Eleven years in a row the GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN has helped runners from around the world fulfill their dreams: Getting to know and crossing the Alps in the context of a trail-running competition! 2016 won’t be an exception! Roughly 300 teams of two racers each can sign-up for the renowned end-of-summer challenge. Many more will fail to score one of the coveted team registrations. After all, starter packages are limited and the 2016 race follows an altogether new course which tends to raise the curiosity of the trail-running community. Anyone keen on entering the 2016 competition should earmark 12th December 2015 in their calendar. That day marks the opening date of registration for what clearly qualifies as one of the toughest stage races out there.
„Trail runners are mainly interested in two aspects of a race: exciting trails and big, unspoilt landscapes which is precisely the reason why I am thrilled about the new course both as a sponsor but also as a participating athlete“. That’s what Jürgen Kurapkat, European Public Relations Officer for GORE-TEX® Footwear, Gloves & Accessories, has to say about the upcoming 2016 race. He should know having participated in the event eleven times to date.
The course of the 12th GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN should not just sit well with Kurapkat but will more than likely appeal to the vast majority of athletes. The race sets off from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on 4th September 2016. The start location is squarely in view of the Zugspitze (9,718 ft.), a famed landmark mountain high above town and – to racers – a harbinger of things to come. The course initially skirts the base of the mountain massif on the German-Austrian border with Lermoos, Tyrol, hosting the racers „on their first night out“.
Next destination is Imst by way of the Mieminger Range. The third race day is spent on the steep slopes of the Pitztal (best known for its skiing) and ends in the village of Mandarfen which hosts the layover en route to famed Sölden, Ötztal. In between these resorts racers will cross a bona fide glacier, a first in the history of the event. The fifth of seven stage finally takes competitors across the High Divide into Italy’s South Tyrol. St. Leonhard / San Leonardo will be the first Italian town racers will set foot in. Having arrived in the southern Alps at last, it’s time for some dolce vita – rest much needed before heading into the scenic high country of the Sarner Alps. Next up is a layover at Sarnthein before the race embarks on its final stage to the finish line in Brixen / Bressanone. By then, the athletes will have 247.3 km under their belt, not to mention 14,973 m of positive vertical and a touch more on the descents.
Course director Christoph Schellhammer has good reason to be proud of the new route across the Alps. Not only does the race visit three countries in a matter of seven days but there are several „firsts“ that previous races couldn’t offer. „For one there’s the traverse of a real glacier in the Ötztaler Alps. For another, there’s the Timmelsjoch, the only high-elevation mountain pass in this part of the Alps that doesn’t require technical gear to cross. Also, we’ve upped the challenge by choosing some high-elevation finish and start locations that should leave the odd racer short of breath – not just on account of the scenery.“ Other highlights of the course include the finish on the Gaislachkogel where scenes of the latest James Bond movie were filmed and the renowned world heritage views over the Dolomites.
The new course should meet with lots of interest in an increasingly sophisticated trail-running community. Potential candidates for the race should make up their minds quickly – registration for the roughly 300 team entries will be available as of Saturday, 12th December 2015. Further information on the GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN can be found on the re-designed and updated event homepage www.transalpine-run.com.
Some facts and stats on the GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN:
Dates: 04 – 10. September 2016
Start location: Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER)
Finish location: Brixen / Bressanone (ITA)
Layover locations: Lermoos (AUT), Imst (AUT), Mandarfen-Pitztal (AUT), Sölden (AUT), St. Leonhard / San Leonardo in Passeier (ITA), Sarnthein (ITA)
Countries visited: Germany (GER), Austria (AUT), Italy (ITA)
Course details: 247,30 k / 14.973 positive vertical / 15.109 negative vertical
Race categories*: Men / Women / Mixed, Master Men / Master Women / Master Mixed (40+ years), Senior Master Men / Senior Master Women (50+ years)
* each category subject to a minimum number of competitors.
