The wait is over: the South Tyrol Ultra Skyrace begins tomorrow

At 22 p.m. the starting signal for the most extreme mountain run in South Tyrol will be given at Bolzano's Waltherplatz. The route is 121 kilometers (7069 meters in altitude) long and the athletes have to cover it in a maximum of 40 hours. The short version, the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace “short” with a route length of 66 kilometers (4260 meters altitude), is no less strenuous.

There are some top-class athletes at the start of the second edition of the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace. In addition to last year's winner Alexander Rabensteiner, who won in July 2013 in 18:42.20 hours, the Hungarian Csaba Németh, an extremely experienced and, above all, successful trail runner, can be expected among the men. Nemeth faces strong competition from Spain, namely from Lucas Boix, who was there last year. At that time he got lost and lost a lot of time before he had to stop the extreme mountain run with more than 50 other participants due to a thunderstorm near the Meraner Hütte. Four other mountain runners who achieved a top ten result in the South Tyrol Ultra Skyrace last year have also registered, namely Oswald Wenin (4th), Peter Kienzl (6th), Matteo Bolis (7th) and Alfred Psenner (8th.).

Among the women, Annemarie Gross from Meran is the top favorite. Her worst opponent will be last year's fourth-placed Cristiana Follador. Anna Figura, a member of the Polish national ski mountaineering team, is taking part. But she signed up for the short version.

240 participants from 12 nations

The heroes of the South Tyrol Ultra Skyrace are not just the top athletes who are fighting for victory or top results. Above all, the heroes are the countless amateur runners who take on the rigors of this extreme mountain run. The majority of the starters, 187 participants, come from South Tyrol (127) and the remaining regions of Italy. 30 Germans, ten Austrians, four Slovenians, two Swiss and one extreme athlete each from the Czech Republic, Spain, Great Britain, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia and the USA make up a total of 240 mountain runners from 12 nations. The oldest among them is no stranger to the local running scene. Sepp Rungaldier, the OC chief of the Soltn mountain half marathon, celebrated his 18th birthday on March 68th. He tackles the short distance. Hermann Schaiter from Bruneck, who turns 27 on September 68th, wants to cover the entire 121 kilometers. The oldest participant, however, comes from Innsbruck: Gertraud Mair will celebrate her 60th birthday next January.

The OC boss gives the green light

The 20-person organizing committee led by Josef Günther Mair has been working feverishly over the past few weeks to ensure that everything runs smoothly this weekend. Today and tomorrow the start and finish area will be set up, the route will be walked again by the volunteers and sufficiently marked. “The final phase of the preparatory work has now begun. Slowly but surely the tension is increasing for us too. We are happy that it is finally starting. The South Tyrol Ultra Skyrace is a great event that thrives on the many volunteers. I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart for their efforts. And I wish the athletes one thing above all: that they arrive at the finish line in Bolzano healthy and happy,” says Mair, who is also chairman of the GRW Sarntal, which, together with its partners Athesia, Dynafit, athletes and the city of Bolzano, are sponsors of this extreme mountain run .

OK boss Mair also hopes that there will be many spectators at the start at Waltherplatz in Bozen, along the route and also in the finish area on the Talferwiesen. “The start on Friday is extremely spectacular. But it's also worth taking a trip to the horseshoe tour on Saturday and Sunday, where you're sure to meet one or two athletes and be able to cheer them on. Strategically favorable points on Saturday morning are the Penser Joch, where half of the route has been completed. Or from Saturday afternoon the western flank of the Sarntal Alps, i.e. the area around Hirzer, Mittager or the Stoanernen Mandlen. At Salten the athletes will need a lot of support and encouragement because the finish there is still more than 15 kilometers away,” Mair concluded.

South Tyrol Ultra Skyrace, the program at a glance:

Friday, 4. July from 18 p.m.: Duo Banana Rabbit (concert at Palais Campofranco) 19 p.m.: Briefing (for participants) from 20.30 p.m.: Elisa Venturin with band (directly at Waltherplatz) 22 p.m.: Start of the 2nd edition of the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace at Waltherplatz in Bolzano

Saturday, 5. July Around 2 a.m.: Arrival of the leading group of the South Tyrol Ultra Skyrace “short” in Sarnthein Around 5 a.m.: Arrival of the winner of the South Tyrol Ultra Skyrace “short” on the Talferwiesen in Bozen Around 6 a.m.: Arrival of the leading group of the South Tyrol Ultra Skyrace at Penser Joch around 15 p.m.: Arrival of the winner of the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace from 16 p.m.: Concert band Moscaburro in the finish area Talferwiesen Bozen Around 19 p.m.: Arrival of the winner of the South Tyrol Ultra Skyrace

Sunday 6nd July from 10 a.m.: Concert band Moscaburro in the Talferwiesen finish area 14 p.m.: Award ceremony for the 2nd edition of the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace

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The wait is over: the South Tyrol Ultra Skyrace begins tomorrow

The waiting time is over for the 240 mountain runners from 12 nations. Starting tomorrow, Friday, July 4th, it will be revealed who has prepared more or less conscientiously for the South Tyrol Ultra Skyrace along the Horseshoe Tour in the Sarntal Alps.

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