Daniel Pattis was unbeatable on home turf. © Sportissimus

Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon: Pattis wins with a record

Daniel Pattis from Tiers and Regina Spiess from Sarnen won the long-distance race at the 9th Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon on Saturday in perfect weather. Luca Clara from Klausen and Clara Carste, who lives in Innsbruck, were victorious in the 36 km Sky Trail. Damian Nussbaumer from Sarnen and Anna Santini from Trentino won the newly introduced Sky Run (16 km). A total of 500 athletes from 30 different nations participated.

July 11, 2026

From: pm

This victory and the associated course record were entirely predictable. Local hero Daniel Pattis had set his sights on nothing less than improving the current best time of 4:48:24 hours. And the 28-year-old from Tiers achieved this goal in his home race. Pattis celebrated a start-to-finish victory that was never in doubt.

After starting at 7 a.m. at the Cyprianerhof, the European vice-champion in trail running ran alone at the front. By the time he reached the Tierser Alpl hut after 3 hours and 06 minutes of running, Pattis already had a lead of over 22 minutes on his fiercest rival, Thomas Oberrauch from Oberbozen.

Pattis subsequently extended this lead. After 46 kilometers with 2980 meters of elevation gain and 3083 meters of descent, the Brooks Trail Runners Team athlete crossed the finish line in 4:43:07, beating the previous record by more than five minutes. Pattis, who celebrated his second home victory, was also the only runner to break the magical 5-hour mark, as Oberrauch finished the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon in 5:24:31.

He deserved the cool-down: winner Daniel Pattis. © Sportissimus

Another South Tyrolean completed the podium: Ludwig Andres of Rennerclub Vinschgau finished third with a time of 5:46:24, beating Spaniard Hugo Zapata and Slovakian Tomas Repka of the Dynafit Team. Former ski racer Florian Eisath (Carezza Dolomites) crossed the finish line in 26th place after 6:41:05.

Skewer with a powerful finish

While the men's race was a clear-cut affair, the women's race was extremely exciting. At the Tierser Alpl Hut, everything pointed to a victory for Susanna Lell Reichert. The 39-year-old from the Allgäu region, representing the XC Running Team, had a lead of over a minute on Regina Spiess from the Sarntal valley after 4 hours and 20 minutes of running. However, Spiess steadily closed the gap on the German runner, overtaking her in the final 1500 meters, and ultimately prevailed with a time of 6 hours, 34 minutes, and 40 seconds, a razor-thin margin of 31 seconds.

For Spiess (born in 1973), it was her second victory at the renowned trail event below the Rosengarten mountain, following her triumph in 2021. Lell Reichert, on the other hand, was competing for the fifth time and stood on the podium for the fifth time. She won the 36-km course in 2018.

Regina Spiess staged a furious comeback.

Local favorite Marion Rieder crossed the finish line in a radiant third place on Saturday – champagne shower included. The 33-year-old from Tiers finished 2 minutes and 30 seconds behind Spiess. This was roughly the same gap Rieder had to the eventual winner at the Tierser Alpl Hut. Former ski racer Karoline Pichler (Carezza Dolomites) also achieved a respectable result, finishing eighth with a time of 7:14.49 and securing a spot in the top ten.

Clara repeats her victory from last year

Luca Clara, who was originally registered for the Sky Marathon, won the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Trail (36 km/1908 meters of elevation gain), repeating his victories from 2021 and 2025. The Klausen native clocked a time of 3:41:53, securing his third victory in the heart of the Dolomites. Second place went to Patrick Gross (Merano), who crossed the finish line in 3:44:34. Maximilian Franceschini from Trentino finished third with a time of 4:02:48.

The women's race on the shorter course also saw a victory for the favorite. Last year's runner-up, Clara Carste, was the first to cross the finish line in the village square of Tiers this year. The Munich native, who currently lives in Innsbruck, finished the race in 4:35:02, more than 16 minutes ahead of second-place finisher Sara Toloni from Limbiate in Lombardy. Barbara Spiess from Sarnen finished third in the Sky Trail with a time of 4:52:01. Laura Neulichedl from Völs also finished under the 5-hour mark, coming in fourth with a time of 4:55:29.

Nussbaumer and Santini shine at the Sky Run premiere

This year, for the first time as part of the South Tyrolean trail running classic, the 16 km Sky Run (770 meters of elevation gain) was held. The inaugural victory in the men's race went to Damian Nussbaumer from Sarnen, who finished in 1:17:44. Florian Weissensteiner from Steinegg (1:23:15) and Ole Seeberg from Hamburg, who lives in Zurich (1:25:03), finished in second and third place, respectively.

The women's race saw a victory for the Val di Fiemme. Anna Santini from Cavalese won with a time of 1:30:07. Anna Riegler from Bolzano finished second, 6:35 minutes behind, while Pamela D'Incà from Pedavena was called up as third (1:42:34). A total of 500 athletes from 30 different nations registered for the three races at the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon – proof that this popular running event attracts participants from all over the world and is a true international sporting festival.

A development that pleases the organizers. “We are very satisfied with how our event went, especially since there were no major incidents. A special thank you goes to our entire team, all the volunteers – including those from the various emergency services – and our loyal sponsors. They all make this event possible and are the heart of the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon. We are already looking forward to our milestone anniversary next year. The 10th edition will most likely take place on July 10, 2027.”

The voices of the winners

Daniel Pattis (winner of the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon): “It’s always something special to run here at home. I travel a lot, but this race remains one of the most beautiful in the world for me. Today (Saturday, editor’s note), Luca Clara kept pace with me at the beginning, but in the end, he ran the shorter route and won it. However, being out on my own for much of the race wasn’t a disadvantage at all, because it allowed me to run at my own pace. Breaking the course record was my goal, but so much can happen at this distance. That makes me all the more pleased that I succeeded.”

Regina Spiess (winner of the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon): "I went into the race without any expectations. But I felt good from the start, found my rhythm, and consistently held second or third place. In the last 1.5 kilometers, I caught up with the leader and took the victory. I'm overjoyed; it's my second win here after several years!"

Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon 2026 – The Top 3 at a Glance

Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon (46 km)

Men:
1. Daniel Pattis ITA/Brooks Trail Runners 4:43.07
2. Thomas Oberrauch ITA 5:24.31
3. Ludwig Andres ITA/ASV Rennerclub Vinschgau 5:46.24

Women:
1. Regina Spiess ITA/ASC Sarntal 6:34.40
2. Susanna Lell Reichert GER/XC-Running Team 6:35.11
3. Marion Rieder ITA/ASV Tiers 6:37.10


Rosengarten Schlern Sky Trail (36km)

Men:
1. Luca Clara ITA/Martini Speed ​​Team 3:41.53
2. Patrick Gross ITA/Telmekom Team South Tyrol 3:44.34
3. Maximilian Franceschini ITA/SA Valchiese 4:02.48

Women:
1. Clara Carste GER/Dynafit 4:35.02
2. Sara Toloni ITA 4:51.08
3. Barbara Spiess ITA/Lauffreunde Sarntal 4:52.01


Rosengarten Schlern Sky Run (16 km)

Men:
1. Damian Nussbaumer ITA 1:17.44
2. Florian Weissensteiner ITA/ASV Steinegg 1:23.15
3. Ole Seeberg SUI 1:25.03

Women:
1. Anna Santini ITA/US Cermis 1:30.07
2. Anna Riegler ITA 1:36.42
3. Pamela D'Incà ITA 1:42.34