High Trail Vanoise 2017 Summary and Images – 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series

Posted on July 8, 2017 by talkultra

The Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series continued at a pace today with the High Trail Vanoise – 70km in length and 5400m of vertical gain.

Starting and concluding at the iconic ski resort of Val d’Isere, this race marks back to the early days of Skyrunning mixing fast trails, technical trails, snow, ice and altitude. The course has many key features with highlight coming at Grande Motte (3500m) and then a rollercoaster of climbs and descents that finally culminates with Aiguille Pers (2800m) before dropping down to the Col I’seran before the final push to the line.

Departing under darkness at 0400, it was very apparent that a warm and hot day lay ahead. The early hours were always chilly ones, especially as the runners climbed from the start to Grande Motte at 3500m+ in the first 17.5km. In the early stages, a small group of runners pushed the pace lead by Luis Alberto Hernando, Dimitry Mityaev and Aurelien Dunand Pallaz – the trio arrived at the summit with just 90-seconds between them. In the ladies race, Megan Kimmel arrived first and Ragna Debats followed just 4-minutes later with Mimmi Kotka another 1-minute back. It was all too close to call!

From the summit of Grande Motte, the arrival of sunlight facilitated the long fast descent past Lac de Tignes all the way to La Daille at approximately 34km. By now the runners were spread out all over the course but the front of the race saw Hernando, Dunand Pallaz and Mityaev arrive together and it stayed that way up the steep climb. Megan Kimmel had a 2-minute slender lead over Debats who looked strong and fight for 3rd was between Kotka and the USA’s Hillary Allen.

A 4km climb to Lac Sassier was followed with a rollercoaster descent to Le Fornet at 46km, Hernando had opened up a 2-minute gap on Dunand Pallaz and Mityaev was 11-minutes back. Kimmel also opened the gap over Debats – would 7-minutes be enough?

From the summit a fast descent to the iconic Col I’seran was followed by a short climb with technical sections before passing through a tunnel through the mountains which was followed by a fast drop to the line and finish in Val d’Isere.

Hernando here put the hammer down and slowly but surely stretched the elastic and took a strong victory in 8:17:05 smashing the old course record. Dunand Pallaz followed in 8:31:04 and Mityaev sealed the last podium place in 8:43:10.

Kimmel’s victory never looked in doubt in the final stages and her 9:46:05 to Debats 9:52:10 showed how close the ladies race was. The battle for 3rd was also close with Kotka and Allen both struggling with fatigue in the latter stages – Kotka held on with 10:30:21 to Allen’s 10:33:52.

Notably, the High Trail Vanoise was the Skyrunning European Championships and Luis Albert Hernad and Ragna Debats were crowned 2017 Champions.

Full results HERE

Attention now turns to Italy to the Gran Paradiso race, the first ‘extreme’ race in the 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series.

All images ©iancorless.com

Face de Bellevarde VK 2017 Race Summary and Images – 2017 Vertical Kilometer® World Circuit

Posted on July 7, 2017 by talkultra

Starting at 1600 hours, runners departed on timed intervals of 1-minute for the Face de Bellvarde, VK, part of the 2017 Vertical Kilometer® World Circuit. Temperatures were relatively cool after a morning of sun and cloud cover removed any strong and direct heat thus making conditions excellent for a hard effort.

Last years winner Gachet, was never going to have an easy run and strong threats came from Remi Bonnet, finally returning from injury. Pre-race favourite William Bon Mardion also pushed hard with a hope for victory. Gachet held on though, crossing the line in 33:57 to Bonnet’s 34:41 – a convincing victory. Bon Mardion 3rd in 35:19.

In the ladies race, it was all change with a couple of pre-race favourites not starting. This opened the doorway for France’s Jessica Pardin who took a convincing victory over Marianna Jagercikova, 43:08 to 43:43 respectively.

VK specialist Stephanie Jimenez placed 3rd but said she had struggled with the altitude, her time 44:57.

Full results are available HERE

Vertical Kilometer® World Circuit information HERE

Next race on the calendar – VERTICAL CABANERA – SPAIN HERE

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

Posted on July 5, 2017 by talkultra

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!

High Trail Vanoise 2016 Race Summary and Images – Skyrunner® World Series

Posted on July 10, 2016 by talkultra

©iancorless.com_HTV2016-2674

The Skyrunner® World Series continued at a pace today with the first edition of the High Tral Vanoise, a 67.4km race with 5355m altitude starting and concluding in the stunning location of Val d’Isere, France.

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This race in many ways personifies Skyrunning with a combination of fast trails, technical trails, snow, ice and altitude. The course has many key features with highlights coming at Col de Fresse (2500m), Le Panoramic (3000m) the highest point of the course, Grande Motte (3500m) and then a rollercoaster of climbs and descents that finally culminates with Aiguille Pers (2800m) before dropping down to the Col Iseran before the final push to the line.

Grand Parcours copy

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Departing under darkness at 0400, it was very apparent that a warm and hot day lay ahead. However, the early hours were always going to be chilly ones, especially as the runners climbed from just under 2000m to Grande Motte at 3500m+ in the first 17.5km. In the early stages, a small group of runners pushed the pace lead by Russian Dimitry Mityaev, Nicolas Martin and Fulvio Dapit. In the ladies race, Anne-Lise Rousset opened up a gap very early in the race that would prove instrumental, Maud Gobert, Anna Comet and Gemma Arenas followed but were already some way behind.

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A 4km climb to Lac Sassier was followed with a rollercoaster descent to Le Fornet at 46km, Dimitry was still first but Nicolas was on his heals and now Marcin Swierc had taken up the chase with Fulvio Dapit in 4th. Anne-Lise Rousset was now in her own race, leading Maud Gobert by 30-minutes with Anna Comet several minutes behind in 3rd. The French lady was running so fast she hovered between 5th and 6th placed man – incredible!

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Now the action was really unfolding and arguably, the next section of the course from Le Fornet to Aiguille Pers via Tete Cema was going to be instrumental as this section climbed for 10km with an altitude gain of 1400m +/-. Dimity finally crumbled with Nicolas taking the lead and then finally Marcin moved into 2nd, Dimity had a good lead over Fulvio though; would he hold on?

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Aiguille Pers blanketed in snow made an impact on the race and the stunning blue skies provided a stark contrast to the white snow as the early morning sun beat down. Nicolas and Anne-Lise were the first male and female to the summit.

From the summit a fast descent to the iconic Col Iseran was followed by a short climb with technical sections before passing through a tunnel through the mountains which was followed by a fast drop to the line and finish in Val d’Isere.

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The overall standings for the first 3 men and ladies didn’t change now – Nicolas Martin took a great victory in 9:28:34. Added to his podium place at Transvulcania and the DNF of SWS leader, Cristofer Clemente, Nicolas now leads the 2016 ranking. Marcin Swierc placed 2nd in 9:31:59 and Dimity Mityaev held off Fulvio Dapit for 3rd in 9:36:31.

Anne-Lise Rousset dominated the ladies performance with a stunning victory in 10:13:00 which ranked her 6th overall. Maud Gobert and Anna Comet placed 2nd and 3rd in 11:04:21 and 11:09:30.

The Alpina Watch prizes were awarded to Anne-Lise Rousset and Fulvio Dapit for their times to the summit of Grande Motte based on a clever equation that takes into account age.

The final big news is that the respective winners, both French, received a BMW car for 1-year!

Full results available HERE

Attention now turns to the Dolomites next weekend for the iconic VK and SKY races – the SWS 2016 rolls on at a pace!

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.

iancorless.com is the official photographer and media partner for the Skyrunner® World Series Follow on:

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High Trail Vanoise Ultra and Face de Bellevarde VK 2016 Race Preview – Skyrunner® World Series

Posted on July 6, 2016 by talkultra

Skyrunning and the 2016 Skyrunner World Series arrives in France this weekend for an action packed double bill of VK and ULTRA. On Friday, the Face de Bellevarde VK kicks off in Val D’Isere to take on the steep slopes that lead to the summit way up in the sky.
Marco De Gasperi, Skyrunning legend has the record of 34:51 set on this course many years ago and this year, up and coming rising star, Remi Bonnet will be looking to set a new benchmark. 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, Urban Zemmer will push the young gun all the way to the summit. Marco Moletto, Hannes Perkman, William Bon Mardion and Pascal Egli will make up the main contenders in an impressive field.
For the ladies, Christelle Dewalle is the current SWS leader and ultimately the one to beat! Elisa Desco, Emily Collinge and Serena Vittori will push the French lady hard but can they beat Laura Orgue’s time of 40:52?
In both races, an incentive is on offer. Should a male or female break the old course records they will receive a cash prize of 2000 euros. If the runner is French, the opportunity to have a new BMW car is available for one year!

High Trail Vanoise is the main event of the weekend and it harks back to the golden days of when Giacometti, Brunod and climbed Monte Rosa and paved the way for this modern phenomenon called Skyrunning. Ice, snow, glaciers, altitude, the High Trail Vanoise has it all. Crossing the iconic Col D’Iseran at 2764m is merely just a taster, the high point of the course is the impressive Grande Motte at 3653m. It’s a tough race, 67km in length, runners will climb (and descend) 5400m to reach the finish line.

Cristofer Clemente heads up there men’s field after an impressive top 10 at Transvulcania and victory at Ultra SkyMarathon Madeira. Nicolas Martin, Nuno Silva, Jan Bartas, Dimity Mityaev and the ever-present Fulvio Dapit will look to take top honours and maximum SWS points.

Gemma Arenas fresh from victory in Madeira will be looking to consolidate maximum points and set herself up for a good chance of winning the 2016 SWS. Local French lady Anne-Lise Rousset may well have other thoughts though! Anna Comet has been fighting injury issues but a finish in Madeira and some quality RnR will hopefully set her up for a strong run in France. Travelling from the USA, Kristina Pattison will be looking to repeat her top 10 performance from Madeira and work her way up the rankings ahead of the RUT in the USA.

Just as in the VK, prize money is on offer and the respective winners can expect 3000 euros or French runners will receive 1000 euro and a BMW for a year.
Alpina Watches, sponsored of the SWS will also offer a male and female watch for the Alpina Smart Time.

600 runners will take part in a stunning weekend of high intensity action.

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

iancorless.com is the official photographer and media partner for the Skyrunner® World Series Follow on:

Facebook/iancorlessphotography
Twitter (@talkultra)
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Follow the Skyrunner® World Series on social media platforms

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Ice Trail Tarentaise 2015 Pre Race Presentation

Posted on July 11, 2015 by talkultra

It’s a hot weekend in Val d’Isere! So hot that the ice Trail Tarentaise may well become the ‘Trail Tarentaise.’ Of course snow does still exist on the course but in comparison to 2014 and in particular 2013, this years #ITT will be very different.

Today, the top contenders were introduced to the assembled crowds. Luis Alberto Hernando has no 1 as the ‘hot favourite’ and Emelie Forsberg has no 2, as the 2x defending champion.

Racing gets underway at 0400 tomorrow (Sunday) and the first finisher in Val d’Isere is expected at approximately 11:30.

A 65km course with 5000m +/-runners will pass over Grand Motte 3633m, Col Fresse 2576m, Charvet, 2400m, Col de la Rocheure 2911m, Col Fours 2976m, Col Pers 3009m, Aiguille Pers 3386m, Col de L’Iseran 2700m and then through the Tunnel Lessieres 3000m before a fast descent to the finish.

You can read a full race preview HERE

Expect Luis Alberto to have strong competition from Manuel Merillas, Franco Colle and Fabien Antolinus and Emele to be pushed by Maud Gobert and Anna Comet.

Follow online LIVE via @skyrunning_com and via http://itt.livetrail.net

Kilomètre Vertical Face De Bellevarde 2015 – Val d’Isere

Posted on July 10, 2015 by talkultra

Val d’Isere has a great history with the Vertical Kilometer, way back in ‘96’ the ISF were the first to organize a VK here!

A time lapse of 9-years and Val d’Isere re connected with the ethos of the VK using the Olympic Bellevarde Face in 2014. For many years, Marco De Gasperi held the VK world record here of 34-minutes and 41-seconds until the Italian was dethroned by a fellow countryman and VK specialist; Urban Zemmer.

The Vertical Kilometer has traditionally started at the foot of the Olympic Bellevarde face on “the board” in the heart of the Parc des Sports Charles Diebold in the center Val d’Isere.

The route then takes the greater part of what was the route of the men’s downhill Olympic Winter Games ski route (1992), won by Austrian Patrick Ortlieb.

It’s a tough course; 2.9Km’s in length and reaches an altitude of 2809m. Average gradients over the course are 35%, however, in places it reaches 63% as presented in the first hundred meters.

Including steep passages at 49% and 56% gradient, the sting comes with the famous passage of the Columbine at 55%. Followed by gentle slopes of the Great Wall (51%) a refreshment station is provided before the push to the line passing ‘Catherine Dent’ (50%) and then a finish loop passes the Bellevarde restaurant and the arrival is at a wooden start cabin at an altitude of 2809m.

Previous Records:

Men: Marco DE GASPERI (ITA) en 34’51” (2003)

Women: Antonella CONFORTOLA (ITA) en 42’48” (2002)

GONON and ORGUE shine on a sunny day in Val d’Isere

Following on from the Chamonix vertical kilometre, François Gonon today once again showed his competition a clean pair of heels to take victory in the 2015 Kilomètre Vertical Face De Bellevarde. Powering up the climb with hands-on-knees, Gonon was one of the few participants in the race not using poles. A disadvantage many thought but Gonon proved everyone wrong and won the race in true style in a time of 35:09.

Yoann Sert placed 2nd and 2014 winner Nejc Kuhar placed 3rd but it was a close race, the duo were separated by seconds! 35:53 to 35:58.

VK races often have different start procedures. For example in Chamonix, runners depart every 30-seconds. In the Dolomites (next weekend) a series of small group starts will take place with approximately 25 runners per group. In Val d’Isere it was an individual start. This can prove difficult! Similar to the race of truth in the Tour de France, the runners must pace themselves and judge their effort over 1000m not knowing if they are gaining or loosing time.

In the ladies race, Laura Orgue one again showed supreme climbing ability in winning the ladies race and in doing so set a new course record! Antonella Confortola’s 2002 time of 42:48 has now been reset at 40:57.

Christel Dewalle has been struggling with injury recently and although on the start list we were under the impression that she would not start. Her decision to race was a good one! Dewalle placed 2nd in 41:16 which also broke the old course record.

The final ladies podium place went to Vanesa Ortega who completed the distance in 44:05.

Stats:

Finish Elevation: 2 809 m

Length: 2 905 m

Altitude gain: 1000 m

Maximum Gradient: 63 %

Minimum Gradient: 15 %

Average Gradient: 35 %

The Vertical Kilometer Bellevarde Face is part of the 2015 Skyrunner® World Series and will be followed by the Ice Trail Tarentaise 2-days later (preview for the ITT HERE)

Skyrunning Ice Trail Tarentaise 2015 Race Preview #ITT2015

Posted on July 7, 2015 by talkultra

The stunning alpine village of Val d’Isère is the official home of the next two races in the Skyrunner® calendar, the Ice Trail Tarentaise which is the Skyrunning Continental Championship for the Ultra distance and the Bellevarde Vertical Kilometer the first VK in the Skyrunner® World Series.

Val d’Isere is a haven for alpinists wanting to test themselves on the iconic slopes of Meribel, Val Thorens, Courchavel; it is affectionately known as the ‘Le Trois Vallees’. The Ice Trail Tarentaise (ITT) starts and concludes in this beautiful mountain retreat.

The ITT has over 60 km’s above 2000m altitude and with a highest point of 3653m at ‘Grande Motte.’ In just a couple of years, the race has gained a reputation for being one of the most ‘extreme’ races in the Skyrunner® calendar, it is a race not to be taken lightly!

Traversing glaciers, ascending and descending summits such as ‘Aiguille Pers’ at 3386m, ropes, ladders, way markers, peaks at over 3000m and 5000m +/- ascent and descent guarantees that not everyone will see the finishing tape. The ITT is very true to the heritage of Skyrunning and it harks back to the late 80’s and early 90’s when ISF President, Marino Giacometti pioneered a new form of Alpinism.

Who is running?

Men

ITT has always had a high quality field assemble and 2015 is no different. Luis Alberto Hernando heads up the men’s field after his recent victory at Transvulcania Ultramarathon and placing 2^nd at the IAU World Trail Championships. Luis ran ITT last year but pulled out whilst in 2^nd place. I am convinced that we won’t see that happen this year and for me, Luis is the hot favourite for victory. He is without doubt in his element on tough courses (with snow) between the 50-100km distance.

Manuel Merillas is a rising star in Skyrunning and had an incredible 2014. He placed 5^th at ITT in 2014, which will most definitely provide him with a great deal of experience coming into the 2015 edition. The recent Transvulcania Ultramarathon did not go well for Manuel; he looked primed for the podium in the first half of the race but then struggled in the latter stages to finish outside the top 10. He showed amazing powers of recovery by bouncing back just 1 week later at Zegama-Aizkorri and placing 2^nd. One to watch!

Fabien Antolinus had a great race in 2014 and placed 2^nd behind Francois d’Haene. He does however seem to blow hot and cold and can be a little unpredictable. For sure, he has all the skills and talent required to perform at the highest level. He may well be a podium contender but I don’t see him toppling Luis.

Pablo Villa shot to our attention in 2014 when he had a great run at Transvulcania Ultramarathon. Shifting sponsors (now Salomon) he backed that performance up with 8^th at the 2015 edition of the race. Pablo is a top 10 contender and should he have a great day, the top 5 may well be a possibility.

Fulvio Dapit has all the potential to make the podium at ITT. On his day, he is a superb mountain runner and he excels when the terrain is ‘challenging.’ He placed 4^th at ITT in the last edition. Recently though he had a tough performance at Lavaredo, however, he did pull out and that may well have saved his ITT performance.

French champion (2013), Sebastien Spehler had victories at TTN and 6000D in 2014. His recent form is a little unknown but he may well make the top 10?

Benoit Cori placed 13^th at the IAU World Trail Championships and won Templiers in 2014. The ITT course is far removed from both those courses but Benoit obviously has speed.

Marcin Swierc is another runner who will make his presence felt in the top 10. He placed 8^th at Mont-Blanc Marathon and 9^th at Templiers and 4th at the recent Mont-Blanc 80km. So it is clear to see that he has speed and strength. ITT adds other aspects and his final result will very much depend on how he can handle snow, ice and additional technical running.

Christophe Perillat is not a runner I know a great deal about. However, he did place 2^nd at the 2014 CCC. So with that in mind, he is no slouch in the mountains.

Cyril Cointre may well start the race? I need to have this confirmed. If he does, he will be a contender at the front of the race. He races extensively, some may say too much but despite this, he always pulls out the results. Recently he finished ahead of Anton Krupicka at Transgrancanaria.

Franco Colle knows how to run in the mountains; look at his results at Tor des Geants. The ITT terrain will suit him but will it be too short and too fast? He certainly performed exceptionally well at Mont-Blanc 80k when he placed 2nd behind Alex Nichols.

Several other names on the start sheet jump out at me:

Zigor Iturrieta has been there and done it in racing. I was last at a race with him in Nepal when he ran Everest Trail Race (he placed 3^rd) and he always manages to pull out the stops for strong consistent results.

Pavel Paloncy is a renowned adventure racer, 2-x winner of the UK’s Spine Race and recently raced The Dragons Back and would have placed well overall had it not been for a bad fall on day 1. Pavel is a strong and gritty runner. I do wonder though if this race may be too short and too fast for Pavel?

Stuart Air from the UK has run well at ITT before and top 10 would be a great result.

Ones to watch:

Daniel Garcia, Jessed Hernandez, Robert Niewland, Pawel Dybek,

Ladies

Emelie Forsberg has won ITT 2 x and I have no reason to doubt or question that she will do it again. It’s a course she loves, the terrain suits her and she has great memories. Last weekend she won and set a new course record in Alaska at Mount Marathon. It was 50-minute race but just today (Tuesday) she said her legs are tired! I think they will be okay for the weekend. Her performance and victory (off ski’s) at Transvulcania Ultramarathon in 2015 confirms that Emelie is the one to beat!

Anna Comet Pascua is on fire at the moment. I witnessed Anna win Everest Trail Race at the end of 2014 and she said then that she planned to race the Skyrunning circuit in 2015. A podium place at Transvulcania Ultramarathon and then a follow up podium behind Mira Rai at Mont-Blanc 80km confirms that Anna is doing something right. Just as in La Palma, I don’t think Anna has the race to beat Emelie but anything can happen?

It will not be an easy ride for Emelie and Maud Gobert will make sure of that. Maud placed 2^nd at ITT in 2014 and although she races lees now than in the past, on her day she can still make her presence felt.

Anne Lise Rousset placed 4^th at the IAU World Championships and although she has great potential for top 5 or maybe even the podium, I don’t see her coming close to Emelie on a course like this.

Magdalena Laczack however may well prove to be the dark horse of the race and is my top tip for 2^nd place and should Emelie falter, Magdalena could possibly take the victory? Her 3^rd place behind Emelie and Frosty at the Skyrunning World Championships (80km) in Chamonix confirms this.

Nuria Dominguez is an ever present on the Skyrunning circuit and always gets the job done. She has placed top 10 at Transgrancanaria, Zegama-Aizkorri, Dolomites SkyRace, Trans D’Havet, Limone Extreme and so on. Top 5 is a distinct possibility and most certainly a podium contender on a good day!

Beth Cardelli is one of the strongest runners in the Southern Hemisphere and won one of the shorter races at ITT in 2013. Climbing and long distance running is her forte and I am sure if she is making the journey from Australia she will be fired up for a great run. Recently she placed 4^th at Mt Difficulty and 3^rd at Buffalo Stampede when Landie Greyling topped the podium.

Ester Alves seems to be running everything at the moment. I would say ‘too much’ for her to have any potential for the podium at ITT but she may well make the top 5 and top 10 should be guaranteed if all goes well. Recently she placed 2^nd behind Stevie Kremer at Ultra SkyMarathon Madeira.

Ones to watch:

Ragna Debats, Frederica Boifava, Anna Strakova, Sarah Vieuielle and Virginie Govignon.

*****

The Ice Trail Tarentaise weekend is also renowned for the Bellevarde Vertical Kilometer, which was reintroduced in 2014.

The course is a tough one, which may include snow although this looks unlikely after recent high temperatures throughout Europe. This race may well prove to be very exciting, as Francois Gonon will run after his recent excellent CR on the vertical slopes in Chamonix.

Ones to watch:

Men

Francois Gonon
Nejc Kuhar
Marco Moletto
Ferran Teixido
Xavier Teixido
William Bon Mardion
Eirik Haugsness
Remi Bonnet

Ladies

Laura Orgue
Stephanie Jimenez
Emelie Forsberg (tbc)
Azara Garcia
Therese Sjursen
Erika Forni
Serena Vittori
Ekaterina Mityaev
Zhana Vokueva

Follow the racing in images and words on this website, on Facebook.com/iancorlessphotography on Twitter @talkultra and on Instagram @iancorlessphotography

Race Tweets will come to you via @skyrunning_com and on the Skyrunning Facebook page.

Ice Trail Tarentaise 2014 – Race Day Images & Report

Posted on July 13, 2014 by talkultra

Race day images from the 2014 Skyrunning Ice Trail Tarentaise

Race start images HERE

Press conference images HERE

It was a tough day in the mountains with low mist, persistent rain and at times, very cold temperatures. Francois d’Haene, runner up in 2013 and winner in 2012 was one again on top of the podium with a strong and dominant performance.

Equally, 2013 champion, Emelie Forsberg produced a great back-to-back performance and lead the ladies race from beginning to end.

Newly crowned Skyrunning Ultra World Champion, Luis Alberto Hernando was a key protagonist for much of the race but decided to drop in the latter stages. We can only assume that fatigue was an issue after his impressive performance in Chamonix!

Tom Owens from the UK ran at the from of the race all day and although he gave a place away in the latter stages to Fabian Antolinos from France (who placed 2nd), he was really pleased with a podium place.

Francesca Canepa had expected to be a force in the ladies race, however, an early fall took her out leaving the podium places wide open. Allessandra Carlini (Italy) and Maud Gobert (France) battled for much of the day and it was Carlini who managesd to sprint for the line and take 2nd.

Men

Francois d”Haene 7:38
Fabian Antonilos 7:56
Tom Owens 8:02

Ladies

Emelie Forsberg 9:25
Allessandra Carlini 9:42
Maud Gobert 9:42+

Attention now turns to Canazei and the Dolomites. This coming Friday is a VK and on Sunday it is the Dolomites Skyrace which will see both Emelie Forsberg and Kilian Jornet race.

All images available to purchase at iancorless.photoshelter.com

Ice Trail Tarentaise 2014 – Race Start Images

Posted on July 13, 2014 by talkultra

The 2014 Ice Trail Tarentaise got underway at 0400 Sunday 13th July. It was a wet start but temperatures were mild and everyone was enthusiastic at the tough challenge that would be ahead.

Ones to watch in the men are Francois d’Haene winner of the ITT in 2012 and 2nd in 2013 behind Kilian Jornet and Luis Alberto Hernando who beat Francois in Chamonix just 2-weeks ago.

For the ladies, Emelie Forsberg 2013 champion returns but she will have strong competition from Francesca Canepa and Maud Gobert amongst others.

Race Preview HERE