just drop of the other side of the plateau over what looked like a cliff. It wasn’t until getting closer that you could see it was in fact an extremely steep snowy slope with a rope to assist descent. Thankfully this section wasn’t long but there were plenty more snow fields to slip and slide down on the rest of the descent. The majority though was on loose rocky terrain and steep muddy tracks. Before long I was reaching the valley floor and out of the thick fog, for the first time I could see further than a couple of hundred meters and the sight was surreal.
I had settled into a position next to a Swiss guy called Pascal Egli. He seemed to have the same happy attitude I had towards the race and we talked, joked and laughed as we crossed one of the only flat sections on the course between the two mountains.
Reaching the base of the big climb, Hamperokken, we were still together. After a third of the climb I let him go. I had by this point learnt he had come third in the Dolomites skyrace and had only finished something like 40 seconds behind Stian Angermund in the Tromsø vertical kilometer. I definitely didn’t feel worthy to be holding with him and felt I was either holding him back or I was pushing too hard. As it happened he never got more than 10m away. Running the majority but hiking the steepest gradients we were making good time…and catching people, passing two on the climb we just got another two as the ridge started. This put us in a group of 4 with only 1 guy ahead in the lead.
I noticed one of our group was Eirik Haugsnes. I’m not sure there would be anyone I would rather be following through what was one of the craziest sections of any race I have ever done. Eirik was last years winner and lives in the Troms area.
Describing the Hamperokekn ridge is difficult. For much of it I was using both my hands and feet for purchase. At one point of the razor edge ridge we had to jump a gap from one rock to another. It was funny to see how our little contingent had gone from racing to simply traversing this dangerous section together. I found myself at the back of the group least experienced in this sort of scrambling and twice found rocks tumbling down towards me from above.
The last 50m ascent to the top was described by Kilian in the race briefing as grade 3 scrambling. I’d describe it as ‘f***ing scary’. With this done it didn’t take long for the race to resume; as soon as we summited the group split as we started to descend. We had crossed paths with the leader, Alberto Hernando, on the way up and were only 2 minutes behind after over 3 hours of racing!
The descent was again as technical as it gets with large boulder fields and steep snowy slides. One particular section that sticks in my mind is where we traversed on snow just 5meters above where it dropped into freezing blue water of a big lake – one slide and you were toast (or ice more likely).
It was shortly after this point that the race started in earnest for me. As the four of us reunited crossing a boulder field it was clear my VJ Irocks were providing far more grip than my competitors shoes. This enabled me to pull away skipping over the rocks bouncing from boulder to boulder. Reaching more even ground with a small lead I just decided to run on and kept putting one foot in front of the other as fast as possible all the way back to the valley floor.
Coming back into the aid station I learnt I was 1 minute 30 seconds behind Alberto in first. Not thinking I had a hope in hell of catching him I continued to run at a comfortable but fast pace enjoying the brief flat section. Just two kilometers later I noticed I was gaining on a competitor traveling in the same direction as me, I double took not believing my eyes but I had just closed a big lead in next to no time. Coming up behind him I startled him as I don’t think he was expecting to see an Englishman popp up to say hello. I moved passed and at the foot of the last big climb heard a yelp from behind. I immediately stopped and turned, starting to head back, but he shouted at me motioning to continue. It looked as if he had gone over on his ankle. Obeying his command I turned back to the climb ahead.
I knew in my head this was a deciding moment. I would either start to climb and feel good or I would feel terrible and my chances would be nil. Either way I would know within a couple of hundred meters…so I started to climb. I can’t say it was easy but I was doing it. Moving uphill I was pleased with the strength I had. This section was too steep to run or even hike in some places, so using hands and feet I steadily clawed my way up.
About half way I hit the first of the snowfields, remembering coming down with such speed I was now confused as to whether I was meant to follow the same line back up. The snow was only just soft enough to dig a little purchase in with my feet and every step forward resulted in sliding half of one back. So wrapping a buff around each hand I started to claw my way up this too. Hand over foot I slowly made progress.
After 900m of climbing and 300 vertical meters from the top I started to hear the whisper of cow bells on the summit. Knowing the climb was nearly done worsened my condition, but slowly, painfully I was getting there, all the while thinking I had competitors hot on my heels. The last 40 meters were back up the same steep snow slope with a rope and thankfully some snow stairs someone had made (legends). Using the rope to help haul myself up I was there. 3rd and final big climb done and all I could say was ‘I’m f***d’ as a response to everyone’s encouragement.
Now for the descent and a slow gradual climb towards the finish. It wasn’t time to relax, energy started to flow back as I took my first few steps downwards and concentration took over brute force. The path was rocky and technical but also twisting. The thick fog made it hard to see the flags and I had to once backtrack 10meters up to find the correct route. Kicking myself, I still thought I was being hunted by my competition.
This technical path soon gave way to a sweeping trail following a small river and down into the woods and the last aid station. Now just 6km of undulating but climbing track remained and I started to play with the idea I had done it.
I managed to keep a run going the entire way and soon found myself going past groups of people cheering and ringing cowbells. I was getting closer but every time the trail dipped I thought it was for the final time to the finish, only to find another rise around the corner. I still had no idea how far back my competitors where but couldn’t bring myself to gun it, so keeping a safe pace where I knew I would have some gas in the legs for a sprint finish I finally crested the last rise and dropped round to the finish. Giving my now wife a hug I then crossed the finish line and had done what I would always have thought to be impossible…I had won a skyrace.
Jonathan Albon is an athlete first known for his success within the up and coming UK obstacle course racing (OCR) scene. He has now taken his exploits global, adding the title of OCR World Champion and Spartan World Champion to his name. Jonathan has enjoyed a busy 2014 where he has proved unbeaten in OCR as well as winning races such as Man v Horse, The Welsh 1000m Peaks Race and TelemarksHelten. He also achieved a remarkable 14th place finish in the Limone Extreme Skyrace and now victory at Tromso SkyRace.
Today (Monday 3rd August 2015), NiRunning and Mourne Skyline MTR are pleased to announce that current Great Britain & Northern Ireland international and podium finisher at the recent Dragons Back 200 mile Ultra, Lizzie Wraith, will race this year’s Mourne Skyline Mountain-Trail Race. Lizzie, a previous winner of the Lakeland 100 Ultra, will join this year’s Lakeland 100 and Lakeland 50 winners Paul Tierney and Jayson Cayvill on the start line, as well as a plethora of talent form around the globe.
The North Face Lavaredo Ultra Trail podium finisher is enthusiastic about taking on the another event in the Skyrunning UK Series after victory at last year’s 3X3 Ultra in Keswick. Speaking about the Mourne Skyline MTR, Lizzie said:
“I’m really looking forward to running the Mourne Skyline MTR as I’ve never been to Ireland and it’s been on my bucket list for a long time. The terrain looks really beautiful and technical which is what I love, however 35km is a bit of a sprint for me, I’d better start doing some speed-work!”
Mourne Skyline MTR Race Director Ryan Maxwell added:
“To have an athlete of Lizzie’s stature compete at the event is a huge bonus for everyone. Lizzie has performed well at some of the world’s toughest events – look at her performance at the recent Dragons Back Race – going into that off the back of being ill and not only finishing, but claiming a top three finish, was incredible. Again this year, the entry list reads like a ‘who’s who’ of mountain-trail running in the UK and Ireland which not only excites me, but makes me appreciate the support we have received from everyone. There will be athletes from fourteen countries coming to Northern Ireland to take part in the Mourne Skyline MTR (and ‘GTR’), which as the Race Director makes me extremely proud. We hope to add further additions to the line-up in the coming weeks and will do our utmost to ensure that the race exceeds expectations.”
Although the Mourne Skyline MTR is now full (except for elite entry applications), you can still be part of an excellent weekend of racing by taking on the Mourne Skyline ‘Granite Trail Race’, a 2 mile uphill only night time race, which will take place on Friday 23rd October 2015 (7.30pm).
More information is available on the official race website HERE.
What an incredible day in the mountains. Kilian and Emelie really did add some mountain meat to the bones of the Skyrunning calendar and the Skyrunner World Series.
It was a wet, grey, misty and claggy making mountain conditions difficult for all. In the ladies race, Emelie Forsberg came out on top in a highly competitive race and for the men, Jonathon Albon from the UK turned quite a few heads with an incredible performance.
It’s the 2nd edition of the Tromsö Skyrace and although the 2 race directors won’t thank me for adding a spotlight onto them, one has to admit that Emelie Forsberg and Kilian Jornet as RD’s really does add a plus to an event.
If you were a cynic, you may well think that the race just uses the two Skyrunning stars as a vehicle for promotion! If you do, you could not be more wrong! Just a glance at Facebook this last 2 weeks has provided us all with a real insight into how ‘hands-on’ Kilian and Emelie have been in getting this race off the ground and ready for an increased audience.
The duo brings a true love of the mountains and a desire for technical terrain to a larger audience and with the Tromsö Skyrace the challenge is a tough one! Edition 1 had many a runner saying that it was the most extreme and technical 45km’s they had ever run. That I am sure would place a big smile on Kilian’s and Emilie’s’ faces. Using inspirational race like Trofeo Kima as an influence on the Tromsö Skyrace, the race is set to be a classic that will run for a great deal of time.
Located in Tromsö, Norway, the race embraces the wilderness and 24-hour days with fjords and glaciers as a backdrop. In the words of Kilian and Emelie, it is “Soul running between the sky and the sea!”
In summary:
Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg: two world-class race ambassadors
Tromsö, a remarkable landscape
Three races
International yet familiar race
Eco-responsive race
300 runners in total will arrive in Tromsö for what I am sure will be an amazing, awe inspiring experience that they will hold and cherish for a long time to come. After all, the race does take place in the Norwegian Arctic Circle.
“First we just started to talk about how cool it was that in the north we can run 24 hours in light during the summer. And then we started to talk about what we think Skyrunning is and how we would like a race that includes all the key ingredients; trails, summits, ridges off trail aid stations, a consideration for the environment and so on! We decided to make a course that comes close to the city but still has all the key ingredients that we want in a race, summits, wilderness and technical parts! We are so happy about the route!”
Friday will start with a Blamann VK, 2.6km in length and 1044m of vertical gain make this race a true challenge for those who like to push themselves on a steep gradient.
The Tromsdalstind Skyrace has 19km length and 1600m elevation and the key race for the weekend is the Hamperokken Skyrace which is part of the Ultra Skyrunner® World Series and has 42km length and 4100m of vertical gain.
So who is running?
VK
Nejc Kuhar heads up a strong VK race and as Skyrunner® World Series leader for the VK distance he is a firm favourite for the title in Tromsö.
However, Eirik Haugsness and Thorbjorn Ludvigsen are almost certainly going to want to represent themselves highly and what is a ‘local’ race.
Rising star, Remi Bonnet will also be a key contender as will Ferran Texeido but the dark horse may well be Stian Hovind so keep an eye on him, he is my dark horse for the top of the podium.
The ladies VK race is wide open and maybe not surprisingly, Emelie Forsberg may well be a hot favourite for victory.
Azara Garcia will almost certainly contend the podium, as will Therese Sjursen and Ekatarina Mityaaeva.
Mira Rai will also run but I think the Nepalese runner is still finding her feet in these short vertical races. I am sure she will be looking to the Ultra on Sunday for her best performance.
ULTRA
I fully appreciate that 42km is not an ultra, so please don’t email in and point this out! The Tromso Skyrace gains ‘ultra’ status due to the demanding course, technicality and because of the time it will take to complete the course. As we said earlier, this is NO easy race! If in doubt, the winning time from 2014 was 6:38:30!
Men
Skyrunning World and European Champion for the Ultra distance, Luis Alberto Hernando will toe the line in Tromso and one has to say, he is the man to beat. He has been on fire in 2014 with victory and Transvulcania, Ice Trail Tarentaise and 2nd place at the IAU World Trail Championships.
Franco Colle equally has been a revelation in 2015. His victory at Tor des Geants in 2014 placed him on the radar for any race over 100-miles but this year he has nailed Mont-Blanc 80km and Ice Trail Tarentaise. One to watch!
Last years winner, Eirik Haugsness is going to have his work cut-out to top the podium in 2015 but Tromso is a race that holds a special place for him and that always adds so those essential extra percentages when you need to dig deep.
Philipp Reiter has had a quiet 2015; no doubt university has placed a demand on his time. Tromso however will suit the young Germans skill set and I am almost certain we can expect to feel his presence at the front of the race.
Cristofer Clemente adds to the front-end action and has consistently performed well in 2015 with a string of top 10 placing.
Salomon team manager, Greg Vollet can never be ruled out of the front end action and I see that Canadian Adam Campbell is on the start list but I am not sure if he will run after a sterling effort at Hardrock 100.
Local talent will provide a huge surprise factor and here Emelie provides me with some valuable inside information:
Lars Eirik Skjervheim is a member of the Norwegian ski mountaineering team and a very good runner. He has had a struggle with an injury but if he is in good shape he could be on the podium, I think?
Ola Hovdenak was 2nd in 2014 and loves technical trail.
Sven Are Paulsen is a Tromsö X- country skier, that last year got really into Skyrunning! Top 10!
Kristian Ulriksen is a fast roadrunner from Tromso; lets see how he handles the technical trails.
And finally,
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz, Zigor Iturrieta (in hospital for an operation), Florian Reichert, Jan Bartas and Stu Air will all figure in or around the top 10 and my dark horse tip goes to Dan Doherty who may well be the surprise package of the whole race.
Ladies
Mira Rai may well excel in the tough and challenging conditions of Tromso. Her victory at Mont-Blanc 80km was a revelation but recent races at the Dolomites VK and Dolomites Skyrace were mixed. Maybe they were too short? Tromso may well be short in distance but in time, it’s a long race that will play into Mira’s hands.
Maite Maiora is a Skyrunning specialist and specializes in the Sky distance. However, she nailed Transvulcania in 2014 and that therefore elevates her up the ‘one-to-watch’ to THE one to watch.
Australian rising star, Lucy Bartholomew will also run the race and this will be a big test. But I strongly believe it’s a test that she will rise too. The podium may well be a long shot this early in her career but I don’t think she will be too far off.
Malene Hakoy is a Norwegian ski mountaineer, she won Hornidal runt this year and placed second overall… one to watch!
Hilde Aders placed top 10 in the Dolomites VK and placed 2 in Hornidal Runt this year.
Finally, a real dark horse shout out for Shiri Leventhal; I am sure she won’t thank me for pointing a spotlight at her but she made the podium at Everest Trail Race a few years ago and may well be a surprise package. Also, Heather Ohly from the UK may well make an impact on the top-10.
Needless to say, Tromsö Skyrace is going to over a seriously exciting weekend of running in an amazing part of the world and what almost certainly will be and incredible course.
Episode 91 of Talk Ultra brings you with interviews Mont-Blanc 80km winner, Alex Nichols, we speak with WSER ladies winner Magdalena Boulet and we also chat with Gary Robbins about his FKT. Emelie Forsberg is back for a Smiles and Miles and this week Niandi Carmont co-hosts as Karl is getting ready for Speedgoat.
FKT for Gary Robbins – In Washington on the 95-mile Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier, Gary Robbins ran 18:52 to cut just over two hours from Kyle Skaggs’s previous supported record, which had stood since 2006.
00:35:48 INTERVIEW
Gary Robbins
SCOTT JUREK completes the AT 46 days 8 hours 7 or is it 8 minutes? article HERE
MARCO DE GASPERI set a new FKT. He raced from Courmayeur up 15,780-foot Mont Blanc in 6:43:52, just under the previous 6:45:24 mark that had stood since 1995. The route covers nearly 50k while gaining 12,303 feet of elevation.
COLORADO 14ers RECORD After 9 days, 21 hours, and 51 minutes, Andrew Hamilton had climbed all 58 of Colorado’s 14000-foot peaks and was the new FKT holder.
In total, 1797 adults and 101 children of 58 nationalities and coming from 46 different countries took part in the third edition of the Matterhorn Ultraks Trail. When crossing the finish line, they all looked radiant after their experience within/through an outstanding mountain environment. It was unique! The barrier in Riffelalp with the sound of the alphorns echoing in front of the Matterhorn – This was one of the most beautiful moments in my life. I truly had tears in my eyes”, commented Antoine, participant of the “16K”. At the same time, the atmosphere was festive all through the day at the “Espace Ultraks”, where hundreds of spectators had come to support their favorite participant. Thanks to the video screen, they were able to follow the most significant moments from the heart of the village of Zermatt.
IAN CORLESS 