Limone Extreme SkyRace 2015 – Race Summary and Images

Posted on October 18, 2015 by talkultra

Another season of Skyrunning concluded in Limone sul Garda with the Limone Extreme SkyRace, the final race in the 2015 Skyrunner® World Series. As expected, it was a day of high emotions that ultimately resulted in blood, sweat, tears and elation.

Although race day conditions were ideal, a new course had been created after the thunderstorms of Thursday night and Friday morning. The resulting race although the same distance (23km) had an additional 800m of elevation and descent. Work it out! 23km and 2800m of elevation gain and descent, that can only mean one thing; pain!

One thing became clear though post race, although this new course was tougher it had a unanimous nod from all the runners that the additional difficulty was a good thing; that’s Skyrunning for you!

Final races in a series can often have a forgone conclusion of who will be crowned respective male and female Skyrunner® World Series champions, not here in Limone. It was wide open and all to fight for.

Click on the images to view pre race photographs:

In the men’s race, Remi Bonnet once again proved that we have a star in the making. He followed on from the previous nights VK victory with a world-class SKY performance that left every other runner in the race trailing in his wake. It was stunning to watch. This course is tough, don’t doubt it! Remi ran every step. He has an incredible style, almost shuffling as he moves from left-to-right foot in small movements. It’s incredibly effective and ultimately impossible to follow. Despite him winning the race outright, he could not follow up his Skyrunner® World Series victory for the VK distance as he did not have a result on a Continental race, had he had this, he may well have been the 2015 champion?

Behind Remi, series leader, Tadei Pivk grabbed the bull by the horns and followed the young Swiss runner with 100% determination. His style on the climbs was in complete contrast to Remi; he almost fought the terrain! On the final long descent back down to the Lake and the finish line in Limone, I had expected Tadei to close the gap as he descends incredibly well. Alas no, the day was not for him but his 2^nd place gave him the ultimate prize of the 2015 Skyrunner® World Series title.

Ever present Manuel Merillas, also a strong contender for the overall series ran a well paced race and moved from 6^th, 5^th and 4^th to finally finish 3^rd. It was a great result and ultimately secured his 2^nd place in the Skyrunner® World Series rankings ahead of Martin Anthamatten who took the final podium slot despite finishing 13^th on the day, no doubt carrying over fatigue from his recent victory in the USA.

In the ladies race a hotly anticipated battle between Laura Orgue and Megan Kimmel really came to fruition and as always happens in these scenarios, somebody wins, somebody looses. Laura Orgue already had the Skyrunner® World Series title for the VK distance secure before Friday’s VK race and she made the very sensible decision not to race and save her legs for the following day and Saturday’s Sky race.

Running at the front of the race, the VK specialist really embraced the additional 800m of vertical gain and used all her climbing skills to pull off a stunning victory. It was a gutsy ‘give it everything’ performance and one that Maite Maiora tried to spoil. They traded blows throughout the day and Laura managed to squeeze ahead and find those extra percentages of performance to finish just 17-seconds ahead of the La Sportiva runner.

Could Megan Kimmel finish 3^rd and secure the world series title?

No! A tough day in the office and carried over fatigue from a recent victory in the USA’s Flagstaff race resulted in Megan feeling tired all day. Of course, the additional 800m of vert didn’t help. Megan finally finished 6^th and just had to accept that ‘these things happen!’

Oihana Kortazar followed up a great run from the previous days VK with the final podium place ahead of Elisa Desco and Yngvild Kaspersen.

A season comes to an end and with it we have memories, emotions and passion. The 2015 Skyrunner® World Series champions are:

Laura Orgue and Remi Bonnet are the SWS champions for the VK distance.

Laura Orgue and Tadei Pivk are the SWS champions for the SKY distance.

Emelie Forsberg and Luis Alberto Hernando are SWS champions for the ULTRA distance.

Attention now turns to 2016 and the calendar of races that will once again secure the hearts and minds of the mountain running community.

Less Cloud, More Sky!

Results

Laura Orgue 3:18:50
Maite Maiora 3:19:07
Oihana Kortazar 3:22:24
Elisa Desco 3:28:00
Yngvild Kaspersen 3:28:40

Remi Bonnet 2:45:25
Tadei Pivk 2:51:08
Manuel Merillas 2:52:52
Jokin Lizeaga2:53:55
Aritz Egea 2:55:47

Moments from the finish line, click on images to view larger:

RACE DAY IMAGES – more images to follow as soon as wifi becomes available

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Limone Extreme VK 2015 – Summary and Images

Posted on October 17, 2015 by talkultra

Laura Orgue and Remi Bonnet are crowned 2015 Skyrunner® World Series Champions for the VK distance in Limone on the shore of Lake Garda at the 4^th edition of the Limone Extreme race.

Torrential rain and thunderstorms the previous night and morning of the VK resulted in a course change instigated by the race organisation for safety reasons. The resulting course was very different to the original route and considerably longer at 6km. Less steep, less technical and considerably more runnable. Of course this may very well have changed the dynamic of the race but the usual protagonists for the VK distance still performed at the highest level.

VK specialist Urban Zemmer dictated the early pace showing his all around ability to run and drop his hands on his knees and grind out a fast pace on the steeper gradients. However, it was rising star of the sport, Remi Bonnet, who finally made his presence felt at the front. Too many observers this was expected after his recent performances at the RUT in the USA and his most recent victory at Lantau 2 Peaks in Hong Kong. Tromso VK winner, Stian Angermund placed 3^rd ahead of Hannes Perkmann VK ever-present Jonathan Wyatt in 5^th.

In the ladies’ race, Laura Orgue already had the Skyrunner® World Series title sewn up based on previous victories. Despite this, her plan was to run the VK and SKY. However, in the days before the VK, Laura had picked up a virus and decided it was best to miss the distance she loves:

“Hard decision today, I need to rest instead of race in the VK. I’m not feeling 100% so I have decided to recover for tomorrow’s SKY race of 23km and 2800m of elevation!”

Last minute entrant and VK specialist, Christel Dewalle was the fastest lady on the day and lead from the front constantly trailed by Antonella Confortola, Maite Maiora and Norwegian rising star, Yngvild Kaspersen who moved up to 2^nd in the overall rankings.

The ladies’ positions remained this way all the way to the line with Spanish runner Oihana Kortazar taking the 5^th spot.

A total of 296-runners toed the line of the VK which started at the picturesque location of Marconi lakefront on the shores of Lake Garda. The overall elevation gain of the new route was 1200m+ in a distance of 6km.

Attention now turns the SKY race which will start today, Saturday at 1200 local time. This course has also been changed due to Thursday nights and Friday mornings excessive weather. The new route has an additional 800m of vertical gain which makes what was a tough race, exceptionally tough!

RESULTS

1-Christel Dewalle (50’48”)

2-Antonella Confortolla (53’12”)

3-Maite Maiora (53’46”)

4-Yngvild Kaspersen (54’58”)

5-Oihana Kortazar (56’27”)

1-Rémi Bonnet (43’51”)

2-Urban. Zemmer (44′)

3-Stian Angermund. (44’13”)

4-Hannes Perkmann (44’26”)

5-Jono Wyatt (44’43”)

Skyrunner® World Series ranking 2015:

Laura Orgue
Yngvild Kaspersen
Maite Maiora

Remi Bonnet
Nejc Kuhar
Ferran Teixido

Limone sul Garda also provided a location for the Skyrunning AGM where the 2014 calendar, 2015 calendar and the future of the sport was discussed.

Less Cloud, More Sky!

Lantau 2 Peaks 2015 – Race Summary and Images

Posted on October 4, 2015 by talkultra

Hong Kong is a cacophony of noise, colour and experiences. Add heat and high humidity and it provides a very unique setting for the 4^th race in the 2015 Skyrunner® World Series.

The race run by Action Asia Events starts and finishes in Tung Chung on Lantau Island and as the name suggests, takes in the 2 peaks; Sunset Peak and Lantau Peak. In just 23km’s the races climbs and drops a total of 3975m. ‘Steps’ offer unique terrain that signifies a Hong Kong race and ones’ ability to go up and down is taken to a new level by this demanding terrain.

Two days of great Hong Kong weather unfortunately deteriorated the day before the race and many of the elite runners’ worst fears came true on race day when rain continued to fall accompanied by gale force winds that were rated as a level-3 typhoon. It’s not that elite runners don’t like running in the rain; not all. However, slick stone steps with a layer of water are a potential accident waiting to happen in any scenario, add ‘racing’ to the max and pushing the pace require a leap of faith. The wind was so strong at times you would be lifted of your feet and thrown like a piece of rubbish on the trail.

Yes, the 2015 Lantau 2 Peaks was one to remember!

The race was ultimately about the rising of two stars; Remi Bonnet and Yngvild Kaspersen. Young guns having some fun with a smile and a passion. They really did show the rest of the field a master-class in running in the extremely tough conditions.

Race Report

Runners had arrived in Hong Kong a couple of days before the race to check out the course, adjust to the humidity and explore a little of what Hong Kong has to offer. Two days of excellent weather unfortunately turned sour the day before the race as storms came in from the sea, torrential rain and the possibility of a typhoon!

The island of Lantau provides a very different race experience to what one can expect in Europe. Stairs (stone steps irregularly placed) provide a key element of the course not only going up but coming down. The wet adds an additional element and one that would test each and every runner on race day.

Starting in Tung Chunk at 0730, the runners had a fast and furious start over 2km’s before the climbing would start to the first peak of the day, Sunset Peak. The predicted typhoon hit in a force 3 making conditions ‘off-the-scale’ as rain flooded down the mountain creating impromptu rivers and waterfalls. Add to this gale force winds that would lift you off your feet and the stage was set for an epic battle.

For the men, Remi Bonnet pushed the pace from the gun ahead of Manuel Merillas and Aritz Egea, in pursuit Tadei Pivk, Marco De Gasperi and the remainder of the elite runners were spread out over the mountain. Yngvild Kaspersen like Remi set a blistering pace at the front, behind Laura Orgue pursued and then Elisa Desco and Maite Maiora.

Over Sunset Peak (3^rd highest in Hong Kong) steps provided a sharp and sudden drop to CP1 and the 2^nd climb to Lantau Peak at 934m. The hard steps, slick conditions and fierce competition made the course extremely challenging.

Pushing upward to Lantau, the trail closed in, opened up and then intersperses steps once again. The course requires a unique style of running (or hiking) as the irregular height and depth of the steps makes finding a rhythm awkward.

Pre race, Laura Orgue had said, “Hong Kong will be an absolutely different race to what we are used to.” She was correct. The combination of mixed terrain and inclement weather on race day all made for a unique challenge.

Remi Bonnet and Yngvild Kaspersen were leading the respective men’s and ladies’ races with two master-class performances, one could even say they made it look easy! At the summit of Lantau Peak, barring an accident they both would be crowned 2015 champions. But with a huge drop from the summit and slick conditions to contend with, the final rankings were still open.

With 23km’s covered and 1987m of vertical gain and more importantly maybe, 1988m of vertical loss, Remi arrived triumphant at Citygate in Tung Chung, a circular trip completed taking in the Lantau 2 Peaks in a time of 02:14:07. Manuel Merillas fought a hard battle for 2^nd and Tadei Pivk took 3^rd place ahead of a charging Greg Vollet. Artiz Egea who had run in 3^rd place earlier dropped to 5^th.

Yngvild Kaspersen won the race for the ladies in 02:42:04 and Laura Orgue held on to 2^nd. Maite Maiora in the closing stages overhauled Elisa Desco on the descent and placed 3^rd. Stevie Kremer placed 5^th having struggled with jet lag having only landed in Hong Kong the night before the race after 24-hours of travel.

Results:

Remi Bonnet 2:14:07
Manuel Merillas 2:24:29
Tadei Pivk 2:26:39

Yngvild Kaspersen 2:42:04
Laura Orgue 2:49:58
Maite Maiora 2:51:19

RANKING

Sky Series ranking provisional results (after Lantau 2 Peaks & US Continental Championships)
Men
1. Tadei Pivk (ITA) Crazy Idea – 366 points
2. Manuel Merillas (ESP) Mammut/Compressport – 332 points
3. Tom Owens (GBR) Salomon- 268 points
3. Ionut Zinca (ROU) Valetudo – 268 points
5. Aritz Egea (ESP)E MF – 252 points

Women
1. Laura Orguè (ESP) Salomon – 364 points
2. Elisa Desco (ITA) SCOTT Sports/Compressport – 350 points
3. Maite Maiora (ESP) La Sportiva – 322 points
4. Megan Kimmel (USA) Asics – 300 points
5. Stevie Kremer (USA) Salomon – 254 points

Full results HERE

Lantau 2 Peaks (Hong Kong) 2015 Race Preview

Posted on September 29, 2015 by talkultra

Exciting and vibrant Hong Kong hosts the Lantau 2 Peaks this coming weekend, the 4^th race in the 2015 Skyrunner® World Series. Following on from the RUT 25km and just 3 weeks before the series final in Limone, the Lantau 2 Peaks is going to be a very exciting race!

Located at Citygate, Tung Chung the race has a total distance of 23km’s and an elevation gain of 1987m. It’s a very tough course that will involve and require plenty of hands-on-knee action. The race website warns:

Please make sure you do hill training before competing in this category as you will be climbing some of the biggest peaks in Hong Kong.

Estimated winning time for the 23km is 3 hours which puts the course into perspective, especially when one also considers the cut-off time is 8 hours.

MEN

Ionut Zinca, Remi Bonnet, Marco De Gasperi, Tadei Pivk, Manuel Merillas, Aritz Egea, Hassan Ait Chaou, Iban Letamendi and Greg Vollet head up a world-class field and as one can imagine, it will be a battle royal for top honors.

Remi Bonnet is the new kid on the block and showed everyone a clean pair of heals at the RUT VK and SKY race with 2 stand out performances. The race here in Hong Kong will suit his racing style, particularly coming so close after the challenging USA course.

Tadei Pivk placed 2^nd at the RUT behind Remi Bonnet and just seconds ahead of Marco de Gasperi. Tadei has had a great 2015 with stand out performances at Zegama-Aizkorri and the Dolomites SkyRace. He will be looking to get ahead of the rest of the field and score another 100% points to lead the world series ranking going into Limone Extreme.

Marco De Gasperi can never be rules out in ‘any’ SKY race. The 20+km distance is Marco’s forte and it’s a distance that he excels at. His recent FKT’s and 3^rd place performance at the RUT show that he has plenty of great form.

Ionut Zinca adds even more firepower to the front of the race and he is an ever-present on the Skyrunner® World Series and one who consistently places on the podium. The battle here in China is a tough one but Ionut has the race to most certainly take one of the top-3 slots and of course, he can win the race!

Manuel Merillas was a rising star in 2014 and he has followed that up in 2015 with another string of tope performances. He has been a little quiet lately which will mean that he comes to Lantau with fresh legs. Considering the quality of this field it’s extremely difficult to say who will and who will not make the podium. Manuel for sure is podium material but we already have 4 runners listed above who potentially will take those slots… like I said, it’s going to be quite a battle!

Aritz Egea rounds up the hot favourites for the podium. Like Ionut Zinca, Aritz is a strong and consistent performer on the Skyrunner® World Series. Expect him to go out hard and potentially lead the race in the early stages. The question mark will come if he can hold on to that lead?

LADIES

Just like in the men’s race, the ladies race has a plethora of top female talent who in 2015 have excelled in the SKY distance: Laura Orgue, Yngvild Kaspersen, Stevie Kremer, Maite Maiora, Elisa Desco, Azara Garcia, Martina Valmassoi and Hanny Alston.

Elisa Desco in many respects heads up the ladies as arguably the most rounded athlete for this course. Her mixed ability to descend as well as she climbs makes her a hot contender to top the podium. Her recent victory at Matterhorn Ultraks confirms this. However, Elisa has had a mixed year?

Laura Orgue is a VK specialist who has started to race more often at the SKY distance. Strong performances at the RUT and the Dolomites have elevated Laura as ‘one-to-watch’ and I expect a podium placing here in Hong Kong. Climbing ability has sometimes been let down by descending, however, Laura is improving with every race.

Stevie Kremer has been racing in Europe less in 2015 and as a result has increased her profile within the USA. No stranger to Hong Kong, Stevie will be without doubt a force at the front of the race. In the early stages we can expect her to be up at the front with Laura as they charge up the climbs. My gut reaction says Laura, Elisa and Stevie may well be 1,2,3 but in what order?

Yngvild Kaspersen like Remi Bonnet is Salomon’s new secret weapon(s) for the future. Without doubt a star in the making, Yngvild has consistently run strong performances over VK and SKY distance. She won the Tromso SkyRace and placed 2^nd in the VK just 1-second behind Emelie Forsberg. One to watch!

Maite Maiora has raced a great deal in 2015 and Lantau 2 Peaks adds to an already impressive list. On her day, Maite can run with the best and win. For me though, this has been a long season and the edge required for victory may well be missing. Don’t get me wrong though, she will be in the mix.

Azara Garcia won at Zegama-Aizkorri and looked set for an incredible 2015. Injury hit though. If fully recovered, Azara may well topple the whole race and come out with victory despite my 1, 2, 3 predictions. Without doubt she will be fresh and hungry.

Martina Valmassoi raced at the RUT and made the podium for the ultra distance; her 1st ultra! She comes to Hong Kong as a potential contender for a top placing. The question will come down to how fast she can turn the legs over? By all accounts, she is a great descender!

Hanny Allston rounds up the top contenders. The Aussie orienteer has turned heads recently and comes to Hong Kong as a potential dark horse who may well create quite a stir.

Needless to say, I have previewed the elite runners who are travelling to China to participate on the Lantau 2 Peaks race. Without doubt, local talent will figure in the overall results. So, if you have an ear to the ground and know of any hot tips for the win, please let us know.

Race website HERE

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In addition, the official Skyrunning Facebook page (here) and Twitter @skyrunning_com will have regular updates and news.

THE RUT – LONE PEAK VK 2015 Race Images and Summary

Posted on September 5, 2015 by talkultra

Starting at the Big Sky Resort base area, the Lone Peak VK offered Skyrunners a lung busting ascent to the summit of Lone Peak (11,166ft) in just a little less than 5k.

It may not be the steepest VK on the Skyrunner® World Series but it certainly is one of the most dramatic and the views from the summit are quite incredible.

In contrast to 2014, the first half of the VK route had a change based on operational concerns of Big Sky Resort. So this year, the sole hole biking trail is a no go and the route takes on a steeper and more direct route following the ethos and principals of Skyrunning.

Heading up Huntley Hollow and Calamity Jane ski runs the route headed up to the Bone Crusher and the impressive Alto ridge. Here it gets steep, gnarly and technical and the long haul, hands-on-knees grunt continued to the summit. The final sections had a potential for rockfall, exposure and other objective hazards.

View and purchase the RUT IMAGES HERE

Starting in waves, the elite runners departed first on the stroke of 1500 in a mass group. The early stages were always going to be about finding a rhythm, working out a good pace and then looking for a prime position before the more technical and challenging terrain started. Remi Bonnet and Laura Orgue pushed from the start and both looked very strong at the midway point before the more technical sections started.

In the ladies race Morgan Arritola looked to be closing the gap with 500m covered but Laura found the extra reserves to push on to the line. Ladies rising star, Yngvild Kaspersen ran a strong race and relegated ladies Tromso VK winner, Emelie Forsberg with a strong push for 3^rd.

Remi Bonnet was in a class of his own on this course and finished clear of Matterhorn Ultraks winner, Martin Anthamatten and Ferran Teixido moved up from 4^th place and 500m to 3^rd at the line.

At the summit Remi Bonnet arrived first looking spent with the effort in a time of 45:58:04. It was a dominating performance and a confirmation of a star in the making. Holding on for 2^nd was Martin Anthamatten and 3^rd place was Ferran Teixido in 47:38:78 and 48:04:89. respectively.

In the ladies’ race Laura Orgue finished a strong 1st 1-minute clear of Morgan Arritola 2^nd and Yngvild Kaspersen 3^rd. Times were 52:20:36, 53:16:79 and 55:15:05.

The weather and altitude played a key factor in the Lone Peak VK and when a race starts on or around 2000m, a runner’s altitude adaptation was always going to play a key part.

Attention now turns to Saturday and the 25km event. This event will prove to be fast and furious with mixed terrain that includes single track, jeep roads, alpine ridge lines and the summit of the iconic Lone Peak.

Results:

Laura Orgue 52:20:36
Morgan Arritola 53:16:79
Yngvild Kaspersen 55:15:05

Remi Bonnet 45:58:04
Martin Anthamatten 47:38:78
Ferran Teixido 48:04:89

Tromsö VK 2015 – Race images and summary

Posted on July 31, 2015 by talkultra

Tromsö, Norway was shrouded in mist and low cloud today. Ironic considering that the previous days had glorious sunshine and blue skies. At 3pm, leaving the sea of the Ersfjord fjord runners faced a vertical climb of 1.044m reaching the top of Store Blåmann; the first VK in Tromsö.

It’s a technical course that mixes many different terrain types to make this an ultimate challenge for the VK specialist and novice. 117 runners made it to the top having crossed several sections on large rocks, boulders, scrambling sections and snow.

From the beginning of the race, a small group of strong athletes pushed at the front with local, Stian Angermund pushing ahead of Pascal Egli and Remi Bonnet. Slovenian Nejk Kuhar and the Norwegian Thorbjorn Ludvigsen chased hard but were loosing ground at the mid point. Angermund obviously wanted victory on home soil and sealed the top podium slot with a strong finish in a remarkable 35:20. Remi Bonnet moved up into 2nd an Pascal Egli completed the podium.

Yngvild Kaspersen from Tromsö followed up a great run at Dolomites SkyRace and pushed race director Emelie Forsberg all the way to the line. But Forsberg managed to win (43:41) by just 1 second after a sprint on the last rocky section before the summit. Maite Maiora took the final podium place.

Tromsö and race directors, Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg pulled out all the stops to make this VK a very special occasion. It was like a group of friends assembling and undertaking a fun day of running in a very casual and informal way. But the planning and experience was well established ahead of the race and all went smoothly. Kilian post race said:

“Everyone was very positive and happy and I am really pleased we had no issues. It was a success!”

Many of the runners will now rest and look to do ‘the double’ and get ready for Sunday’s events; The Hamperokken SkyRace, part of the for the Ultra SkyRunner® World Series and the Tromsdalstind SkyRace of 21km. Both races will start at 10am.

Results

1. Stian Hovind-Angermund 35:20
2. Remi Bonnet 35:42
3. Pascal Egli 36:05

1.   Emelie Forsberg 43:41
2.   Yngvild Kaspersen 43:42
3.   Maite Maiora 45:10

Results clasificación