Julia Kuen and Lucas Clara prevailed in this year's Potato Run.

Potato Run: Clara Part Two and Kuen's Premiere

The sheer number of participants for the 27th edition of the South Tyrolean Potato Run on Saturday evening demonstrated why this race has become one of the most popular events in all of South Tyrol. With 1000 runners in the main race and 350 children and teenagers in the children's race, the turnout at the start in Bruneck and the finish in Sand in Taufers was enormous. Julia Kuen from Reischach won the women's race and Luca Clara from Klausen won the men's race in the fifth stage of the South Tyrolean Top7 Running Series.

August 29, 2026

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Both the starting point in Bruneck's town hall square and the finish line in Sand in Taufers were bustling with activity on Saturday, as over 1300 runners of all ages, along with numerous spectators, gathered to witness the 27th edition of the South Tyrolean Potato Run. The atmosphere was accordingly fantastic – the Potato Run once again delivered and brought smiles to everyone's faces.

Luca Clara also delivered. The runner from Klausen entered Saturday's race not only as the defending champion but also as the absolute favorite for victory. Clara has been having an outstanding season so far and demonstrated this once again in the Puster Valley. For much of the race, he ran in a trio with local hero Simon Stifer, president of the Puster Valley Running Club, and Khalid Jbari from Leifers, the overall leader in the top seven standings. In the final kilometers, Clara and Stifter pushed the pace once more. However, the victory went to Clara from Klausen, representing ASV Gherdeina Runners, who crossed the finish line in 59:02 minutes, exactly 11 seconds ahead of Stifter (59:13 minutes). Jbari, who won the Potato Run in 2017, finished just over the one-hour mark with a time of 1:00:39. Stefan Wagger, a local favorite from Puster Valley, narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth (1:00:58 hours). Noe Thaler from Sarnen, who is also having a strong season this year, finished fifth (1:01:50 hours).

Clara was visibly delighted at the finish line to have defended her title, but also immediately congratulated Stifter, who had pushed her to her limits: "It was very exciting today. A huge compliment to Simon Stifter, he put on a fantastic race. In the end, I managed to beat him by those few seconds. I'm happy about that. The fact that it remained so exciting until the very end is not only more interesting for the spectators, but I also enjoy being pushed by my competitors right up to the finish."

Julia Kuen breaks the taboo and celebrates her first Potato Run victory.

While the men successfully defended their title, the women celebrated a first-ever victory. Julia Kuen from Reischach has participated in the South Tyrolean Potato Run several times. Her best result to date was second place at the 25th edition in 2024, and she also finished third in 2019. Victory had always eluded her, however, until the 27th edition on Saturday. The 26-year-old from the ASD Atl. Club Toblach broke the drought, finishing in 1:10:23 and beating all her competitors.

Kuen celebrated a start-to-finish victory. Like Clara in the men's race, she entered the competition as the top favorite and more than lived up to expectations. The runner-up, Selina Christandl from Taufers im Münstertal, currently leading the Top7 overall standings, was never far behind the local Puster Valley favorite, but never caught up and crossed the finish line after 1 hour, 12 minutes, and 18 seconds, almost two minutes behind the winner. Lena Zingerle from Brixen took third place with a time of 1 hour, 14 minutes, and 50 seconds. Behind the podium, Annemarie Schöpf from Vinschgau finished fourth (1 hour, 16 minutes, and 8 seconds), and Natalie Mitterrutzner from Eisacktal finished fifth (1 hour, 16 minutes, and 22 seconds).

Kuen commented on her first victory at the South Tyrolean Potato Run as follows: “I never really looked back. I had a time in mind that I wanted to achieve, and I fought my way through the race on my own. Of course, I'm very happy that I was able to win here for the first time. But I also know that the time isn't the absolute best. I'll definitely be back next year to defend my title. But it certainly won't be easy.”

Results of the 27th South Tyrolean Potato Run

Top 5 men
1. Luca Clara (ASV Gherdeina Runners) 59.02 minutes
2. Simon Stifter (Running Club Pustertal) 59.13
3. Khalid Jbari (Athletic Club 96 Alperia) 1:00.39 hours
4. Stefan Wagger (SSV Bruneck amateur sports club) 1:00.58
5. Noe Thaler (ASV Lauffreunde Sarntal) 1:01.50

Top 5 women
1. Julia Kuen (Atl. Club 2000 Toblach) 1:10.23 hours
2. Selina Maria Christandl (ASV Rennerclub Vinschgau) 1:12.18
3. Lena Zingerle (Atl. Club 2000 Toblach) 1:14.50
4. Annemarie Schöpf (ASV Rennerclub Vinschgau) 1:16.08
5. Natalie Mitterrutzner (SG Eisacktal Raiffeisen) 1:16.22