What would seem unfathomable to the uninitiated, is clearly a matter of impeccable preparation and careful resource management – both mental and physical – for thousands of runners in the SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL. After all, they don’t just take on a huge distance but also lots of daunting vertical along the way around Germany’s loftiest peak. Breath-taking scenery shared with like-minded competitors and flowy trails seem all they need to compensate them for the inevitable toil between 19.-21. June 2015.
This year’s runners hail from far-flung places such as New Zealand, Brazil, China and Guatemala – just to name a few of the 50 nations represented at the SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIl 2015. In just five years, the number of countries racers call home has doubled. Actual numbers of participants have more than tripled since the inaugural event in 2011. The roster of available courses in the event also has kept up with growing interest offering a quintuple of race distances ranging from a 25K „sprint“ race to the 100K „long-haul“.
While each of the 2,200 athletes will have very personal reasons for participating in the SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL in 2015, there are undoubtedly some unique ones. There is Denise Reis of Porto Alegre (Brazil) for instance, who visited the Zugspitz massif twenty years ago and never got the rugged mountainscape nestled within lush forests and green meadows out of her mind. It’s those memories that enticed her to sign up for the Basetrail course (25K) during an extended trip to Europe this summer. For Alon Saliman, an avid trail runner from Israel, the draw may not be memory lane (yet) but the ambition to take his pastime from the rugged hills of home to the real mountains. What better place to take it one more step than at the SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL? Alon will be able to draw on experienced help: his buddy Roman Spivak, who joined the race in 2011 for the first time and – a true regular – hasn’t missed a beat since. Clearly, the scenic race managed to put a spell on him.
While the Ultratrail distance with its 100 km and 5,380 m of vertical captures not just Alon’s but just about everybody’s imagination, not all will be cut out to take on the daunting challenge (yet). That doesn’t mean they’ll miss out, however. While Ultratrail racers may claim the fame to a full circumnavigation of the mountain massif, each of the four shorter courses offers a satisfying experience by itself – as evidenced by their huge popularity.
While some would go as far as to say that the scenery is second to none in the Alps – regardless of the course of choice, others will refer to the impeccable organisation for which the event has gotten known for. Not to mention the quaint resort communities on either side of the German-Austrian border that host the start/finish venues and all share one thing – a view of the magnificent Zugspitz massif – although from distinctly different angles.
The event sets off in Grainau, Germany, during the wee hours of Saturday morning with the race itinerary calling for staggered starts on all other courses along the mountain’s perimeter. Participants in the Supertrail XL line up next in Ehrwald, Austria, followed an hour later by racers in Leutsch-Weidach (Austria) and yet another hour later in Mittenwald (Germany). Athletes in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) will be last to leave – albeit at a furious pace given that the chase is on. Staggering the start times in this manner holds great advantages for spectators without crowding the athletes on the loop trail to the joint finish at Grainau.
SALOMON Zugspitz Ultratrail 2015 – the stats:
- Start: 20. June 2015
- Ultratrail: 100 km / 5.380 m V+, start 07:15 am Grainau (GER)
- Supertrail XL: 78,5 km / 4.106 m V+, start 8:00 am, Ehrwald (AT)
- Supertrail: 60,1 km / 2.920 m V+, start 9:00 Uhr, Leutasch-Weidach (AT)
- Basetrail XL: 35,6 km / 1.843 m V+, start 10:00 am, Mittenwald (GER)
- Basetrail: 25,1 km / 1595 m V+, start 10.30 am, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER)
- Finish: Grainau, Germany (all courses)
- 2 countries: Germany / Austria
- 8 race categories (min. 15 participants req.): Men / Women, Master Men / Master Women (40+ years of age), Senior Master Men / Senior Master Women (50+ years), Grand Master Men / Grand Master Women (60+ years)
