“Let the games begin!” – Not the Olympic summer games in Rio de Janeiro that will be opened in a week’s time on 5 August. We’re talking about the 4th Südtirol Ultra Skyrace: The extreme mountain race along the Hufeisen tour in the Sarntal Alps will take place this coming weekend (29-31 July).

For the record number of 519 extreme athletes from 19 countries the wait is over. On Friday at 8:00 p.m. the start gun for the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace (121 km/ 6554 m altitude differential) will be fired. Saturday morning (7 p.m.) is the start for the mountain runners who registered for the Südtirol Skyrace (69 km/3930 m altitude differential) and the Südtirol Sky Marathon (42.2 km/2863 m altitude differential).

While the marathon runners will for the first time fight for victory on (a part of) the Hufeisen tour, the participants in the other two distances will battle it out for track records. On the original distance the challenge is to beat the record of 17:52:24 hours set by three times winner Alexander Rabensteiner (Chiusa). For the women the record is held by South Tyrolean Annemarie Gross from Merano. She completed the 121 km with an altitude differential of 7554 m in 21:57.53 hours. Rabensteiner will not be at the start this year and Gross will be attempting the marathon distance. This means that one thing is certain: There will be new winners in the most extreme trail run in the Alps.

The Südtirol Skyrace (69 km/3930 m) was won last year by Fulvio Dapit from Racines with a record time of 7:04.44 hours, while two years ago Anna Figura from Poland arrived at the Prati del Talvera in Bolzano after 8:50.49 hours. It will be interesting to see if anyone will be able to break those records this year!

450 volunteers are ready – and as always, highly motivated

The organising committee of the Association ASV Südtirol Ultra Skyrace headed up by Günther Mair and supported by partners Sportler, La Sportiva, the Bolzano Tourist Office and the municipality of Val Sarentino, as well as the over 450 volunteers from 13 different clubs and associations from the Sarntal Alps region are also ready and look forward to the challenge. “This year we moved the start forward by 2 hours to 8 p.m. I hope that this will mean that more spectators will gather at the Piazza Walther. We would be delighted if they came to enjoy our fantastic framework programme on Saturday and Sunday on Prati del Talvera and on Piazza Post in Sarentino, with an early morning pint, live concerts and much more”, said Mair.

The Chair of the organising committee also invites all mountain enthusiasts to line the route. “The start on Friday will be highly spectacular. A visit to the Hufeisen tour will also be worthwhile on Saturday and Sunday, to encounter many of the athletes and to cheer them on. Strategically good points on Saturday morning are Passo di Pennes, the half-way point of the route. There is also much going on in Sarentino on Piazza Post when the runners of the short distances arrive at the finish or take refreshments for the final part of their stretch. From late Saturday morning on the Western side of the Sarntal Alps is also a good point. This includes the area around Punta Cervina, Monte Catino and the stone cairns. On Salto the athletes will need an extra dose of support and cheer, because from there the finish is still over 15 km away”, states Mair.

The first arrivals at the finishing line in Sarentino in the Südtirol Sky Marathon are expected for between 11 a.m. and 12 noon. The fastest finishers in the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace and the Südtirol Skyrace will cross the finishing line in Bolzano on Saturday between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.

INFO: Südtirol Ultra Skyrace