Ratschings expects a running festival of superlatives

Next Sunday the time has come and hundreds of trail athletes will lace up their mountain running shoes again to complete the classic distance or the new Ratschings Sky Trail. The preparations for the trail spectacle in the Ratschings-Jaufen hiking area are coming to an end. “We are almost ready to go. The route is signposted and the organization is in a good place. Only the final work such as setting up the start and finish area, as well as the individual refreshment stations, remains to be done," says Hanspeter Schölzhorn, the head of the Ratschings Mountain Trails OC, and adds: "We'll also see the weather very good looking. The forecasts are correct, which is of course of essential importance to us. An outdoor event in the mountains would be much more difficult to organize in bad weather.” Schölzhorn and his team can count on a real rush of participants this year. The busy organizers of the young South Tyrolean trail event are convinced that 380 people have already registered for the mini trails organized for children and young people - “and there will certainly be one or two registrations in the last few days.” Strong field of participants The most entries so far have been for the “classic”, the Ratschings Mountain Trail (17,7 kilometers long/950 meters in altitude). Almost 200 participants have registered for the shorter of the two routes - and the trend is still rising. Andreas Innerebner, Benjamin Eisendle and Helmuth Mair as well as Petra Pircher for the women are the top South Tyrolean athletes who can compete for the day's victory here after the start at 8.30 a.m. This year, however, the “big” names in the trail scene can be found on the new Ratschings Sky Trail (27 kilometers/1610 meters in altitude). It has already been announced that the three-time Italian trail champion Andreas Reiterer from Avelengo will be there. But last year's winner of the Ratschings Mountain Trail and local hero Armin Larch will also take a closer look at the longer distance on Sunday. Lukas Mangger and Christian Jocher as well as Edeltraud Thaler and Renate Kreidl are also there. On Sunday, the crème de la crème of South Tyrolean trail sports will set off at the valley station of the Spalier ski area for the first event of the Ratschings Sky Trail. The starting signal for the longer distance is at 8 a.m. Also internationally top-class But the favorites don't just come from South Tyrol. Some well-known trail specialists will also find their way to the north of South Tyrol from abroad. The Spaniard Alberto Laucirica Garcia, the Frenchman Autuori Jean-Philippe, the Slovenian Martin Balint and the Austrian Markus Lindl can expect a good chance of a top time in the men's category. In the women's race, the two Germans Jana Seel and Severine Petersen, among others, will try to prevent a home win. It has been known for some time that the strong Brit Charlotte Firth will take part. Since there is no registration limit, there could be one or two well-known names among those who decide late in the last few days before the Ratschings Mountain Trails. “The start list is already giving us great feedback and shows that the Ratschings Mountain Trails have been extremely well received by the public. Ten participating nations underline that we are also accepted at an international level,” says Schölzhorn proudly. But other factors are also good advertising for the trail event, which has only existed since 2021. The international trail running association ITRA has included both the Ratschings Mountain Trail and the Ratschings Sky Trail in the official competition calendar. For the OK team around Schölzhorn, this is more motivation to make the second edition a complete success: “We are ready and looking forward to a great trail festival in Ratschings. We invite everyone who is interested to the start and then to the finish at the mountain station, where they can follow the race via live broadcast on a large screen and with the best entertainment,” concludes Hanspeter Schölzhorn.

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Ratschings expects a running festival of superlatives

“The many registrations alone make us hardly wait!”: The anticipation for the second edition of the Ratschings Mountain Trails could hardly be greater among the organizers around OK boss Hanspeter Schölzhorn.

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