Snow and cold: mountain runners have to replan

However, the busy organizing committee of the ALV Sextner Dolomiten led by President Alfred Prenn has an alternative route ready. Everything was set for the 27th edition of the South Tyrolean mountain run classic this weekend. But the weather was not playing along on Saturday. Fresh snow, cold and further precipitation made it impossible to hold the South Tyrol Drei Zinnen Alpine Run on the original route and thus largely in high alpine terrain. "It would be irresponsible if we sent the athletes up to 2500 meters above sea level in such conditions. Safety is our absolute priority and this is why this decision, which we made on Wednesday evening during an OK meeting after carefully studying the various weather reports, was unavoidable," explains OK President Alfred Prenn. “It would be irresponsible to send the athletes up in such conditions” OC President Alfred Prenn The good news: The race will still take place in the 3 Zinnen Dolomites region, on an alternative route that is about half as long, from Sexten up to the Helmjet mountain station. This panoramic circuit is 9 kilometers long and there are still 789 meters of altitude to be climbed. "This of course makes predicting the day's victory a lot more difficult, because the conditions are of course completely different compared to the original route (17,9 km/1354 meters of altitude). All those interested are in for an exciting decision," Prenn is convinced. The winner of 2020 is at the start Also because some of the best mountain runners in the world will be at the start at Haus Sexten. Starting with the winner of the 2020 edition, Manuel Innerhofer from East Tyrol. Compatriot Wendelin Mörtendorfer wants to challenge him for the second triumph on the other side of the border. But there are also strong mountain runners from Algeria and Cyprus in the running, who can cause a surprise just as much as Filippo Barizza. The athlete from Veneto finished third in 2022 and is also one of the "Fedelissimi", i.e. a participant who has started in all 26 editions to date. Two former winners can also be found in the women's field. Firstly, there is Sara Bottarelli. The 33-year-old from Sarezzo in the province of Brescia won the 2016, 2022 and 2023 editions. Last year, the Lombardy native left two local heroes behind her, Agnes Tschurtschenthaler (Sexten) and Anna Lena Hofer (Dorf Tirol), thus preventing the first victory by a South Tyrolean since 2013, when Renate Rungger from Sarnen prevailed. If Bottarelli is the first to cross the finish line at the Dreizinnenhütte this year, she would set a record. With four wins, the "Azzurra" would then draw level with record winner Anna Pichrtova (Czech Republic), who won the mountain run in Sexten four times between 2001 and 2005. Will Bottarelli’s record party be crashed? The second former winner is Dimitra Theocharis. The Italian will be competing for Greece this year. Like Innerhofer, she was the first man to cross the finish line in 2020 at the Dreizinnenhütte, which is located at over 2400 meters above sea level. It is not impossible that she will "crash" Bottarelli's record party and stand on the highest podium for the second time herself. But it could also be that a completely different top athlete will be celebrating - such as Nora Halinova, who is a member of the Austrian national mountain running team. A total of around 750 mountain runners will tackle the South Tyrol Drei Zinnen Alpine Run adventure. Late registrations are still possible on site. The Mini Drei Zinnen Alpine Run for children and young people on Sunday, September 15 should be able to take place as planned when the weather improves. The organizers have been working for many years to organize a mountain running weekend for the whole family.

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Snow and cold: mountain runners have to replan

The sudden onset of winter in large parts of the Alpine region has also left its mark on the South Tyrol Drei Zinnen Alpine Run this weekend. For safety reasons, one of the most popular mountain runs in the world cannot take place on the original route on Saturday.

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