In just over four and a half months the start gun will be fired for the 6th edition of the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace, that will take place from 27 to 29 July 2018. The participants in this extreme mountain run along the horseshoe shaped Hufeisen tour in the Sarntal Alps can choose between four routes of various degrees of difficulty, ranging from the “easy” trail run to the “most extreme experience in the Alps”. All adventurers share the same goal: to complete the run and arrive on the Prati del Talvera in Bolzano or on the Piazza Chiesa in Sarentino as a finisher.
121 kilometres, 7554 m altitude differential: These hard facts of the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace alone instil a great amount of respect in all extreme athletes. Respect, because the athletes on the Hufeisen tour are running in the high Alpine terrain of the Sarntal Alps. An absence of vertigo and surefootedness are absolute prerequisites for meeting this challenge. The majority of the participants will be running for longer than 24 hours. After the start on Friday, 27 July at 8:00 pm on Piazza Walther in Bolzano, some will have to endure a second night on the trail in order to be celebrated as the finisher by the many fans gathering at the finish on the Prati del Talvera in the capital of South Tyrol.
Just over half as long is the Südtirol Skyrace (69 km/3930 m altitude differential) that starts on Saturday morning at 7:00 am, almost at the same time as the Südtirol Sky Marathon (42 km/2863 m altitude differential). From the South Tyrolean capital the trail runners set off for Corno del Renon and then via Forcella di Sarentino to Chiesetta del Morto, where the descent to Sarentino village centre starts. While the marathon runners enjoy the celebrations of their sporting achievement there, the Skyrace runners break for refreshments before continuing up to Auener Jöchl and on to the stone cairns, down to Möltner Kaser and via Salto back to San Genesio. From there, it is another challenging 5 kilometres steep descent to the finishing line in Bolzano.
The Südtirol Sky Trail is ideal for all beginners
New for this year is the Südtirol Sky Trail (27 km/1027 m altitude differential). The start is from Piazza Chiesa in Sarentino. The route is the same as the second section of the Südtirol Skyrace and is ideally suited for all athletes who are starting trail running and would like to gain a first experience in mountain running. The Südtiroler Sporthilfe will become a partner of the Südtirol Sky Trail. For each participant in the new short distance the organisers will donate 10 Euro for young South Tyrolean athletes. “Being active and doing good” – the Südtirol Sky Trail makes it possible.
Registrations for all four distances are open on the official websites www.ultraskyrace.it . Until 31 May registration for the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace costs 140 Euro. Participation in the Südtirol Skyrace costs 90 Euro and in the Südtirol Sky Marathon 60 Euro. The Südtirol Sky Trail 40 Euro. The event is supported by sponsors Sportler, La Sportiva, Cassa Raiffeisen Val Sarentino and other local sponsors.
INFO: Südtirol Ultra Skyrace
