Go Trail NEWS

Stoltz and Van Huyssteen dominate at XTERRA SA Champs

2012-02-26T08:41:00.000-08:00

Four times XTERRA World Champion Conrad Stoltz (pictured left; image > www.oakpics.co.za) and top South African XTERRA Warrior Carla Van Huyssteen were not leaving anything to chance on Sunday, 26 February 2012 when they took on the Totalsports XTERRA South African Championship presented by REHIDRAT® SPORT in Grabouw.

A sprint from the start, Stoltz completed the 1.5km swim, 25km mountain bike and 10km trail run in a spectacular combined time of 02hours26minutes02seconds, while Van Huyssteen’s victory was just as sweet with a winning time of 02hours50minutes28seconds.

According to Stoltz, he came into the race with a game plan. “I didn’t want to overcook on the bike, so I kept it steady and conservative. The course is challenging in every aspect of mountain biking. It is definitely all that XTERRA is about. It is good to see the amount of new single track in Grabouw, making it a mountain biking destination like it used to be. On the run leg I opted not to take a swim in the stream as shortly afterwards there is a big climb. The wet clothes can easily add on a kilogram or two. Athletes doing their first XTERRA today can be very proud of themselves as the route is long, hard and technical. Raynard Tissink also did really well finishing 5th overall. It is great to see athletes switching from road to XTERRA, it is not easy. It is always great winning at home. The sport of XTERRA is getting big in South Africa. I once again had awesome support from my wife Liezel. To get onto the mountain bike route she hitched a ride at the back of the event photographer’s motorbike. This is actually scary as I know how Fanus rides. Next time I’m going to pack in my motor cross gear for Liezel,” laughs Stoltz. Stuart Marais came in 2nd, while Dan Hugo finished 3rd.

Misfortune hit Hugo on the mountain bike route. Hugo came through transition in 3rd place behind Nico Pfitzenmaaier. It was at water point three on the trail run that Stuart Marais managed to pass Hugo. By water point four Marais had managed to pass Nico Pfitzenmaaier as well. Hugo, continuing to chase, managed to pass Phitzenmaaier in the final stages of the run and cross the finish line in third place.

For Van Huyssteen (pictured right; photo > www.oakpics.co.za) walking away with the title of XTERRA SA Champion was a dream come true. “Winning at XTERRA Grabouw has been my goal for three years now. It truly is amazing to get the recognition for all the hard work that I’ve put into the sport. I think most supporters were hoping for a double win for SA today. This made crossing the finish line all the more sweet as everybody was so happy for me. I felt surprisingly good during the swim and just knew that I’d have a great race. The run route suited me perfectly. The climbs weren’t too long, with every climb being followed by nice long single track and downhill sections. The mountain bike discipline was technical with some serious down hills. All in all I had a great race and am really pleased with my performance on the day,” says Van Huyssteen. Austrian Carina Wasle came in 2nd, while Candice Davison finished 3rd.

XTERRA South Africa was privileged to welcome Dave Nicholas Managing Director of the XTERRA World Tour to the 2012 Championship. According to Nicholas the XTERRA World Tour now spans over 18 countries. “XTERRA is now on every continent except Antarctica. XTERRA South Africa has been everything that I’ve expected and more. It’s the largest of all the XTERRA’s because of the people, they’re adventurous. I mean you guys swim with great white sharks, not many of us will do that. There are so many athletes who impress me, but I think the athletes that impress me the most are those with jobs and families. XTERRA is all about families and camaraderie. It’s an adventure for the person. The biggest competitor on the day is Mother Nature. Having said that, it is still achievable by everyone,” says Nicholas.

Next on the cards: XTERRA South Africa heads to Knysna in July. Taking place at the beautiful PEZULA Private Estate (Field of Dreams) on Thursday, 12 July 2012 the Totalsports XTERRA Knysna presented by REHIDRAT® SPORT forms part of the much loved Knysna Oyster Festival. Individual athletes or teams of two will need to tackle a 3km trail run, 23km mountain bike and 7km trail run. XTERRA Lite athletes will be faced with the same challenge, but just over a shorter distance of 3km trail run, 12.5km mountain bike and a 3km trail run.

For more information regarding XTERRA South Africa head to www.stillwatersports.com

The Dryland Traverse announces new title sponsor

2012-02-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

Well known Cheese and Wine brand Fairview was recently announced as the title sponsor for the 2012 Dryland Traverse, a brand new 3-day event which takes place near Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape. Hosted by well known adventure events company, Dryland Event Management, this 80km staged race gives competitors the opportunity to sample some of the regions stunning semi-desert conditions taking in endless views across the valleys of the Klein Karoo.

"We're very excited to announce that we have teamed up with yet another world famous brand, the friendly and hospitable team of Fairview Wine and Cheese" said event organiser Carel Herholdt. "This 3rd generation family-owned market leader in the South African wine and cheese industry, based just outside of Paarl in the Western Cape, has come aboard as title sponsor of this amazing event, making your experience over the 3 days even more worthwhile."

Enties are still open but are going fast so if you want to have your opportunity at running this unique event then head to www.drylandtraverse.co.za

New trail running TV show to premier in South Africa

2012-02-23T04:18:00.000-08:00

A new trail running TV show is set for it's first episode premier on South African satellite TV on the 23rd of February 2012. Trail Busters, produced by well-known local production company Bigshot Media, is a half hour show looking to focus seemingly on all things trail.

"The new TRAIL BUSTERS show will aim at reaching an audience that loves the outdoors." Said Mark Le Roux of Bigshot Media. "We hope to feature anything that involves trails, not only trail running, but also trekking, adventure racing, in fact if it goes on a trail we would consider it."

Featuring in the premier episode will be the inaugural Dryland Traverse held in November 2011. Go Trail magazine is the proud media sponsor of this new 3-day event which takes place in one of the most arid yet stunningly beautiful parts of Southern Africa - The Klein Karoo.

Check out the following Super Sport time schedule for more on when you can catch it

SERIES SEASON WORKING SCHDATE STTIME ENTIME CHA_SHORT_NAME LIVEINFO
Trail Busters 2011/2012 Eps. 1 23-Feb-12 18:00 18:30 SS7 / SS7N Premier
Trail Busters 2011/2012 Eps. 1 24-Feb-12 07:30 08:00 SS6 / SS6A Repeat
Trail Busters 2011/2012 Eps. 1 27-Feb-12 05:30 06:00 SS5 / SS5A / SS5N Repeat
Trail Busters 2011/2012 Eps. 1 07-Mar-12 22:00 22:30 SS6 / SS6A Repeat
Trail Busters 2011/2012 Eps. 1 08-Mar-12 13:00 13:30 SS6 / SS6A Repeat
Trail Busters 2011/2012 Eps. 1 12-Mar-12 12:00 12:30 SS6 / SS6A Repeat
Trail Busters 2011/2012 Eps. 1 13-Mar-12 17:00 17:30 SS6 / SS6A Repeat

The Himalayan 100 - a competitor's perspective

2012-02-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

Branded as one of the world's most challenging and toughest endurance ultras, the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race enables adventurers to savour the breath-taking vistas of four of the five highest peaks in the world.

Friends agreed that it was no mean feat for me to finish the 160 km race in the Himalayas which climbed to levels of 12,000 ft – more than seven times the height of Hong Kong's tallest building ICC (the International Commerce Centre). More so since I accomplished the task without blisters or spraining my ankles amidst the rugged winding terrain littered with sharp stones.

Bart Yasso, of Running USA Hall of Champions fame and Chief Running Officer of Runner's Word magazine, tried the race years ago and pronounced it difficult and as "taking toll" on bodies. Yasso was a "DNF" after he had twisted his foot on a rock and his ankle "swelled like an air bag", the racing icon with 1,000 races under his belt admitted in his book My Life on the Run.

Adding to my exhilaration was that after finishing this defining race, my 17-year-old son studying in Sydney was motivated into doing a total of 85 km on the treadmill within one month after I crossed the tape.

"It might not be much to you but it was a lot for me," my son, an occasional swimmer, declared in an email shot to me from Sydney, adding that "You did great by just finishing that race. I'm proud of you". To my wife, who had pleaded to her church friends to pray for my safe journey, it was more of a huge relief.

Now in my 50s, I have done 31 full marathons or ultras in 15 locations on five continents, pounding away a combined distance of more than 1,500 km – longer than the flight distance from Hong Kong to Shanghai or Xian.

Time flies. It has been 10 years since I was lured into running marathons by a Hang Seng Bank colleague Yeung Tze-Kong at a time when I was struggling with the middle age syndrome. I have in turn inspired not only my son but also my secretary Pauline Chan Yuk-ling among other colleagues, friends and relatives. Pauline has done 10 distance races in the past seven years – five 10 km runs and five half-marathons.

Dr Trisha Leahy, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Sports Institute, kindly sent me a congratulatory note, saying "Wow! What an amazing achievement". Dr Simon Yeung Sai-Mo, Senior Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association, emailed me: "Congratulations on completing another successful ultra, in the Himalayas. You are a great role model for middle-aged men, particularly office executives."

First held in 1991, this annual event in Darjeeling attracted 40 enthusiasts from 15 countries this year, with ages ranging from 22 to 71.

Among the running fanatics were a 33-year-old American fund manager who had taken part in some 200 marathons or ultras, and a 64-year-old retired German teacher who prided herself on completing more than 100 such competitions. The champion this year, from South Africa, summed up the spectacular never-ending course as "brutally hard".

Offering stunning views of the Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu, the race has been described as "the most scenic race in the world" by Athletics Weekly, and "the world's most beautiful marathon" by Runner's World UK.

Gorgeous landscape aside, the race posed huge challenges. Some 200 people had to be mobilised for various logistical duties. The race director Mr C S Pandey, himself a seasoned mountaineer, arranged for a medical doctor to look after the racers.

It has given Mr Pandey immense pride that an event he started 21 years ago with 14 participants has generated worldwide interest. The Indian Government has recognised him with an adventure sport tourism award.

The high altitude, deep ascents and descents, the temperature swings (from near zero to about 30 degrees Celsius) as well as the mileage tested stamina. Our sense of striving against the odds was heightened by thunder and rain during one of the five race days.

Having run the New York Marathon where two million boisterous spectators added to the euphoria, it was another kind of encouragement to be cheered on, aside from village kids, by rifle-totting Indian soldiers on the rustic border between India and Nepal. Yaks, sheep and ponies on hillsides shrouded in mist or clouds imbued us with a sense of peace and harmony.

It's such a unique and milestone ultra that two British police officers who opted for early retirement decided to enroll to mark their 50th birthday. One of them trained on an overseas mountain with a height exceeding 10,000 feet.

Although I had done Trailwalker (100 km), Round the Island (65 km), Two Oceans Marathon (56 km) and Green Power Hike (50 km), it was a daunting attempt for me.

Was I worried? You bet. I trained up to 14 hours on a weekend following my usual work week of more than 60 hours. The longest training day clocked up nine hours – hills, roads and in the gym. I was training so hard that I couldn't stop yawning at times. Even during my recent holiday in Sydney, I slogged a total of 160 km (the distance of the Himalayan race) on a treadmill over 11 days.

Having seriously sprained my ankle two years ago on a Trailwalker practice run in Sai Kung, I was constantly wary where I stepped throughout.

What's so memorable about this awe-inspiring run is that it not only gives immeasurable satisfaction but also humbles the racers and provides food for thought to us mortals. A 31-year-old journalist openly shared at the celebration party that he had cried upon seeing the majestic summits.

The mesmerising route provided me with an ideal setting to reflect on Psalm 121: "I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip."

Written by Walter Cheung for the South China Morning Post

Ryan Sandes heads to Hong Kong 100

2012-02-05T23:29:00.000-08:00

Ryan Sandes (pictured left on Hope Pass during the 2011 Leadville Trail 100) will be leaving for Hong Kong early next week to compete in his first major event of 2012. The Vibram Hong Kong 100 takes place on the beautiful Sai Kung Peninsula with runners having the opportunity to experience Hong Kong's famous Maclehose Trail. With a cumulative elevation gain of 4500m and a descent from Hong Kong's tallest peak, Tai Mo Shan, this will present a true test for all competitors from the 28 countries represented there. Included in this years field, and a group of athletes that may pose a threat to Ryan, are the podium finishers from this years Annapurna 100 in Nepal - Aite Tamang, Sudip Kulung and Bed Bahadur Sunuwar

Go Trail magazine caught up with Ryan as he puts together his final preparations before his departure.

Go Trail (GT): Being so close to the beginning of the year, and your recent break to the UK, what was the allure to head to Hong Kong so early on in the season to participate in this 100km event?

Ryan Sandes (RS): I have always wanted to travel to Hong Kong as I have heard so many great things about their trails so when Salomon International invited me to go and run there I was super stoked. It is early in the year and I am not 100% fit but it will be great preparation for Western Sates later in the year.

GT: Have you ever raced in Malaysia and specifically around Hong Kong before?

RS: No..this is a first for me.

GT: Are there going to be any of your fellow Salomon International team mates there either taking part in the race or offering their support during the event?

RS: Jen Segger (Canada) and Grant Guise (New Zealand) from the Salomon International team will also be running.

GT: In general, who will you have with you for support at the aid stations during the race?

RS: Vanessa (Haywood) will be there as well as the Salomon Hong Kong crew.

GT: Have you done any research, or have you been given any indication of the terrain you'll be faced with? And if so, what are you expecting?

RS: The first half of the course is fairly flat and then there is lots of climbing in the 2nd part of the race. The trail look quite sandy in parts but large parts of it is very rocky with lots of steps. The weather should be fairly cool making the conditions perfect for running.

GT: Run us through a bit of your training schedule over the past few weeks in the build up to this race.

RS: I have been doing lots of base training, getting some long slow runs in with lot's of technical climbs. I have also been spending lot's of time in the gym working on my core to set me up for the rest of the year.

GT: We saw some photos of you recently enjoying some trails in the Western Cape out on your mountain bike. Have you been specifically using the the bike to train for this particular event, and in general, how important is it to you to cross train using other disciplines?

RS: I go for rides on my rest days to spin my legs out but it is also nice to mix my training up and do something a bit different. I think cross training is great for recovery and keeping you mentally fit but to improve your trail running you need to do that by running. Vanessa is training for the Cape Epic so it's fun to join her for the odd ride.

GT: Finally, we see this race is recognized as a 2013 Ulra-Trail du Mont-Blanc qualifier. Perhaps a little premature, but is this a sign of what's to come for Ryan Sandes next year?

RS: Haha ... I will see... Mont Blanc is one of my dream races but I first need to get a bit stronger in the alpine mountain conditions.

For more information on the event head to www.vibramhk100.com

To check out Ryan's competition at the race click here to view the entry list.

Multi-stage trail racing in an effort to "Wynne for Lewis"

2012-02-02T12:41:00.000-08:00

The 2012 ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun presented by New Balance promises to be an emotional three days of racing for Carien Helberg of Somerset West (pictured left with Lewis Wynne when they officially got to meet each other for the first time). After learning about the plight of five year old Lewis Wynne, who lost both his lower legs in a freak accident, Helberg is determined to use her event participation as a means of raising funds for the “Wynne for Lewis” campaign, of which she is the founder.

According to Helberg her goal going into 2012 was to run for a purpose. “In October last year I saw an ETV news report that covered the story about Lewis Wynne who had both his legs amputated as a result of a tree falling through his Grade R classroom. Not only did he lose his legs, but his dream of becoming a Policeman and serving the community of Alexandra (Johannesburg), was also shattered. I also have a very active 6 year old boy, and I watch him run, climb and jump, things that boys of that age do. When I heard Lewis’s question to his mother as to when he would be able to run again, my heart was torn to pieces, because I realised this was not going to happen, not the way he could in the past”, says Helberg who is aspiring to run a minimum of 600 kilometres in the hope of raising e enough funds by either donations, and or sponsorships to give Lewis artificial legs.

“I am in the process of setting up a Trust Fund for the campaign”, continues Helberg. “Thanks to Eugene Makhene and the Assault Riderz Bikers club, Lewis received a wheelchair, which has given him some mobility. The factory turned house that he and his family live in however, is not wheelchair friendly and most of the time Lewis has to be carried around. Lewis has now also been accepted at Hope School, Parklands (a school specializing in his needs). Lewis will be a weekly border here. Europcar, who transported Lewis home after he was discharged from hospital, has undertaken to sponsor his first pair of legs. The reality however, is that Lewis will need a few pairs of legs as he grows older. The picture gets bigger as Lewis will also need rehabilitation, teaching him to walk again, he is in need of trauma counselling to help him deal with the accident and his home environment is not handicap friendly. It is my dream, that I will be able to raise enough money to continue to sustain the fund to help Lewis in the future as well”.

Helberg will be seen in action at the ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun in Kleinmond (approximately 95km) the weekend of 16 – 18 March 2012.

Get Outside with the Merrel Adventure Weekend

2012-01-26T09:15:00.000-08:00

CLICK IMAGE

All records broken as the UTMB® gears up for the 10th running

2012-01-24T01:32:00.000-08:00

Regarded as the unofficial "world champs of ultra-trail running", The North Face UTMB® has done an excellent job of ensuring that, year upon year, the interest in this extraordinary event is not only maintained but exponentially increased. Is it the beautiful setting of the Mont Blanc massif that remains the allure for many runners? Or is it because most, if not all, of the worlds top athletes converge upon Chamonix in France to race each year?

What ever it is, the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc remains the most spoken about trail running event on the global trail running calendar and for this reason alone sees some amazing records being broken during the entry process which took part earlier this month.

Receiving a record 10 000 entry requests from a staggering 75 countries for the 2012 North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® events, here's a little insight into how the entry process in to the race has developed over the years since the race began.

FROM THE BEGINNING

From its first race in 2003, the UTMB ® has been amazingly successful with 700 runners registered, then 1600 in 2004. The exponential growth curve for the event has bewildered everybody. From 2005, participation in the UTMB ® has been limited to 2000 runners.

In 2006 the registrations were complete in the 3 weeks.

A system of qualifying races was established in 2007, to limit the number of runners, without resorting to a monetary or sporting-level selection, which would have been against the ethics. Nevertheless, the registrations were complete within less than 10 hours! In 2008 however an amazing feat was achieved with registration completed in just 8 minutes, and approximately 7000 requests for the UTMB ® and the CCC ®.

In 2009, to face this tidal wave and to find respectful solutions for the runners, the organisation proposed:

- The creation of a new race the TDS ® offering the possibility of participation in The North Face ® Ultra Trail of the Mont Blanc ® to 1200 runners

- The tightening of the system of qualifying races.

- A principle of pre-registration followed by a possible draw in the case of exceeding the limited number of places.

From 2010, the number of requests went up again (7 000) for all the 4 races, it was necessary for the first year to resort to the drawing of names! In spite of the increase of the requirements in terms of qualifying races (5 points instead of 4 for the UTMB ®), there was still an increase in 2011 with 7200 requests...

Some of the international names who will be toeing the line come 31 August 2012 include:

Dave Mackey (USA)
Krissy Moehl (USA)
Patrick Bohard (France)
Jez Bragg (UK)
Sebastien Chaigneau (France)
Julien Chorier (France)
Matthias Dippacher (Germany)
François Faibre (France)
Lizzy Hawker (Switzerland/UK) Pictured left winning the 2011 UTMB for a 4th time

Stu Gibson (Australia)
Miguel Heras (Spain)
Hiroki Ishikawa (Japan)
Andrew James (UK)
Ellie Greenwood (Canada/UK)
Nerea Martinez (Spain)
Ruling Xing (China)
Csaba Nemeth (Hungary)
Marco Olmo (Italy)
Gary Robbins (Canada)
Iker Karrera (Spain) Pictured left with fellow Salomon team member Kilian Jornet

For more information on who's in and who's not in, head to the online results by clicking here.

For more details on The North Face ® Ultra Trail of the Mont Blanc ®, head to www.ultratrailmb.com

Skyrunner® World Series set for an exciting 2012

2012-01-11T03:53:00.000-08:00

New year, new calendar, new format. The 2012 Skyrunner® World Series calendar offers a distance for every runner with stand-alone circuits where both Vertical and Ultra champions will have a taste of the glory (and prize money).

Five all-time greats make up the main section with a choice of two out of three compulsory races in the other three sections for the Skyrunner® World Series champion title.

The new Ultra Series reflects the popular demand for long distance races, stopping short of the 80 km mark but not forgetting the gruelling vertical climb and altitude that distinguish skyrunning.

The mammoth 83 km Transvulcania on the island of La Palma kicks off the Ultra Series on May 12, where the world’s top ultra runners will compete in this quintessential skyrunning race – from sea to summit with 8,525m of punishing ascent and descent along the rugged backbone of the island.

A cooler climate kicks off the Vertical and SkyRace® calendar, both on Russia’s Mount Elbrus on May 7 and 9 with plenty of snow and altitude to whet the appetite of the most seasoned skyrunners. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter for the latest on all the races.

Twenty spectacular races, many of them new entries, will open their doors to skyrunners across the world in what promises to be the best calendar to date with more races, more awards, more prize money and, of course, more kilometres and more altitude - for the record, 680 kilometres and 48,000m vertical climb!

For more information head to www.skyrunning.com

Registration for the 2012 Grand Raid des Pyrénées opening soon

2012-01-05T22:39:00.000-08:00

The organizers of the Grand Raid des Pyrénées have announced the opening date for registrations for the fifth edition of the increasingly popular trail race.

The Grand Raid des Pyrénées has firmly established itself as the reference for altitude running in the high Pyrenean mountains of South West France. Readers of Generation Trail magazine voted it the third most beautiful trail in France in a 2011 survey, and the race has generated considerable international interest as well with the participation of trail runners from as far away as Japan and South Africa.

Indeed, the podium in 2011 was an international affair with Oscar Perez Lopez from Spain taking first in the 180 km, and Nicky Spinks from the United Kingdom affirming her domination of the Pyrénées with her second consecutive win. The 80 km was won by Dachhiri Dawa Sherpa from Nepal and Agnes Francastel from France took first in the women’s category.

The race will take place from August 24th to the 26th, 2012. As in previous editions, there will be two races taking off from the picturesque village of Vielle-Aure; 80 km with 5,000m ascent and 160 km with 10,000 ascent. The ascension of the Pic du Midi, weather permitting, remains one of the main attractions of the race. The starting gun will go off for the 160 km on Friday, August 24th at 05:00 and the 80 km will start the following day on Saturday, August 25th at 05:00.

Registration for the three distances will open on January 12th, 2012 at 12:12 on the official web site www.grandraidpyrenees.com

Last year both races were full only six weeks after registration opened so it is predicted that spaces will go quickly. Registration is limited to 850 places on the 80 km and the 160 km.

In the latest issue of Go Trail magazine, check out page 94 - 99 for our Grand Raid des Pyrénées profile including exclusive interview with Anne-Marie Dunhill, one of the event organisers, on how this event has grown - www.gotrail.co.za

Go Trail Magazine partners with new Western Cape multi-day event

2012-01-03T01:15:00.000-08:00

Go Trail magazine was recently announced as the official media partner to The Dryland Traverse, a brand new multi-day trail running event held near Outshoorn in the Western Cape. Hosted by well know adventure events company, Dryland Event Management, this 3-day, 80km staged race gives competitors the opportunity to sample some of the regions stunning semi-desert conditions taking in endless views across the valleys of the Klein Karoo.

Thanks to the co-operation of Cape Nature, many of the trails normally closed off to public access are opened especially for this event, ensuring that all runners get the chance to sample the iconic Gouekrans trail. Also included in the experience is the opportunity for the runners to head up and over the historic Swartberg mountain pass as well as run the unique underground trails within the fabled Cango Caves as part of the 8km prologue.

“We here at Dryland are very happy to appoint Go Trail Magazine as our official media partner.” Said race director Carel Herholdt. “After hosting our inaugural event in 2011, we realised that it was very important to team up with a media partner that shares the same vision and passion that we have for the sport. We see the Go Trail team as a partner with fresh ideas, a relationship that will ensure The Dryland Traverse gets the proper local and international media coverage it deserves!”

As multi-day races become more and more popular in South Africa, the appeal for many runners lies in the adventure that these type of events offer. James Hallett, editor of Go Trail magazine commented “as a magazine, our philosophy is primarily about communicating the lifestyle and culture of trail running so we’re extremely excited to be involved with this very unique multi-day event. The Dryland Traverse, we believe, is set to become one of the ‘ must run’ races on the trail running calendar each year and we sincerely look forward to working with Carel and his team.”

For more information on The Dryland Traverse, as well as images and video coverage from the 2011 event, head to www.drylandtraverse.co.za

If you'd like to find out more information about the town of Oudtshoorn as well as the Klein Karoo, click here

Check out coverage from Stage 2 of the 2011 race, footage courtesy of Big Shot Media

A preview of the 3rd edition of the Tor des Géants®

2011-12-17T02:02:00.000-08:00

The Tor des Géants®, from the 9th to 16th of September 2012 is the world's most challenging endurance trail (in terms of altitude difference and length). It takes place in Courmayeur in the heart of the Italian Alps, a single stage that runs right through Valle d'Aosta.

It is also the first ultra-trail to combine long-distance with self-sufficiency on the part of the runners.

"There's no need to head for the Himalayas and Tibet in search of the mountain at its most genuine. This race, running right through Valle d'Aosta at the foot of the 4 "Giants of the Alps" (more than 4000 m), shows off the mountain landscape in all its splendour, as well as transmitting the values handed down through the generations by the folk who live there: authenticity, friendship, courage and solidarity". These were the words spoken by Councillor Aurelio Marguerettaz at the end of the second edition of the Tor des Géants®, and there are none that more effectively sum up the atmosphere of this exceptional event.

An authentic journey right through the heart of the Italian Alps, it has taken just two editions for the Tor des Géants® to carve out an exceptional reputation in the world of trail running, as a result of the length and difficulty of the route, the altitude difference and the landscape. Another major ingredient in the success of the race is the warm, inviting atmosphere created by the organisers, the volunteers and the people who live in all the municipalities the runners pass through.

Whether runners come in first or last, this is an adventure that leaves its mark on all of them: "For me, the most thrilling part was the Malatra Pass; you've almost reached the finishing line, and the landscape really does spur you on," says Jules-Henri Gabioud (who came first). France's Christophe Le Saux, (the runner-up) agrees: "It's a gruelling race, with breath-taking scenery and a warm, friendly welcome all along the way. I've run lots of races all over the world, but I reckon this is the hardest - and one of the best!"

Paola, a tourist courier from Valle d'Aosta, who crossed the finishing line a few hours before the deadline, says "This is one of the most memorable journeys of my whole life! "

A truly giant third edition!

This third edition will be another titanic adventure, with the same ingredients as the first two: exceptional commitment, sweat, sun, rain, storms, tears, joy, solidarity, respect, laughter...not to mention 7 days and 6 nights spent with a whole lot of people, gorgeous mountain sunsets, the moon rising up over the peaks, the silence of the night: impressive, majestic.

A long week of running and an experience never to be forgotten.

Entries open from 12:00 noon on 1 February 2012 at www.tordesgeants.it so don't miss your opportunity!!

South African trail running moving forward

2011-12-12T23:08:00.000-08:00

As South African trail running continues its debate on whether or not regulation of any kind is necessary for the future of the sport, three meetings were recently convened in some of the major trail centres around the country including the Western Cape on the 15th of November, Gauteng on the 30th of November and KwaZulu-Natal on the 9th of December in an effort to assist in answering some of the currently unanswered questions. As part of the general structure of these meetings, members of the respective trail communities who attended these pilot meetings were able to openly discuss a wide variety of topics as well as list any concerns they may have, offering valuable insight as the process continues.

As a direct result of these meetings, each province has subsequently elected members of the local trail running community to further identify and establish a way forward for the sport, a move that will offer the broader trail running community the opportunity to continue assisting what is seen by many as a positive step in the right direction. As part of the mandate of each of these provincial "steering committees" the task of establishing a future strategy is top priority, ensuring that any decisions made are inclusive and in the best interest of the sport. Factors such as a solid environmental policy, a national trail running calendar, runner safety, support for new event organisers and an international team selection process were just some of the topics discussed, however probably the hottest topic of all seemed to be surrounding the perceived involvement of Athletics South Africa (ASA), the regulatory body that currently controls track & field, road running and cross-country running. With many members of the trail running community expressing their negativity towards any form of relationship with the ASA, this contentious issue will seemingly continue to remain one of the main underlying questions to be answered as this process progresses.

All steering committees are expected to collate their findings over the next 6 weeks and will be offering their feedback at further meetings scheduled to take place early in 2012.

Should you wish to contribute your thoughts and suggestions to help this process, or merely follow the progress of these steering committees, then please contact the following representatives from one of the three provinces that is closest to your trail community listed below:

Western Cape: Claire Ashworth - trailchallenge[at]sports4u.co.za

KwaZulu-Natal: James Hallett - james[at]gotrail.co.za

Gauteng: Debbie Agenbag - debbie[at]wildtrail.co.za

The 2012 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run Preview

2011-12-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

The 8th edition of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run takes place from September 1 – 8, 2012. 500 runners from more than 25 nations will be facing the challenge of an Alps crossing and – in eight days –overcome about 320 kilometers and 15,000 meters of elevation. The course leads from the Bavarian town of Ruhpolding to Sexten in Southern Tyrol. The number of participants is limited to 250 two-person teams, as of now registrations are accepted at www.transalpine-run.com.

The starting shot to the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run 2012 will sound on September 1 in Ruhpolding, and with a bombshell at that: right on the first day of the event, athletes will have to overcome almost 50 kilometers on the trail to the new stage town of St. Johann in Tyrol. From there the course continues with a magnificent Alpine panorama toward Kitzbühel and the on to Neukirchen at the Großvenediger. The fourth stage will take the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run into Southern Tyrol, first for a break in Prettau in the Ahrn Valey. Then, Sand in Taufers, St. Vigil and Niederdorf in the Puster Valley need to be passed before participants reach Sexten after having run average daily stages of about 40 kilometers of distance and 1,900 meters of elevation difference.

Since its premiere in 2005, the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run has very quickly become one of the world’s most sought-after trail running events. It gets booked out sooner and sooner every year and frequently attracts runners from more than 25 nations. Perfect organization, a family-like character and spectacular trails across the main ridge of the Alps make sure runners will have an unforgettable experience. Athletes start depending on their age in five different ranking categories: Men, Women, Mixed, Master Men (combined age 80+) as well as Senior Master Men (combined age 100+). The course alternates every year between the West Route (from Oberstdorf to Latsch) and this year’s East Route from Ruhpolding to Sexten.

The event is organized by the event agency Plan B (www.planb-event.com), responsible for the course is Bergschule Vivalpin (www.vivalpin.com), title sponsor is the brand GORE-TEX®, whose technology is being used by many leading running and trail running brands (www.gore-tex.de).

More information and registration at www.transalpine-run.com

A preview of the 2012 Salomon 4 Trails

2011-12-08T01:45:00.000-08:00

Crossing the Alps in four days on foot – that sounds like an incredible undertaking but between July 4 and 7, 2012, runners will push their limits, astonish hikers and send a chill down the spines of spectators at the second edition of the SALOMON 4TRAILS. The route of this stage race takes athletes from Garmisch-Partenkirchen via Ehrwald, Imst and Landeck to Samnaun and as such features some incredible key figures: four stages, four host cities, three countries, 157,90 kilometers of distance as well as about 9,804 meters of elevation difference (course still subject to slight changes). Participants must tackle between 30 and 40 km of distance and over 2,000 m of elevation difference daily.

At the premiere of the event this year, ambitious trail runners will start side by side with established names such as Tom Owens, Anna Frost and the exceptionally talented Philipp Reiter. The event will adhere to this concept in 2012 as well: Basically everybody feeling mentally and physically up for it can start. In high Alpine territory, at altitudes of up to 2,800 above sea level, an average of 500 m of elevation gain per hour as well as 7 km of distance must be conquered. In order to meet this challenge good preparation is paramount. However, those four extremely long stages will demand more than stamina. Challenging passages such as narrow, steep or exposed trails, rain, snow and ice require surefootedness and good coordination skills.

When it comes to the basic facts about the course many people will probably shake their heads in disbelief, but it's not the battle that's going to be at the forefront, but the beautiful and varied course leading up to breathtaking summits and through marvelous valleys. Everybody bold enough to face this running adventure will be rewarded with unforgettable impressions, emotions and the pride of being a finisher. There's a lot being offered for spectators as well who, in the finish area, will not only be able to share the thrill of the race, but also find information on the latest products by various exhibitors. The registration to this trail running highlight is open as of now.

Conditions of participation as well as more information about the SALOMON 4TRAILS can be found at www.4-trails.com.

SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL 2012 – Running Germany's Highest Mountain

2011-12-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

In 2012, Grainau will again become Trail Running Metropolis when, between June 22 and 24, the idyllic Zugspitze village hosts the second edition of the SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL. Two routes of different length will take up to 1000 participants around the summit of Germany's highest mountain, measuring 2,962 m.

The basic figures of the Ultratrails sound incredible keeping in mind that we are not talking about a stage race here: 103.0 kilometers of distance and 6,027 meters of elevation difference must be conquered in one day. The start may take place early in the morning but most of the participants won't reach the finish before nightfall or the early hours of the next day after running for more than 24 hours. The shorter Supertrail of about 71.5 kilometers distance and 3,720 meters of difference in elevation requires fighting spirit as well, for the last participants are not expected to reach the finish after less than 17 hours. The diverse course through the Wetterstein Mountains on fantastic trails and against a breathtaking backdrop will certainly reward the long-distance runners for their efforts.

Race director and head of routing Wolfgang Pohl is still in discussions with the governmental boards: „We would like to improve the second SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL by replacing some less interesting parts on asphalt or streets with versatile trails. This would really raise the attractiveness and the standard of the race.“

This trail running highlight offers unforgettable impressions, athletic highlights, a chance to experience the beauty of nature and pure emotions in the midst of Germany's most beautiful mountains. Basically everybody can participate; however, the facts of this course speak for themselves. Experience in high alpine territory as well as very good stamina and coordination skills are essential and require thorough preparation. Participants will pass 10 feed zones with timekeeping before reaching the finish in the destination village of Grainau. In order to minimize the risks for athletes, the rules and regulations require that participants undergo a medical check and carry specific equipment such as warm, weatherproof clothes, first aid kit, headlamp and water container, because, however strong the love for adventure and desire for challenges may be, safety comes first.

For fans, friends and family, too, a lot is being offered in Grainau. At the running fair, numerous exhibitors will be providing information about the latest trends and products and the atmosphere is sure to be awe-inspiring when the happy finishers begin arriving in the evening. The registration for the SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL has now, seven months before the start, been opened. Conditions for participation as well as more information about the SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL is available at www.zugspitz-ultratrail.com.

The Dryland Traverse - A runners tale

2011-11-29T21:59:00.000-08:00

I always know when I’ve enjoyed something because in the following weeks I have flash backs. Since returning home, from competing in the Dryland Traverse I’m having continues flash backs. I arrived at the Race registration to be greeted as if I was an old friend. Quickly the formalities were completed and I went off to choose a tent in the tent town that had been erected and sort myself out ready for the first leg of this four day race.

At four pm we were transported to the Cango Caves and briefed on the first stage. We were shown a 3D fly over of the route for tomorrow’s stage, suddenly the auditorium went very quite and one could hear the odd comment, whow, oh! Good heavens. Yes tomorrow’s stage looked daunting, but hey I can always walk it. Now for tonight’s stage. We were told that this was a prologue to sort the fast from the slower runners. I was very relieved when a lady asked if there were any cut off times, someone for me to run with I thought.

The prologue of 7.4km stage, started at the entrance to the caves, with the teams starting first and then the solo runners, all at one minute intervals. So with the Mayor of Oudtshoorn officiating, at 18hr00 the first runners were set off. My start time was 18hr38, and at exactly that time I’m released. Up three stories and guided into the caves via a special entrance for the race. This is the first time that such an event has been allowed to take place inside the caves. After only a few moments I see a photo that needs to be taken, the runner that set of after me passes. Another few hundred meters and I’m stopped again by the photo moment, another competitor passes me. Time to move on, I exit the caves all too quickly but now’s the time to make up some time. Nice 500 meters of down hill on the entrance road. Then I’m directed onto a track up and over the caves. A young lady flashes passed me, I’m in my usual position, last. I’m joined by the sweeper, hey that’s my job. We climb and climb some more. Nice track which goes down a little but then up again. Pass the medic, nice to know they are there and suddenly I’m on the road, a quick 1km up to the finish. As I enter the finishing chute, the MC rally’s all the competitors to cheer me in, he’s found out that I run the sub 12hr bus with Vlam at Comrades and Chariots of Fire is blasted from the PA.

We are all assembled under a huge Bedouin tent, the dinning area at one end, and bar at the other and two large screen TV’s either side of the stage. Already while we enjoy a three course sumptuous meal, scenes from today’s stage are shown.

Stage one, after a very filling breakfast, we assemble at the start line, my mind is right for this stage, walk and walk some more. The gun goes and it seems that a lot of us have the same idea, we make a river crossing after 600 meters and then start the eight km climb to the first water table, a mere 1380 meters above us. After 40 minutes of upwards motion Michael from Pretoria lets us all know that we have covered 1.6km. I thanked him for sharing this info with us. Thank goodness another photo moment, the view back down the mountain really is impressive. But ever upwards, almost two hours from the start I arrive at the first water table which is stocked with all sorts of goodies, water, coke, energade, potatos,GU gels sweats ect. I could have a feast here but time to move on. This section to water table two was much faster as we traversed the mountain. The views either way are just spectacular. One way I look I can see tomorrow and the other way I see yesterday, just fantastic. Some buck cross my path, another photo moment. Then the second table comes into view and I hear someone calling me, from up there, so now I know what’s next, but first I enjoy the goodies at the water table. Refreshed I set off up the track for a km or so. I’m on the top of the World, only one way to go now and that’s down. I’m on a very technical path and have to concentrate the whole time. After about 3km the camp site comes into view, but it seems a very, very long way away. Fortunately the path takes a right turn and I loose sight of the camp, when the wind is in one direction I pick up some voices. After awhile I can see a chap and a lady ahead, I certainly can hear the lady for she is not enjoying this decent and letting her feelings be known. As I catch them the chap Peter from West Coast says to me that he also heard the lady’s comments and felt that it would be prudent to stay with her and see that she got safely down. At the foot of the decent the medic awaits us and guides us through the bush for the final 1km to the finish. There’s that music again and the goose bumps that it always brings out in me.

After a welcome hot shower and another sumptuous meal I head for my bed.

Stage two; after being shown today’s stage last night on the fly over it looks a lot less technical than yesterday’s. I did note that all the top runners went for physio rubs last night. We are transported to the start of today’s stage, up the Swartburg pass, as we reach the top I hear someone ask the bus driver to stop, but down the other side we go until we’re at the old Toll House. The stage starts of with us going down the road for 2/3km then we head up a track and over towards Die Hell then left and up and over back to the Old Toll House. Same great water table, from here up and up again till finally I come out on the summit. I remember sitting here after riding up the pass on a motor cycle and enjoying a bottle of champagne with a young blond girl, who has been my wife for twenty years. No time to ponder, time to hit that 19km down hill on the road, still have to stop to take photos of that view. At the bottom of the decent I hit a short section of tar before the marshal directs me off onto a farm road, still down hill but my legs are feeling it today. I’m now on tar and only 5kms to the finish which is of course, up hill, there’s that music again. Suddenly we’re all wearing compression socks ect. They really seem to aid recovery. Each evening the day’s stage winner and the overall leaders are called up to the stage. It’s hard to believe that they can cover the distance and the terrain in the times that are read out, that is until we are advised that we have three World champs, two past World Champs and many that have represented South Africa. We even have a Fear Factor winner among us for measure.

Stage Three; today’s stage has had to be lengthened due to the movement of Ostriches. We are again transported to the start, which is at Raubenheimer dam, a really beautiful place. After 2km on a jeep track we are directed onto a goat track and head up and over the foot hills into a very pleasant farming area, this is totally different from the previous day’s terrain and is mainly runable. I enjoyed this section when all too quickly I arrive at the final water table and head off on the final 7kms back to the finish. This section is a repeat of the first nights stage, now I can see it in the day time. I’m on the final run in and there is that music again with all the other runners cheering. I feel like I’ve just won the Olympics. Each of us were treated the same, here comes the dancing queen, this lady dances across the line each day so her tune announces her arrival.

After a quick shower and a meal we have a nice informal prize giving. I hear people asking already if we can enter for next year’s race. I believe if the same format is followed this race will very quickly have a long waiting list for runners to enter. Will I be back? For sure; if they will have me.

For more information on the Dryland Traverse including photos and results, head to www.drylandtraverse.co.za

Images by WebWorX / www.webworx.org.za

Dryland Traverse 2011 TV Schedule

Premiers on Supersport: 23 December 2011 @ 18h00

23 Dec 2011 - 18:00 - SS6 - Premier
25 Dec 2011 - 10:30 - SS6 - Repeat
27 Dec 2011 - 09:30 - SS6 - Repeat
28 Dec 2011 - 21:30 - SS6 - Repeat
1 Jan 2012 - 06:30 - SS6 - Repeat
2 Jan 2012 - 15:30 - SS5 - Repeat

The Otter African Trail Run - TV Schedule

2011-11-29T07:38:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Otter- African Trail Run presented by Hi-Tec has been a true reflection on what can be achieved when supporting your "local" service providers. Besides the medals and the specialised event sports apparel, everything else has been sourced from the local businesses on the Garden Route.

The TV production being no exception. Thanks to Knysna based Motion Pixel, Magnetic South have been able to work very closely with the camera crew both while on the actual event and in the lengthy post production editing to create a presentation that is both very personal and an intimate recollection of this very challenging trail running event. The production has focussed itself around the top 6 male and top 3 female athletes and tells the story of just how they managed to perform as they did on the day.

These are the ambassadors of the sport in this country and lead by the formidable yet humble Ryan Sandes (pictured left), who has put South Africa onto the international map with his sensational career.

Dates scheduled for flighting on Supersport are as follows:

Hi-Tec Otter African Trail Run 29-Nov-11 17:00 17:30 SS5, SS5A, SS5N
Hi-Tec Otter African Trail Run 30-Nov-11 11:30 12:00 SS6, SS6A
Hi-Tec Otter African Trail Run 01-Dec-11 14:30 15:00 SS7, SS7N
Hi-Tec Otter African Trail Run 05-Dec-11 10:30 11:00 SS5, SS5A, SS5N

For those of you that cannot make above times - check the homepage of: www.theotter.co.za - the video will be available for viewing from 1st of December.

Update from the "Long March" Nepal

2011-11-24T23:43:00.000-08:00

Source: Racing The Planet

Ryan Sandes (pictured left) from South Africa has won the 72-kilometer Long Stage of RacingThePlanet: Nepal, completing the course just before 5pm on the 24th of November and extending his overall lead to 2hr24min. “The first four sections were great,” he said. “It was slow-going and technical. At one point I thought I was going to be running through the night.”

There was a close finish for second and third placed competitors, with Italy’s Stefano Gregoretti just beating Australian Michael Ormiston . The latter fell to the floor with absolute relief as he completed the long stage. Coming in a close fourth position was Ryan Bennett of the United States - who took second place at the Sahara Race - and gave a great performance today, his finish pushing him up a few points.

Perhaps the most impressive performance of the day was Stephanie Case (29), who was the first woman over the line and the 5th placed overall for the stage. The Canadian was crying with joy as she completed the course. Case has been suffering from a stomach bug like many out on the field, but managed to pull in an epic performance. and take over the leaders bib heading into the final stage.

She was on an absolute high, and even later when she was in the medical tent having her back taped up from chaffing, she was saying, “I wish it was 20k longer! The longer, the harder, the better!”

Samantha Gash, the young Australian who lead the event for the first 4 stages was second women home, completing the stage almost an hour behind Case. Case now leads Gash buy an impressive 38 minutes going into the final stage on Saturday with Katrina Follows from the UK rounding off the current women's race top three, a further two hours back.

Overall times after stage 5:

Men's top 5:

1. Ryan Sandes (SA) - 24:16:19
2. Michael Ormiston (AUS) - 26:40:55
3. Stefano Gregoretti (ITA) - 26:43:10
4. Sean Abbot (USA) - 27:43:49
5. Blair Turnball (NZ) - 27:52:54

Women's Top 3:

1. Stephanie Case (CAN) - 28:52:50
2. Samantha Gash (AUS) - 29:30:40
3. Katrina Follows (UK) - 32:30:15

For more information visit www.racingtheplanet.com

Dirk Cloete makes it a desert hat-trick

2011-11-23T22:35:00.000-08:00

Referred to as South Africa's "Big Daddy" of trail, the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon (KAEM) is not only the country's leading multi-day desert event but also one of the country's oldest trail races. Covering a distance of 250km over 7 days in the seering heat of the Kalahari, the KAEM is the brainchild of race director, Estienne Arndt. Having competed in the Marathon Des Sables over a decade ago, Estienne returned to South Africa to create an event unique to to the country's running scene. With its popularity remaining amongst the ultra community, having previously hosted the likes of Mimi Anderson, one of the UK's top women's ultra-trail runners, this year saw the 12th running of this internationally renowned event.

Words by Laura Foster

In a thrilling conclusion to the 2011 Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon (KAEM), Dirk Cloete (pictured below) became the Big Daddy of the Big Daddy by clinching his third successive KAEM win, run over a course described by old hands as perhaps the toughest ever.

“He really outdid himself this time” said Dirk, reflecting on the week of running devised by Race Director Estienne Arndt. The route led the athletes through 250km of the best (and worst) that the Kalahari could offer: Starting at Southern Farms near Augrabies on 8th October, runners tackled terrain that varied from hectically technical jeep-track switchbacks to long-slog deadly sandy river beds, mostly in 40-degree heat, but also by the light of the moon on the fabled 75km Long Day.

Their journey took them through lush vineyards, across dry, grassy plains, along the banks of the Orange River, and up and down rocky gorges, before leading them, via stunning sections of the Augrabies Falls National Park normally off-limits to visitors, to the finish line, close to the Falls themselves, on October 14th.

First female Maretha Combrinck echoed Dirk’s sentiments. “It was really, really tough! But so beautiful. I’m really grateful to be able to have done it, and to have seen those amazing places that most people never get chance to experience!!”

Times were slower this year as the varied and challenging course together with the heat saw runners battling the harsh conditions with dogged determination. On the Long Day, in particular, many took advantage of the regular checkpoints to wait and rest through the heat of the day, rehydrate thoroughly with Aquelle water, and continue once cooler temperatures prevailed.

Although five runners made the difficult decision to withdraw during the first half of the race, members of the Mediclinic team were nevertheless impressed with the care the athletes were taking of themselves. “This year we really saw that people have done their homework, and are looking after themselves properly” said Race Doctor Charl Malherbe.

The KAEM is not all about hardship, though – it’s a complete experience. With all the finishers safely across the line, and after a day spent at leisure at the Augrabies Falls Lodge, the athletes re-appeared clean, well-dressed, and rested to spend some of that legendary endurance energy at the awards dinner. Relaxing over a glass of the sparkling Namaqua wine which he himself had produced “back at the day-job” , 2nd place Alwyn Maass commented “One makes so many new friends on this race, and it’s lekker to come back and meet the old ones again!!”

When every crew member had been acknowledged, every sponsor thanked, every athlete presented with their trophy, and everybody had danced themselves to a standstill, it was time for the runners and crew of the KAEM family to take their leave of Nadia, Estienne and Simon, and head back to the Lodge before departing next day for England, Austria, Taiwan, Singapore, France, Belgium and Italy, as well as every corner of South Africa, to dream about the Kalahari sunsets, rivers, rocks, sand and space, and contemplate their triumph over the rigours of the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon.

RESULTS:

Men

1 Dirk Cloete 27:16:00

2 Alwyn Maass 27:36:00

3 Tommy Chen 36:16:00

Women (with overall position)

1 (5) Maretha Combrinck 37:27:00

2 (7) Ingrid Qualizza 41:55:00

3 (14) Anne Wade 46:38:00

Who is Dirk Cloete? Check out the September issue of Go Trail magazine to learn more about this Pretoria-based ultra-trail runner.

Entries for the 2012 event will open on the 1st of December 2011.
For more information on the Kalahari Augrabies Extremem Marathon head to www.extrememarathons.com

You can catch coverage of the 2011 Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon on Super Sport at the following times:

13-Dec-11 SS6 19:00 - 19:30
13-Dec-11 SS6A 19:00 - 19:30
14-Dec-11 SS6A 11:00 - 11:30
14-Dec-11 SS6 11:00 - 11:30
15-Dec-11 SS6 18:30 - 19:00
15-Dec-11 SS6A 18:30 - 19:00
18-Dec-11 SS6 09:00 - 09:30
18-Dec-11 SS6A 09:00 - 09:30
19-Dec-11 SS6 21:30 - 22:00
19-Dec-11 SS6A 21:30 - 22:00
21-Dec-11 SS6 13:30 - 14:00
21-Dec-11 SS6A 13:30 - 14:00
22-Dec-11 SS6 22:30 - 23:00
22-Dec-11 SS6A 22:30 - 23:00
25-Dec-11 SS6 12:30 - 13:00
25-Dec-11 SS6A 12:30 - 13:00

Swiss single-stage racing taken to a new level

2011-11-22T23:15:00.000-08:00

Following on from the Swissalpine in Davos (78 kilometres) and the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (166 kilometres), the Irontrail breaks the 200 km barrier. The premiere takes place from 6 to 8 July 2012 with the start in Pontresina and the finish in Chur.

Staging the Alpes’ highest altitude, longest, toughest and most beautiful single-stage trail race in the multi-faceted natural, cultural and mountain landscape of Graubünden – this is the thinking behind the new Irontrail. According to a statement from the race's founder, Andrea Tuffli, the event is a project which will encourage both sports and tourism. "The route taken by the race makes it possible to connect the unique features of the different regions. However, not only does it link up the diversity offered by the landscape, but also the destinations." As well as being a value adding exercise, great importance is also placed on sustainability, as regards the economy, ecology and the community.

In the footsteps of Giovanni Segantini

The Irontrail is approximately 201 kilometres in length and consequently sets a new standard on the trail running scene. The previous "record holder", the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (France), is 166 kilometres long and the Grand Raid de La Réunion (on the island of Réunion off the African coast) covers 162 kilometres. The starting point of the Irontrail is the town of Pontresina and it finishes in Chur. The reasons behind this are as follows: Pontresina has a long tradition in mountain sports and Chur is the oldest town in Switzerland. Between the two towns there are ascents of 11,500 metres and descents of 12,700 metres that have to be conquered. Athletes will find themselves running in the footsteps of the painter Giovanni Segantini and philosopher Friedrich Nitzsche.

The scenic highpoints are where the Morteratsch and Pers glaciers cross and (between Bovalhütte and Diavolezza), the Fuorcla Pischa ridge/ibex trail, past the Segantini mountain hut to Muottas Muragl, Fuorcla Surlej, past Lake Hahnen to St. Moritz, the Piz Nair, which, at 3,022 metres above sea-level is apex of the event. Others include Fuorcla Crap Alv to Bergün via Lake Palpuogna on the Bahnlehr Trail, the Digls Orgels Pass (through the Graubünden Dolomites), the section right through the middle of the Parc Ela with the Albula-Bernina Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as the Parpaner Rothorn, Weisshorn and finally the Chur Joch.

Apart from the main section on the traverse through Graubünden, which demands everything of the runners (Tuffli: "It's all about the title 'King of the Mountains', just like the wild ibex on the logo), there are two shorter distances: About 140 kilometres (Pontresina–Chur +8400/-9600 m) and 72 kilometres (Chur–Lenzerheide–Arosa–Chur, +/- 4800 m). Tuffli does not see any competition, even from the Swissalpine Davos, which he himself organises and which takes place just three weeks after. "They are two different worlds. In the case of the Swiss Irontrail, the fastest runners complete a kilometre in an average of seven and a half minutes, whereas in the Swissalpine it is half this time."

4,000 participants after five years

700 to 800 people are expected to take part in the premiere, but the aim is to break the 4,000 barrier in five years. The people being targeted are experienced single-stage ultra trail runners, and especially participants (on waiting lists) in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc and La Réunion. Potential athletes come from Switzerland, France, Germany and Italy. "The typical ultra-trail runner is an experience-orientated, nature-loving freak or an amateur athlete with a professional touch looking for adventure and extreme, authentic experiences," states Tuffli.
The Swiss Irontrail follows the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc which is a partner event to the Swissalpine. When it was founded in 2003, it was just as revolutionary as the Davos race was in 1986. The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc is enjoying increasing popularity: 10,000 runners applied to take part in last year's event, with 5,500 ultimately being accepted. "The Mont Blanc has a tremendous attraction," comments Tuffli. He thinks his "youngest child" has just as much of a chance of success. "Firstly because of the distance, secondly because it takes place in a world-famous region and has the benefit of grandiose mountain and lakeland scenery."

To view the route profile click here

For further information visit the official event website at www.irontrail.ch

Text by Anita Fuchs on behalf of Tuffli Events AG

The future of South African trail running discussed

2011-11-16T04:17:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks, the debate on where the sport of trail running is going in South Africa and who is actually responsible for it, has been raging amongst various members of the local trail running community.

Earlier this year, through their dubious selection of a national trail running team to represent South Africa at the World Trail Championships in Ireland, Athletics South Africa (ASA) appeared to have seemingly "stamped" their authority as the representative body for the sport.

Due to various international events (including the World Trail Championships) that fall under the auspices of the International Association of Ultra-runners (IAU), a member of the IAAF, all national representative teams who want to compete in these international events must fall under an athletic body that governs and regulates the sport accordingly. Through this self appointed association by the ASA, the question of does the ASA have a right to take a handle on the sport became a contentious topic and one that seemed destined to fuel the progressive thinking of the trail running community as a whole.

TRAIL RUNNERS MEET

In a meeting held yesterday (15th of Novemeber, 2011) in Hout Bay near Cape Town, 48 members of the trail running community in the Western Cape came together to discuss various agenda topics that would assist the progression of the sport as it moves into the future. Lead by 3 members of the Cape Town trail running scene, Claire Ashworth, Tim Bellars and Grant McPherson, numerous concerns were addressed and opened up to the floor for comment and opinion. These included:

1. Where trail running is today – Tim Bellairs
2. General Issues – i.e. runner safety, calendar dates, international events, licenses fees – Claire Ashworth
3. Why a trail running Steering Committee is needed – Grant McPherson
4. Vote for a steering committee - open to the floor

The underlying theme of this meeting, and something that seemed non-negotiable at this point, was that ASA has indicated their intent on establishing a way of working WITH and not AGAINST the national trail running community in order to not only reach an understanding of how the sport is developing, but also to foster a relationship with the greater trail community in order to help govern and grow the sport.

"This first trail running community meeting in the Western Cape was a great success." said Claire Ashworth, trail running event organiser. "As was said by Tim in his address to the audience, we (Grant, Tim and myself) felt like we were "walking into the cave to face the bears”. Fortunately that was not the case and we had a very successful discussion about the future of the sport, an initial attempt to start a process of exploring possibilities for trail running."

As a result of this meeting, 8 members of a Western Cape committee have been elected to assist in the process going forward. Their mandate includes investigating what the options are for the sport including the definitions of trail running, continued engagement with ASA, if there are any alternatives (benefits/drawbacks) to not working with ASA and whether formalising trail running is indeed a viable optiton. Another important issue for Cape Town, while cognizant of the needs of other provinces, is engaging with SANPARKS and other environmental organisations.

Also included as part of the proposed action plan, members from the other major trail running centres including KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng have also been elected to assist in hosting their own provincial meetings, allowing more members of the trail running community to have their opinions on the matter heard, a move that will hopefully in turn allow for a more broader mandate to be identified for the future.

A secondary meeting in Cape Town has been temporarily scheduled for the end of February 2012 to reconvene and collate all findings on the matter.

Lesotho Wildrun meets the UTMB grade

2011-11-15T06:17:00.000-08:00

The Lesotho Wildrun 2012 has recently been confirmed as a selection race for one of the most legendary trail races in Europe, if not the world over, the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc or UTMB as it is most often referred to.

Event organisers from around the world are able to submit their applications to the organisers of the UTMB based on whether or not their event meets various qualifying criteria. These include total distance, positive altitude gain, time of the 1st competitor to finish and the number of refreshment points (aid stations) available to the runners. If the event is a staged race then the number of stages as well as the distance and positive altitude gain of the hardest stage are also judged.

Willing competitors from around the world need a minimum of five points from a maximum of two qualifying races as entry criteria into the 170km UTMB behemoth - or one point for its not-so-little little sister, the 100km Courmayeur Champex Chamonix (CCC). Through its selection, finishers of the Lesotho Wildrun will gain two qualifying points for use in either the 2013 or 2014 UTMB list of races.

"There are only a handful of races in South Africa that meet the stringent qualifying criteria set out by the organisers of the UTMB and we are really pleased that the Lesotho Wildrun has made the grade" says Owen Middleton from Wildrunner Events.

With over 4600m of total ascent over 120km, the Lesotho Wildrun represents one of the best training grounds Southern Africa has to offer for the mammoth 9714m of climb on the UTMB and 5096m on the CCC. Interestingly the highest point on the Lesotho Wildrun is just over 100m higher than the highest pass on either the UTMB or the CCC!

For more information on qualifying for the UTMB as well as how events qualify to become qualifying races, head to www.ultratrailmb.com

The 2012 Lesotho Wildrun will take place from 19-21 April 2012, with entries currently scheduled to open on the 17th January 2012. For full details please refer to the www.lesothowildrun.co.za

Racing The Planet heads to Nepal this weekend

2011-11-15T00:23:00.000-08:00

More than 200 competitors from 38 countries will be gathering in the Nepalese city of Pokhara this week for a historic RacingThePlanet event that takes place, for the first time, in a mountainous region.

“This promises to be a remarkable race,” says RacingThePlanet founder, Mary Gadams. “Nepal is a beautiful country, which brings together so many qualities of a great RacingThePlanet event: breath-taking landscapes, a diversity of technical terrains and a culture that competitors can fully immerse themselves in.”

A total of 220 competitors will set out on 20 November on a seven-day, 250-kilometer course through villages, ancient tracks and over rivers in the spectacular Annapurna region, reaching up to 3,200 meters in altitude. This is the fourth edition of RacingThePlanet’s annual "roving race," and the unique location has again drawn huge international interest with nearly three applications for each available place.

The field is essentially a who’s-who of RacingThePlanet event history, with nearly 60% of the competitors having previously taken part in a RacingThePlanet event. The race will also feature 26 members of the 4 Deserts Club, a prestigious group of individuals who have completed all four races in the 4 Deserts Series.

Amid the mighty competition, all eyes will be on top contender Ryan Sandes (29). The South African made history in 2010 when he was the first person to win all 4 Deserts races. Ryan recently won the Leadville 100 in the United States. Other strong contenders include Sean W. Abbott (29) and Ryan Bennett (28) of the United States. Legendary Marshall Ulrich (60) who was hailed as the “Endurance King” by Outside Magazine, also competes in one of six teams. Marshall will speak at the Royal Geographical Society in Hong Kong following the conclusion of RacingThePlanet: Nepal.

The women’s field is also compelling with several past champions competing including: Sissel Smaller (51) of Norway, winner of the female division of the Atacama Crossing 2006, who counts summiting Mount Everest amid her list of accomplishments; Mirjana Pellizzer (48) of Croatia, who earned the title of 4 Deserts Female Champion in 2010; and Canada’s Stephanie Case (29) who won the women’s division of RacingThePlanet: Vietnam in 2008.

RacingThePlanet: Nepal 2011 is a 250-kilometer, self-supported footrace that follows the same format as the world-renowned 4 Deserts series. Competitors carry all of their equipment and food, and are only given water and a place in a tent to sleep.

Thirty-eight countries are represented with the United States fielding the largest contingent with nearly 55 competing, followed by the United Kingdom with 46, Hong Kong with 38 residents, Australia with 20 and South Africa and Japan with 12 each.   Marmot is the official apparel partner with all staff, volunteers and competitors provided with Marmot jackets, and Coleman is the official campsite partner providing more than 50 tents and other outdoor equipment for the event. Expedition Foods is the official food supplier.  RacingThePlanet: Nepal 2011 will be followed by media from around the world with several film crews on site to film the event. Live website coverage will also be provided with hourly updates live from the field.

All updates can be found at www.racingtheplanet.com/nepal.

Arnett, Doke crowned 2011 Skyrun Champions

2011-11-13T21:37:00.000-08:00

Bruce Arnett (pictured left) won the Salomon Skyrun presented by Thule for an unprecedented 12th time late yesterday (two titles were shared). Arnett crossed the line at Wartrail Country club at 21:45, sum 16 hours and 39 minutes after leaving Lady Grey. Isaac Mazibuko (who won the Thule 4Peaks Mountain Challenge earlier this year) made his way from ninth at the top of the Bridle Path (the penultimate check point) to finish second, nearly two hours later. Salomon brand ambassador Lance Chapman, Nico Schoeman, (who had some navigational issues after the batteries on his GPS died) and women's Salomon runner Linda Doke (pictured below)crossed the line together for tied third place.

Linda Doke ran an impressive race in a time of 20h58min to finish first in the women's race. She was followed a half an hour later by Su Don Wauchope in a time of 21h25min. Don Wauchope also finished in the top ten overall.

“That was like five Comrades,” said Gerhard Beukes, who crossed the line with Don Wauchope. “That was my second Skyrun and right now I don’t know if there will be more,” he said after a warm shower and meal at Wartrail Country Club. “But in a week’s time all I’ll remember is the good times and the spectacular scenery. So of course I’ll be back.” He said.

IT’S A JOURNEY, NOT A RACE
Echoing his sentiments and epitomising the personal journey this extreme challenge is, was Matthew De Haast, “I had a full-on fight with myself coming down Balloch Wall (the most iconic obstacle in the race),” he said. “Total little temper-tantrum, but then I put some music on my iPod and pushed on.” De Haast was lying in top ten before a navigational error sent him way off-course after midnight. He eventually trudged into Wartrail at 06:15 on Sunday in 18th place.

INFO ON SALOMON SKYRUN
The Salomon Skyrun presented by Thule is an ultra-distance, high altitude endurance run over an unmarked route of a 106-kilometres through the highlands of the north-Eastern Cape. Athletes have to pass through nine checkpoints on the route and have to be totally self-sufficient. Most runners take over 27 hours to complete the route. The event also feature a ‘Lite’ route of 65-kilometres which finishes at Balloch Cave. 2011 saw a record of over 150 entries.’ The event is organised by Pure Adventures, for more info go to www.pureadventures.co.za

OFFICIAL RESULTS:

Men overall
1. (51) Bruce Arnett 16h39min
2. (129) Isaac Mazibuko 18h41min
3. (158) Nico Schoeman 20h58min

Women overall
1. (85) Linda Doke 20h58min
2. (86) Su Don-Wauchope 21h28min
3. (186) Max Visagie / (125) Jo Mackenzie 24h19min

Mens masters
1. (113) Andre Kleinsmith 27h13min
2. (154) Douglas Rossouw / (166) Jeff Speed / (180) Philip Van Der Werve 29h11min

Mens Vet
1. (51) Bruce Arnett 16h39min
2. (158) Nico Schoeman 20h58min
3. (193) Peter White 22h40min

Men’s Open
1. (129) Isaac Mazibuko 18h41min
2. (72) Lance Chapman 20h58min
3. (56) Gerhard Beukes / (189) Sven Vosse 21h28min

Ladies Open
1. (86) Su Don-Wauchope 21h28min
2. (186) Max Visagie / (125) Jo Mackenzie 24h19min

Ladies Vets
1. (85) Linda Doke 20h58min
2. (199) Riana Van Der Merve 25h19min
106km Route – 77 finishers of 139 starters
65km ‘Lite’ Route – 35 finishers of 39 starters

Compiled and issued by Jazz Kuschke Media on behalf of Salomon Sports. For more info email info@jazzkuschke.co.za.

Images: Kolesky/Nikon/Lexar

2011 Salomon Skyrun presented by THULE from D4 Productions on Vimeo.

Riverside Sports in Durban to host 2nd Trail Seminar

2011-11-11T02:20:00.000-08:00

Riverside Sports Club in Durban will be hosting it's second trail seminar for 2011 on the 24th of November at 19h00. It will be of particular interest to anyone wanting to know about the GREEN CORRIDOR and where all these new trails are leading. Entrance is free.

Gary Cullen, project manager for the Green Corridor will be showing slides and giving an overview of the proposed future plans. This will then be followed by a presentation by Devlin Fogg on the current state of the Umgeni trails. This seminar comes four days before the start of COP17 so come and join the spirit of the occasion and listen to what plans are in place here in Durban to give the Umgeni Valley a makeover.

For enquiries, directions and general information, contact Buzz or Hildegard Bolton on 031 562 1153 or via email buzzhilde@vodamail.co.za

Ryan Sandes to tackle the mountains of Nepal

2011-11-07T21:34:00.000-08:00

On the 20th of November, Racing The Planet's Roving Race Series heads to the Annapurna mountain range surrounding Pokhara for the 2011 Nepal Race. 200 hundred competitors from 35 countries will be present to tackle the 250km/6 stage event which boasts a total elevation gain of almost 10 000m (33 000ft).

South Africa's Ryan Sandes (pictured below after winning the Last Desert Antarctica), the only competitor to have successfully won all four of Racing The Planet's 4 Deserts Series, will be making an appearance as part of the starting line up. Currently training in the highlands of Lesotho, we got in touch with Ryan to ask him a few questions about his preparation ahead of the event:

Go Trail (GT): You're off to compete in the Racing The Planet Roving Race in Nepal later this month. What are your thoughts on heading to Nepal?

Ryan Sandes (RS): It’s been a childhood dream of mine to go to Nepal so I can’t wait to get there. The race route looks really beautiful but it is also going to be very challenging. I am really looking forward to catching up with the Racing the Planet family again.

GT: Having won all of Racing The Planet's 4 Deserts races, do you feel any pressure heading to this event?

RS: Haha – yeah there is always pressure when I go into a race, but mainly from myself. I set myself high standards and would love to win a roaming Racing the Planet race (Nepal). However the most important thing is to enjoy the experience and come back with lots of memories.

GT: With your year having consisted of mainly single stage and 100-miler events, how easy has it been for you to switch back to multi-stage preparation?

RS: Getting used to running with a 7-10kg backpack again has been hard work and my shoulders and back have taken a bit of a beating. I have not done too many long runs as I have had a long season so would rather go into the race feeling fresh than tired and over trained.

GT: What have you been doing over the past few weeks in preparation for this event?

RS: I have been in Lesotho (Afriski) for the past week trying to increase my red blood cells and acclimatize to the altitude. I think it’s really important to focus on the main challenges of each event and I think attitude will be a big factor in Nepal.

GT: Having competed in last years Trans Alpine Run in Europe, even though this is a self-supporting race, are you expecting the terrain and altitude gain to be similar and will you draw from that experience at all?

RS: Yes, I will definitely take my Trans Alps experience over to Nepal. It should be at a higher altitude than the Trans Alps but I am hoping it will have slightly less climbing in it when compared. Terrain wise I think the two races may be similar but I will have to wait and see.

GT: Who are some of the competitors you'll be looking out for as contenders for the title and has that changed anything in your preparation?

RS: Umm...you never know who is going to be having a good day so I always try go into a race in as best shape as possible. Ultra running is all about running your own race – if you run faster enough to cross the finish line first then that is a bonus.

GT: We wish you all the best for the trip and enjoy those mountains.

RS: Shot, thanks for the support!

Follow our coverage of the event right here or on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information about the race, head to www.racingtheplanet.com

Debutant Andre Calitz smashes 3 Peaks record

2011-11-07T02:20:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Andre Calitz (pictured left, image by Trevor Ball), a first-time participant in the Three Peaks Challenge, won this challenging race in 5 hours, 7 minutes and 39 seconds – smashing the standing men’s record of 5:23:20 set by Andrew Hagen in 2010, by almost 16 minutes. Hagen finished second– also beating the record he set last year.

Three Peaks Challenge in proud partnership with K-Way, has a long history. 115-years ago, Carl Wilhelm Schneeberger set off on foot from the old Johannesburg Hotel in Long Street. He ascended Devil’s Peak and returned to the hotel for a short rest. He went out again, this time hiking to the top of Maclear’s Beacon, which, at 1086-metres above sea level, is the highest point on Table Mountain. Again he returned to the hotel for a rest. He set off a third and final time for the summit of Lion’s Head; and then he returned to the hotel. This 50-kilometre adventure, excluding rest times, took 25-year old Schneeberger a total of 9 hours and 5 minutes and heralded the birth of what would become, 100 years later, this race.

Three Peaks Challenge started in fairly grumpy weather on Saturday morning bringing with it a light drizzle. “The rain made the path extremely slippery,” said one of the supporters waiting in the cold at Devil’s Peak. The wet conditions ensured that runners had to concentrate on the slippery descent down Platteklip Gorge. By the time the runners reached Lion’s Head a breeze was blowing and the light cloud cover gave way to sunshine.

“The event went very well and the weather was near-perfect, accounting in part for some very good times,” says race organiser Gavin Snell. “Andre surprised everybody with his 'mind-blowing' record run.”

Snell reports that Calitz and one of the pre-race favourites, the Norwegian Ake Fagereng, came in together at Greenmarket Square at the end of the first peak. At the end of the second peak to Maclear's Beacon, Calitz had opened up a five-minute lead over Hagen, with Fagereng in third. The top three finished in that same order.

In the women’s race, Caroline Balkwill (pictured left, image by Eric Tollner / redearth.co.za) took line honours. Although her time of 7:14 :09 was off the women’s record (6:17:26 set by Sylvie Harris in 2006), Balkwill ran comfortably clear of second placed woman, Petro Mostert (7:36:45). This was Balkwill’s second win at Three Peaks and she placed 22nd overall.

Of the 117 starters, 111 runners finished. The field contained a good number of first-timers, but a majority of the entrants have run many times. Most notable runners are the race organiser, Snell, who has completed every one of the 15 editions of the race and 64-year old Sonia Beard, who is the first woman to complete 10.

27-year old Hylton Brown first heard of the Three Peaks Challenge in 2010 and decided that it was a must-do event. “The moment I heard about it, I knew I had to take part; I’ve been training for six months. Finishing was incredible.” Brown completed the course in 08:26:05, finishing mid-field in 50th place overall.

“It is such a good feeling to have done something so strenuous before most Capetonians have even had breakfast. Wow!” he adds.

The Three Peaks Challenge in proud partnership with K-Way will be held again on Saturday, 3 November 2012.

RESULTS

Men’s race

1. Andre Calitz, 05:07:39 * NEW RECORD *

2. Andrew Hagen, 05:15:47

3. Ake Fagereng, 05:27:49

4. Mike Els, 05:58:31

5. Gareth Hempson, 05:59:33

Women’s race

1. Caroline Balkwill, 07:14:09

2. Petro Mostert, 07:36:45

3. Kylie Hatton, 08:04:47

Team Spain dominate medal table at Puig Campana

2011-11-06T00:31:00.000-07:00

The super-strong Italian team took the combined European Skyrunning Championships title at the Puig Campana Vertical Kilometer® today, but Spain was the big medal winner, taking nine of the eighteen medals at stake overall.

New course records were set by Italy’s Urban Zemmer, world record holder of this distance, closing in 35’43” and Spain’s new skyrunning promise, Laura Orgue, in 44’01”, both pictured left.

The Italian men’s team had the podium to themselves with Urban Zemmer first, Marco De Gasperi second and Nicola Golinelli third, while the women’s line-up had Spain’s Laura Orgue first, Oihana Kortazar second and France’s Corinne Favre, third.

456 runners battled up the steep rocky course to the summit of the Puig Campana which stands at 1,400m overlooking the Costa Blanca. The Vertical Kilometer® represented the final of the biannual European Championships, with the first round taking place in Switzerland on June 12 with the SkyRace® title going to Spain’s Oihana Kortazar and Luis Hernando. Both Hernando and De Gasperi were feeling the effects of a long season and their recent accomplishments, (2nd and 3rd) in the Malaysian Skyrunner® SuperCup together with Hernando’s Skyrunner® World Series Champion title.

With the weather in Europe at last turning cold, the intense 2011 skyrunning season draws to a close but already anticipation mounts for the unveiling of the Skyrunner® World Series with an exciting new format and the presentation of the 2012 SkyGames®.

2011 European Skyrunning Championships

Team Combined Points:
Italy
Spain
France
Andorra
Russia
Switzerland
Germany
Great Britain
Slovenia

See here for combined points

Provisional race results

Medals:
Spain (4 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze)
Italy (1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)
Slovenia (1 gold)
France (1 silver, 1 bronze)

As usual, head to www.skyrunning.com for more details

Open games for the 10th Triple Challenge title

2011-11-05T00:18:00.000-07:00

Five times Triple Challenge Champion, Dan Hugo (pictured left), will not be on the start line for the tenth edition of the race, which takes place on Sunday between Pietermaritzburg and Inanda Dam. The Pro Xterra multisporter recently achieved a career best when he took silver at the Xterra World Championships; just 33 seconds behind the winner. Change A Life athlete Erik Zondi, who placed second last year, is also absent from the start list. That leaves a battle for supremacy between Change A Life team mates Nhlanhla Cele (third last year) and Kwanda Mhlophe (fourth last year). Others to look out for are the experienced Trevor Hellens, Greg Carter-Brown and Lucas Mthalane. Jean Hackland looks set to take the women’s Multisport title.

The men’s Multi-X field contains some of SA’s top names in multisport and is sure to produce an exciting race. Defending champ Justin Porteous will be up against last year’s runner-up John Ntuli and third placed Raoul de Jongh, as well as Andre Booyens, Glen Gore and Gareth Harrington. The women’s field looks equally impressive and includes Carla van Huyssteen, Sarah Gray, Robyn Adendorff and Candice Neethling.

The Triple Challenge mountain bike leg has once again evolved and this year will take competitors through the Phezulu Game Estate as it winds it’s way through the Valley of a Thousand Hills and down to Inanda Dam. Phezulu Game Estate is a unique residential developments consisting of 630 hectares, comprising of a residential component of approx. 83 hectares and a Game Reserve of approx. 550 hectares. This is an exciting development from event organisers, Max Cluer Sports Marketing, who have been working closely with Phezulu Estate for the past three years in the hopes of including this beautiful piece of true Africa to Triple Challenge route. Aside from being a bird watchers paradise (not that participants in the Triple Challenge will be focused on the feathered kind), Phezulu Game Estate boasts close to 70 head of large game, including giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala, blesbok and a wide variety of duiker, bush buck and bush pig. While there is no guarantee of the participants seeing any of the game, the beauty of the surroundings will surely add soul to an already genuine African event.

The event comprises a 20km trail run from Pietermaritzburg to Camperdown, followed by a 52km mountain bike leg into the Valley of a Thousand Hills to Inanda Dam, to finish with either a 18km paddle on Inanda Dam (Multisport) or a 6km trail run (MultiX). Individual athletes and teams of 2B start at 5h30 followed by the rest of the team categories at 6h00. The winners are expected at the finish at Inanda Dam from 9h30.
Entrants should note that pre-race registration takes place on Saturday at Athlete House (31 Christie Road, Pelham, Pmb) between 9h00 – 11h00 or at Cyclelab Hillcrest between 12h30 – 14h00.

For further information and race details log onto www.triplechallenge.co.za

Record field expected for 2011 Salomon Skyrun

2011-11-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

“It’s going to be a journey of self discovery,” says Race Director, Adrian Saffy from Pure Adventures, of the up-coming Salomon Skyrun presented by Thule.

The 100-kilometre mountain challenge starts on 12 November at Lady Grey, from where the record field of 150 runners will head up into the North-Eastern Cape Drakensberg, traverse the remote Herchel / Lesotho border fence and eventually finish at Wartrail Country Club. “In order to finish this route runners need to overcome so many personal perceptions and boundaries,” says Saffy, referring to the unmarked 100-odd kilometres of technical terrain over which athletes will have to be totally self-sufficient and navigate by map and compass and GPS unit. “They’ll have to draw on character and mental strength as much as physical fitness and ability,” he said.
“Every determined individual who has the guts to enter and then train for an event of this nature will have the characteristics to complete the journey,” he said.

There are some changes to the event this year: There is no longer an overnight cut off at Balloch and organisers have instead instituted a compulsory medical check at this check point prior to athletes leaving to carry on, through the night if they wish. There will also be a short course with a cut off at Edge Hill on Sunday Morning. There are also Red Bull Hotspots on the course where athletes can sprint for cash (similar to in cycling events), “which should make the racing up front exciting,” said Saffy.

Saffy believes the racing up-front will be competitive and fierce and that there won’t be any “lucky breaks or chance winners. These guys and girls are truly gifted and determined athletes and can suffer for 15 hours.”

There is also a Skyrun Lite over 65-kilometres, which finishes at Balloch. There are 50 athletes taking part in this race.

For live updates on who’s leading and what’s happening at the event follow @Salomon_sa on Twitter, join the conversation with #SalomonSkyRun and like our Facebook page

European Skyrunning Championships finale set for Spain

2011-11-03T01:28:00.000-07:00

It’s curtains up for the final of the 2011 European Skyrunning Championships which will take place in Alicante, Spain on Saturday, November 5th with the Vertical Kilometer® del Puig Campana.

Lining up for the challenge are Vertical Kilometer® world record holders, Italians Marco De Gasperi and Urban Zemmer. Zemmer set the standing world record on the Dolomites course in Canazei last year in 33’16” while De Gasperi enjoyed an eight-year stint with his 34’51” record set in Val d’Isère in 2002. Uphill specialist Nicola Golinelli completes the Italian team.

The strong Spanish team is headed by recently crowned Skyrunner® World Series champions, Oihana Kortazar (pictured right) and Luis Hernando. Kortazar is also European SkyRace® Champion, winning the first leg of the Championships at the International SkyRace® in Switzerland on June 12. Backing up the Spanish team will also be course record holder Mónica Ardid (49’29”.) The men’s course record is 37’51” set by Agustí Roc in 2009. France is represented by the legendary Corinne Favre and Didier Zago.

A record field of 456 runners will participate in Saturday’s Vertical Kilometer®. As the name suggests, the course comprises one thousand metres elevation gain over 3.650 km distance and with inclines up to 35.5%, it represents an explosive challenge. The timed race section starts at 380m in Finestrat, ascending to the summit of Puig Campana at 1,408m. The 8 km descent is at the runners’ own pace. www.puigcampana.com

Individual and team titles are at stake which, as the European final, will count points scored in the Swiss International SkyRace® on June 12 for the combined title.

Team favourites are the super-strong home team, leading the ranking with 326 points, followed by Italy and Switzerland. As for the Vertical Kilometer® title, an exciting contest is anticipated.

2011 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
International SkyRace® – Valposchiavo, Switzerland - June 12
Vertical Kilometer® del Puig Campana - Valencia, Spain - November 5

Ranking after the first leg in Switzerland on June 12:

1 SPAIN - 326 points
2 ITALY - 298
3 SWITZERLAND - 170
4 RUSSIA - 152
5 ANDORRA - 142
6 GERMANY - 92
7 FRANCE - 86
8 GREAT BRITAIN - 80
9 SLOVAKIA - 74

For more infor head to www.skyrunning.com

Historical Three Peaks Challenge turns 15

2011-11-01T03:10:00.000-07:00

115-years ago, Carl Wilhelm Schneeberger set off on foot from the old Johannesburg Hotel in Long Street. He ascended Devil’s Peak, via Platteklip Gorge, and returned to the hotel for a short rest. He went out again, this time hiking to the top of Maclear’s Beacon, which, at 1086-metres above sea level, is the the highest point on Table Mountain. Again he returned to the hotel for a rest. He set off a third and final time for the summit of Lion’s Head; and then he returned to the hotel. This 50-kilometre adventure, excluding rests, took 25-year old Schneeberger a total of 9 hours and 5 minutes and heralded the birth of what would become, 100 years later, the Three Peaks Challenge.

Three Peaks Challenge in proud partnership with K-Way, has a long history. In the one-hundred years between Schneeberger’s endeavour and the inaugural running of the Three Peaks foot race, two other men (Sandy Trimble in 1927 and Geoff Pitter in 1977) attempted and bettered Schneeberger’s time. But, they wouldn’t have come close to current record holder Andrew Hagen, who ran a blistering 5:23:20 in 2010. At their end of their run these men would have returned to the hotel to find women’s record holder, Sylvie Harris (6:17:26 set in 2006), showered and drinking tea with a slice of cake.

Race organiser Gavin Snell is the only person to have run in all 14 previous editions of the race – he’ll be out there with the entrants aiming for a successful 15th. Looking at the line-up, Snell is expecting a riveting struggle between three-time winner Andrew Hagen and Norwegian Ake Fagereng, who has won the race twice. “After a titanic fight for the lead in 2010, things went horribly wrong for Fagereng on Platteklip Gorge,” says Snell. “That’s when Hagen went on to win in record time. Fagereng has unfinished business.”

Although all eyes will be on Hagen and Fagereng, Snell hasn’t ruled out other contenders. “There is every chance that the record could be broken and that the inevitable 'unknown quantity' could be waiting to pick up the pieces if things don't work out for the frontrunners,” he adds. Janette Terblanche, two-times winner, will start as the women’s race favourite.

Weather predictions for Saturday are positive. “But,” Snell reminds runners, “one never knows with the unpredictable, temperamental weather conditions in Cape Town.”

Three Peaks Challenge in proud partnership with K-Way is a physically demanding race. It is almost entirely up and down, with very few flat sections, so it can be particularly hard on the leg muscles. As runners return to Greenmarket Square between peaks, they face the mental challenge each time of resisting the temptation to stay behind with loved ones instead of heading out to tackle another major ascent.

This year K-Way has teamed up with the race. “We’ve partnered with Three Peaks Challenge to support this unique trail race with its longstanding history,” says Nick Bennett, K-Way’s marketing manager. “Like the race, K-Way is a Cape Town local and we’ve used Table Mountain extensively for product testing. A race with a ridiculously demanding route plus 115 years of history centred in the heart of Cape Town... that’s special.”

The race starts at 05h00 on Saturday, 5 November 2011. Runners meet at Greenmarket Square but the actual start is around the corner, at 108 Long Street, from where Schneeberger started his solo challenge in 1897. There will be 120 runners at the start and the winner is expected in by 10h30. Runners have 14-hours (until 19h00) to complete the 50-kilometre route.

For more information, head to the event website: www.hikecapetown.co.za

Inaugural Hermanus Berg & Beach Trail Run

2011-11-01T02:06:00.000-07:00

Nearly 100 mountain trail runners set off on a 22km coastal run on Saturday, 29 October, from De Kelders to Fernkloof Nature Reserve, Hermanus. It coincided with the low tide and included sandstone track, sand, coastal rock and swimming across the Klein River lagoon mouth before running alongside the Mossels River trail to end day 1. Runners enjoyed sightings of whales, dolphins, the endangered Black Oyster Catcher and numerous other coastal birds along this pristine section of coast in Walker Bay. Noel Erntzsen cruised to the finish of day 1 with Derrick Baard 1 minute behind and Sean Privett sneaking past Eddie Lambert only 50 meters from the finish when the latter took a wrong turn in the Fernkloof Botanical gardens. Landie Visser had a comfortable lead over 2nd place Suzanne Marais with Linda Doke placing 3rd.

Day 2 saw the runners lined up for a tough and scenic, 27km mountain run on the trails of Fernkloof Nature Reserve. Derrick Baard was leading the run up until 10km with Eddie Lambert on his heels. At the top of a steep switch back climb, Erntszen - placed third at this point - decided to increase the pace which included another 10km steady climb to the top of Platberg. He romped home in an impressive time with Baard finishing almost 10min later. Eddie Lambert finished the day in 3rd and this was enough to clinch the overall third position when Sean Privett failed to hold on to his day 1 lead over Lambert. Landie Visser and Robyn Ferrar battled it out on day 2 until the last 1km section when Visser's speed on the down hill switchbacks proved to fast for Ferrar. She finished a minute behind Visser with Linda Doke placing 3d on day 2. Ferrar's fast run on day 2 was enough to propel her to 2nd overall female after finishing 4th on day 1. Suzanne Marais struggled with the more technical terrain and just could not hold on to her 1st day dominance over Doke and Ferrar.

This Quantum Classic, 2 day stage run was presented by Spur Steak Ranches and Capestorm. This event will feature high on the calendar in 2012 when it will be part of the Hermanus Whale Festival!

Top 5 Results:

Men's:

1 Noel Ernstzen

2 Derrick Baard

3 Eddie Lambert

4 Sean Privett

5 Armand Bosman

Women's:

1 Landie Visser

2 Robyn Ferrar

3 Linda Doke

4 Suzanne Marais

5 Jeanette Steyn

For full results and images, visit www.quantumadventures.co.za

Racing the Himalayan 100

2011-10-28T23:28:00.000-07:00

The 21st Himalayan Run & Trek International Annual Events (Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race) went off successfully during Oct. 18 – 22, 2011 in Darjeeling area, the North-East Himalayan ranges. Adventurers from fifteen countries including USA, UK, Germany, Spain, Argentina, Czech Republic, Singapore, Scotland, Ireland, France, Sweden, Italy, India, etc. took part in this novel event. The Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race has been distinguished as one of the world’s most challenging and toughest endurance events with ‘AAA’ rating.

Mr. Anil Verma, IAS, Administrator of the local government flagged off the race while admiring the efforts made by Mr. C S Pandey, Race Director in encouraging the runners from all over the world to see the unparalleled beauty of the Himalaya and promoting such an event which is very unique and appears almost impossible.

Mr. Deon Braun (South Africa) won the 21st International Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race with an overall time of 18 Hrs. 16 Min. got the privilege to receive the Sant Nagpal Baba Memorial Gold Award with the first prize. The second and third positions were won by Mr. Lars Drageryd (Sweden) with a time of 18 Hrs. 35 Min. and Mr. Thomas Stephen Wallace (Ireland) with a time of 19 Hrs. 18 Min. respectively. Among the females, Ms. Karen Jane McGibbon (UK) with an overall time of 24 Hrs. 14 Min. won the first prize. The second position won by Ms. Ivana Pilarova (Czech Republic) with a time of 27 Hrs. 12 Min. and Ms. Amanda Louise Clayton (UK) with a time of 27 Hrs. 53 Min. was declared as third winner. This race has been declared as the most scenic race in the world by Jason Henderson from Athletics Weekly Magazine, UK.

The oldest participant was Mr. Rex William James Whittle from Hong Kong (71 years). Ms. Diksha Jain has become third Indian girl to complete this race.

Mr. S K Gautam, Inspector General of the para-military force (SSB) congratulated the winners at the finish point and said that Mr. Pandey has put tremendous efforts in bringing India on the world map of high altitude ultra races.

The course traversed vast tea gardens, isolated jungles and small villages. Participants also got opportunity to have the spectacular view of Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu (four out of five highest peaks in the world). According to the runners, the race trail is most beautiful and exciting. It also offers a rare and once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy the cold breezes that hover around the rhododendron forests which holds more than four thousand types of flowering plants and three hundred varieties of rare ferns.

Simultaneously the 17th Mt. Everest Challenge Marathon also took place on the third day of the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race.

Mr. C. S. Pandey was the Race Director of the events. According to him, “eco-friendly adventure sport is the best way to enhance ones’ spirits and brighten life. Becoming one with nature is the most satiating experience one can have, as it helps to keep the body and mind in perfect condition.” The central ambition behind this eco adventure sport mission is to preserve the environment and thousands year old local heritage of Indian Himalaya for future generation.

MT. EVEREST CHALLENGE MARATHON

OCTOBER 20, 2011, DARJEELING, INDIA

The 17th International Annual Mt. Everest Challenge Marathon was successfully held on October 20, 2011 at Darjeeling. It started at Sandakphu National Park with the participants from fifteen countries (USA, UK, Germany, Spain, Argentina, Czech Republic, Singapore, Scotland, Ireland, France, Sweden, Italy, etc.) negotiated the trails from Sandakphu to Rimbik via Phalut. The trail course varies from 12,000 ft to 6,350 ft.

Mr. Lars Drageryd from Sweden and Mr. Christopher Solarz from USA (pictured left receiving their first place trophy) jointly won the first position with a time of 5 Hrs. 1 Min. The second position went to Mr. Thomas Stephen Wallace (Ireland) with 5 Hrs. 27 Min. and the third position went to Mr. Deon Braun (South Africa) with 5 Hrs. 36 Min. Among females, Dr. Beatriu Reig (France) was the first woman to finish the marathon with an overall time of 6 Hrs. 55 Min. Second position went to Ms. Karen Jane McGibbon (UK) with 7 Hrs. 2 Min. and the third woman to finish was Ms. Amanda Louise Clayton (UK) with a time of 8 Hrs. 47 Min. Walkers got a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the serene and magnificent beauty of trail at own pace.

Participants seemed to agree with Runners World magazine in describing the Mt. Everest Challenge Marathon as the “World’s Most Beautiful Marathon”. Mr. C.S.Pandey was the Race Director. The race finish rate was 97.56%.

The course traversed isolated jungles and small villages and participants got an opportunity to have the spectacular view of Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu (four out of five highest peaks in the world). The event was held simultaneously with the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race.

For more information on the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage race, please visit www.himalayan.com

Regulation of South African trail running - the debate rages on

2011-10-28T05:26:00.000-07:00

As the sport of trail running continues to grow at a rapid rate in South Africa, and with the recent selection of a national trail team to represent the country at the World Trail Champs in Ireland earlier this year (full story here), a decision viewed by many as a controversial one due to it's direct association with Athletics South Africa (ASA), the question of "what does the future hold for the sport?" has become a hot topic amongst various role players within the local trail running community.

A meeting scheduled to take place between interested parties in trail running and the ASA in Constantia, Cape Town on the 29th of October was abruptly cancelled by the current chairman of the ASA, Mr James Evans, as a result of a barrage of negative emails from various members of the trail running community expressing their concern and distaste for the organisations involvement with trail running. Many people within the community have slandered the involvement of ASA in trail running since it was responsible for the dubious selection process of the national team earlier in the year, referencing many previous instances of malpractice and corruption within the association.

With over-regulation of the sport remaining a common concern amongst trail runners, we want to know your thoughts on whether or not you think that trail running requires regulation or whether you think it's fine without it.

Click here to visit our survey.

Jornet claims Supercup victory in Malaysia

2011-10-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

In a gripping battle for the Skyrunner® SuperCup title, Kilian Jornet outstripped Marco De Gasperi at the Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon in today’s men’s race. 2h37’04” was Jornet’s winning time, De Gasperi, just 44” later, closed in 2h37’48” and Spain’s Luis Hernando, finished a happy third in 2h42’36” behind these two skyrunning super stars.

De Gasperi reached the 4,095m summit in 1h37’39” (2’10” short of his record) followed by Jornet 3’39” later and Hernando hot on his heels a mere 5” behind him. De Gasperi’s descent was not so fortunate however, with a fall that possibly cost him the title. Despite this misadventure, he managed to maintain his lead until the final stretch when Jornet overtook him.

Last year’s second placer was Nepal’s Sudip Kulung, 4th today and 5th, Japan’s Toru Miyahara, overtaken by Kulung in a sprint in the final kilometre.

Skyrunning races are typically won on the descent and it’s interesting to note the fastest time ever recorded in the 25-year history of this race was by Sudip Kulung today: 55’57”. Jornet’s time, the second fastest, was 56’24”. De Gasperi descended in 59’59” – fall included.

In the women’s race yesterday, Skyrunner® SuperCup heroine Danny Gongot thrilled the crowd and organisers by her win – only the third Malaysian woman in 25 years to have won the Climbathon. Her time was 3h41’29”.

Race favourites Anna Frost from New Zealand and American Brandy Erholtz took second and third respectively.
Frost, second here last year in 3h33’41”, closed in 3h50’35”, after a recent injury halted her training,. Erholtz, new to skyrunning’s daunting downhills, was first to reach the summit in 2h11’41”,with a nine minute advantage over Gongot and is the first American on the Climbathon podium.

Celebrations all round today for the Climbathon’s 25th birthday and the award of the Skyrunner® SuperCup “champion of champions” title which goes to skyrunning super star Kilian Jornet and Malaysia’s Danny Gongot, at last, realizing her dream of winning this great international race on home ground.

Fore more information, log onto www.skyrunning.com

4-race Wildrunner Trail Series heads to KwaZulu-Natal

2011-10-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

The first race in this four race series kicks off this Sunday 16th October at Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve with a 10km LONG or a 5km SHORT course option. Course maps & profiles are online on www.trailseries.co.za

The original four race point scoring Trail Series system will apply, with three race scores counting towards a final score in either the Long course Championship or the Short Course Challenge. There will be a Spur food van and ice cold 100Plus available to all runners at the start & finish, as well as a jumping castle for the kids. Non-runners are welcome.

This is the first year the Trail Series will be in KZN and your support is appreciated! Please forward on to your members and interested parties.

Please note a few changes to the Series:

1. Race 2 has been moved to Shongweni Club. Details will be available online from Monday next week.

2. Races 3 & 4 will be on the 13th and 20th November respectively.

For full details and to enter online, please see http://www.trailseries.co.za

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Ryan Sandes talks about his win at the 2011 Otter

2011-10-09T06:13:00.000-07:00

Trail running survey - answer and win with Pearl Izumi

2011-10-03T04:45:00.000-07:00

Go Trail magazine was recently approached to share with it's readers a survey being hosted by two students at the University of Bayreuth Institute of Sports Science in Germany studying their diploma in Sports Business and Law. The results of this survey are to support their final thesis research concerning choice of trail, what motivates runners to get out there and the choice of equipment.

Interested in what their results would find, we offered them the opportunity to publish their findings in Go Trail magazine once all the data had been collected. As part of that data, we'd like to encourage our readers to check out the survey and spend a few minutes answering the questions. You could be the lucky winner of a pair of Pearl Izumi Peak II trail running shoes as seen below.

Click here to enter the survey.

Sandes, Don-Wauchope win 2011 Otter African Trail Run

2011-10-03T02:38:00.000-07:00

It is no wonder the OTTER African Trail Run presented by Hi-Tec has been dubbed ‘The Grail of Trail' by local organisers Magnetic South. This magnificent coastal run traverses the beaches and sea cliffs of the Eden District from Storms River Mouth to the laid-back village of Nature’s Valley, and there is no doubt it will soon rate as one of the most desirable trail runs on Planet Earth.

Two runnings of the Otter Trail route are sanctioned by SA National Parks, who open the trail to runners only one weekend every year under the most stringent of environmental considerations. “We understand this exhilarating race showcases the natural splendour of one of South Africa’s favourite national parks,” SANParks management said in a statement after signing an historic agreement with event organisers Magnetic South.

The concept of the OTTER African Trail Run was the collective brainchild of brothers John and Mark Collins, key partners in the successful event organising company, Magnetic South. Together with presenting sponsors Hi-Tec and nutritional sponsor GU, they set their sights on the impossible dream of ‘a 42km trail marathon along an unspoilt wilderness coastline’.

Numbers obviously need to be limited, so only 200 athletes are allowed to do both the Run (Friday) and the Ramble (Sunday). It is also most certainly not within everyone’s physical ability to do the Otter Hiking Trail in a single day, but last year Doctor Andre Gie proved a point by setting a blistering time of 4hrs 47min.

The magical 5hr barrier was first broken in 2009 by KZN runner Iain Don-Wauchope, who set a time of 4hrs 59min. Sedgefield local John Collins followed suit during the second running in 2010, but Gie made sure his glory was rather short-lived. This year, a total of 400 eager endurance runners were given the opportunity to take on both Collins and Gie, and rumour has it that they were gunning for the 4hrs 30min mark...

This year the race, again sponsored by global outdoor footwear and apparel manufacturer Hi-Tec, saw a star-studded field assembled at Storms River Mouth, including SA’s trail running star, Ryan Sandes. Fresh from his victory at the prestigious Leadville 100 mile Ultra Marathon in the USA, he would for the first time contend with a full-strength trail running field from all over the country.

Perfect weather saw the runners set off along the Otter singletrack just after sunrise, with the front bunch consisting of big guns Sandes, Andre Gie, William Robinson, Bruce Arnett, Greg Goodall, John Collins and local runner Victor Gugushe, from Plettenberg Bay. No quarter was given as they blasted along the forested coastline, with Sandes and Arnett moving into a two-minute lead by the halfway mark at the Lottering River crossing.

From here, the hard graft really starts to kick in, with three major climbs and the treacherous Bloukrans River crossing lying in wait. At Bloukrans, Sandes had extended his lead over the chasing Arnett to six minutes with the classy field behind these two strung out along the coastal paths.

In the end, Sandes’ superb class was just to good for the rest of the field. He steamed in across the floating bridge finish in an incredible time of 4hrs 40min, decimating the current record by more than 7min.

“In the last nine kilometres I was feeling it, but what a stunning route and a privilege to run here. Swimming across Bloukrans River was definitely a first for me in a trail race!” said an elated Sandes at the finish.

A strong women's field saw Su Don-Wauchope triumph over a tenacious Robyn Ferrar, with Landie Visser claiming a well-deserved third place.

All sub-five hours competitors have their names engraved on the ‘Otter Grail’, a trophy especially designed for the event, but this amazing race is also about the brave endurance athletes further down the field. In the end, ‘The Otter’ constitutes a single day brimming with incredible adventure and memories which will last a lifetime.

“This race never ceases to amaze and humble me”, said Race Director Mark Collins. “Once again, we saw an impeccable display of athleticism and running, especially from those who battled home in a gruelling twelve hours”, he continued. Superb organisation by Magnetic South and their professional crew saw the event unfold flawlessly and without mishap.

“In this, our third year of sponsoring the Otter, the race has matured into the most iconic trail race in South Africa attracting the crème de la crème of trail runners, as well as being a ‘must do’ on any runners bucket list,” said Ian Little, Marketing Marketing of outdoor apparel manufacturer Hi-Tec. “Our relationship with South African National Parks ensures it is a race close to our hearts and that of our customers, who are active outdoor people.”

According to event organiser Mark Collins, the key ethos around the OTTER African Trail Run focuses on environmental preservation. “The only way we can make this event 100% sustainable for competitors, landowners and the outdoor tribe is to be untouchable when it comes to how we treat the environment."

Results

Men

1. Ryan Sandes, 4.40.15

2. Bruce Arnett, 4.51.51

3. Victor Gugushe, 4.53.57

Women

1. Su Don-Wauchope, 5.39.42

2. Robyn Ferrar, 5.44.52

3. Landie Visser, 5.47.00

For more stunning images from Jacques Marais, click here

For more information on the OTTER African Trail Run, presented by Hi-Tec, contact Christine Collins on christine@magneticsouth.net, or visit www.theotter.co.za

Mountain runners tackle the Thule 4 Peaks

2011-10-03T00:36:00.000-07:00

“You are now a mountain runner,” said organiser Mike De Haast as the final competitor crossed the finish line of the Thule 4 Peaks Mountain Challenge presented by Salomon. It was 15:27 and the 183rd time he’d said the same thing. The first time was around 8:39 when local farm labourer Isaac Mazibuko raced across the line seconds ahead of Bloemfontein novice Karabo Mohase. “Emotional scenes,” said race director Adrian Saffy that night as a slide show sequence (captured by photographer Craig Kolesky) of the close first/second finish played out just before the prize giving. “I can’t think of a more fitting way for this race to have ended.”

It was also the first time Saffy had seen the images, as he had been out on the course as sweeper all day (over nine-and-a-half hours). Coming in with the last competitors.
Third place on the day, for the second year in a row went to Gerhard Uys in a time of 02:55:35.
Salomon athlete Susan Sloan convincingly won the ladies race in a time of 03:43:35, finishing
16th overall.

MORE THAN FOUR PEAKS

“There really are more than four peaks,” joked Richard Downey, managing director of headline sponsor, Thule, at the prize giving. Downey was one of a number of novices to complete the 24-kilometre route slog up, over and along the mountain bowl that cradles Moolmanshoek Nature Reserve on the day. The route was the same as in previous years, taking in the ‘Pyramid’ – a five-kilometre climb that gains 700 vertical metres as well as traversing the back of iconic Visierskerf Mountain along old Eland migration paths.

Due to heavy rains throughout the winter the grass was long and green which would make for tough-going and slower times than in previous years (the area was severely burnt in 2010)
Clear skies and a light breeze greeted runners at the start, so despite a massive squall the previous day the mood was buoyant and enthusiastic. But with rain still a threat and because it’s an unsupported race, compulsory gear included a soft shell jacket, space blanket, whistle, and at least two-litres of water. The weather held until mid-afternoon, seeing most of the field home dry.

The 4 Peaks weekend is more than just a mountain run though, with entertainment for the whole family, including pony rides for the kids and a 24-kilometre mountain bike event on the Sunday.
Unfortunately the mountain bike event had to be shortened to 16 kilometres due to heavy over-night rains.

For more information, results and images, head to www.pureadventures.co.za

Compiled and issued by Jazz Kuschke Media on behalf of Salomon Sports.
For more info and high res images contact: Mobile: +27 (0) 72 233 6273 Email: info@jazzkuschke.co.za

Big guns gather for “THE GRAIL OF TRAIL”

2011-09-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

What is arguably the strongest field of trail runners ever assembled on South African soil will be gathering in the Garden Route National Park for the annual Otter Run presented by Hi Tec. Winners of almost every major trail run in the country including the likes of desert running super star; Ryan Sandes fresh from his win of the iconic Leadville 100 miler in the USA, have entered for what runners have dubbed the “Grail of Trail.” The Otter Run, which traverses South Africa’s world famous five day hiking trail; The Otter Trail, is now in its 3rd year and is already considered the benchmark by which participants of this wilderness sport measure themselves. Unlike the hikers, Trail runners in The Otter event only have eight hours in which to complete the 42 km course. Some do it in less than five hours and those in the know believe that, with the field assembled, the 4 hour 48 min record will be breached on Friday.

The Otter Trail is renowned for its splendour and spectacular beauty but the rugged and undulating nature of the trail itself, by beautiful coincidence, forms the perfect test for the group of people who find the challenge of running in the wild irresistible. “The Otter Run is the yardstick,” says two times sub six hour finisher Ian Morshead, “The pinnacle of an active lifestyle.” But the Otter Run is as brutal as it is beautiful. With 65 vertical meters gained for every kilometre traversed, the average gradient of The Otter exceeds that of even some of the world’s most respected mountain runs making it an extreme challenge of strength and stamina. That’s not all, the trail is rock-strewn and uneven requiring what trail runners refer to as technical running skills. “The Otter Run is one of the hardest endurance medals to attain,” says founding runner John Collins who is amongst the favourites to win the Otter in 2011.

Part of the allure of this race is that it is the only time of the year when trail runners are afforded the opportunity to run on the trail. Outside of this event, the Otter Trail remains the domain of intimate groups of hikers and any running on the trail is strictly forbidden. SANParks only considered opening the trail to a Trail Running event after an extensive environmental impact study and then only for a trial event in 2009. The 2009 event proved that the trail could be run without any significant additional impact on the environment and showed that trail runners revere the wilderness experience as much as hikers do. “It is a privilege to be on the trail,” says event organiser Mark Collins. “Whether you hike it or run it, the important thing is that you value it and that you
leave it better than you found it.”

Interview with Gore-TEX Transalpine Run Race Organiser Heinrich Albrecht

2011-09-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Owens wins in stormy Sentiero delle Gringe

2011-09-19T01:19:00.000-07:00

As the toughest race on the circuit, Sunday’s Sentiero delle Grigne didn’t disappoint. The 2011 Skyrunner® World Series final proved a harder test than was anticipated by the 439 competitors. With lashing rain, thunder and lightning, the original 43 km course and massive vertical climb, had to be reduced.

A double victory for Spain with the world champion titles going to ranking leaders Luis Alberto Hernando, third, and Oihana Kortazar, second.

Race winners were Britain’s Tom Owens who completed the course in 2h23’54” and Italy’s Emanuela Brizio, 2009 and 2010 world champion, 2h57’52”.

Owens was thrilled with his win after battling against skyrunning giant Kilian Jornet in Zegama for second place at the start of the season. Finally his turn for victory, he let loose on the downhill and conquered the finish line over the last five kilometers.

Brizio was also very happy with her win and paid homage to Kortazar’s supremacy over the season – despite the 13 year age difference.

The final concludes the Series which embraced eleven countries across four continents. The world titles are awarded on the sum of four main races and one trial.

Apart from the € 10,000 prize purse, the winners are invited to the Skyrunner® SuperCup on Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu on October 22 and 23 where skyrunning champions and record holders will contend for the trophy.

Look out for next year’s exciting World Series calendar – full of surprises with a taste for every skyrunner.

Provisional 2011 Skyrunner® World Series final ranking:

M
Luis Hernando (ESP) – 378 points (pictured left)
Mikhail Maamlev (ITA)– 347 points
Jabi Olabarria (ESP) – 310 points

W
Oihana Kortazar (ESP) - 406 points (pictured left)
Emanuela Brizio (ITA) - 376 points
Corinne Favre (FRA) – 310 points

Final 2011 Skyrunner® World Series athlete and team ranking available at www.skyrunning.com soon

Salomon Trail Seminar comes to Durban, South Africa

2011-09-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

It's not often that South African trail runners get the opportunity to enjoy a day out with some of the worlds top athletes, so when the Salomon Trail Seminar arrived in Durban on Tuesday morning, 60 runners from all over the province KwaZulu-Natal were eagerly awaiting, ready to enjoy the day.

Hosted by Salomon South Africa at the stunning Giba Gorge mountain bike trail centre, a mere 20 minutes drive from the city, all who were in attendance enjoyed a day full of exciting and interesting insight into what makes Salomon one of the leading mountain brands to date. The concept of the seminar was to not only introduce the guests to the variety of products that Salomon has to offer but also to serve the purpose of facilitating the growth of trail running world wide and introducing the some of their top trail athletes. Presentations throughout the day included the origins of the Salomon brand and where it all began way back in the 40's, an in-depth look at the technical research and manufacturing processes for some of the footwear and apparel products as well as guest talks by local Durban Chiropractor Grant Harper on the various physiological benefits of the sport and Go Trail magazine editor James Hallett on insight into the growing South African trail running scene.

After lunch it was then the turn of three of the worlds top trail runners, Kilian Jornet (ESP), Anna Frost (NZ) and South Africa's very own Ryan Sandes (pictured right). It was hard not to be completely enthralled as the three spoke of their incredible achievements and results from various iconic trail races, all the while focussing on what the Salomon International Trail Running team have recently accomplished all-in-all.

Then it was product testing time as all guests got the chance to try out some of the new Salomon EXO apparel and new footwear products available on the market on a 2km loop along some of the stunning single track in the gorge. Salomon technical advisor and R+D specialist Serge Chapuis was on hand to receive the feedback as runners streamed in. A short break and it was back out into the think indigenous forest to finally hit the trails with all the international athletes as well as some of the South African Salomon team members for some fun along the longer 9km route.

For more images from the seminar click here

The Salomon Trail Seminar culminates with the Table Mountain Challenge on Saturday where Kilian Jornet and Anna Frost look to take
on some of the local talent on one of South Africa's most iconic landmarks.

2011 Skyrunner® World Series crown up for grabs at the finale' in Italy

2011-09-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

The final of the 2011 Skyrunner® World Series nears. On Sunday, September 18 some of the world’s strongest runners will compete on the spectacular duelling ground of Italy’s Sentiero delle Grigne : 43 km long with a massive 6,400m vertical climb.
At least ten of these runners stand a chance of winning the race, but only two can take the World Series’ Champion title: Spain’s Luis Alberto Hernando, current ranking leader, and Italy’s Mikhail Mamleev, ranked second.

Among the top ten race contenders are Spain’s Tofol Castaner, reigning World Champion; and Jabi Olibarria, ranked third; Britain’s Tom Owens, a strong second in Zegama; and Italy’s Nicola Gollinelli, 2010 Combined Events Champion. Italy’s Marco De Gasperi, after his outstanding win and record at the Sierre-Zinal, still with an eye on competing here, is recovering from an injury at the recent World Mountain Running Championships. Skyrunning legend, Ricardo Mejia from Mexico is also expected to compete.

In the women’s field, Spain again heads the ranking with Oihana Kortazar and, with 388 points, looks set to take the title, unchallenged from France’s new skyrunning champion Stephanie Jimenez, ranked second, and Italy’s Emanuela Brizio, 2009 and 2010 world champion and recently crowned Italian national champion, currently ranked third.

With a record field of 439 entries to date, the Sentiero delle Grigne is probably the toughest race on the circuit for distance, technical stretches and vertical climb, the final concludes the Series which embraced eleven countries across four continents. The world titles are awarded on the sum of four main races and one trial plus a 20% extra at the final.

Apart from the € 10,000 World Series prize purse, the winners will be invited to the Skyrunner® SuperCup on Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu on October 22 and 23 where skyrunning champions and record holders will contend for the trophy.

For more information head to www.skyrunning.com

News from the TOR des GEANTS®

2011-09-15T00:07:00.000-07:00

The Tor des Géants® is one of the most demanding endurance trails in the world in terms of the steepness of its slopes and the length of the trail in the heart of the Italian Alps and which covers the whole of Valle d'Aosta in one stage.

As soon as the race started, a group including the favourites broke away and took the lead, establishing an unremitting and constant rythym for the competition.

Among the leaders there was the French runner Christophe Le Saux and the Spaniard Salvador Calvo Redondo (who came second in 2010 - Salomon team) followed by the Italians Ulrich Gross and Dennis Brunod a few minutes behind. Another group including Cesare Clap, Grégoire Millet, Alexandre Forestieri, Jules Henri Gabioud and Marco Gazzola attempted to stay on the heels of the leaders.

At the 64 km mark, the first runners to withdraw set the pace of the race. Ulrich Gross and Dennis Brunod forfeited, leaving the Spaniard Salvador Calvo Redondo, Christophe Le Saux et Grégoire Millet in the lead for the first night and second day. By the end of the second day, it was clear that this 2nd edition would break all previous records!

Monday and Tuesday nights were full of surprises in spite of the large improvement in weather conditions compared to Sunday night.

French runner Christophe Le Saux seized his position as leader early on Monday evening at the village of Niel.

Salvador Calvo Redondo from Spain, after having been in pole position since the beginning of the race, withdrew just before reaching the life base in Alpenzu (207 km.) at 9.33 a.m. on Tuesday morning, suffering from meniscus pain in his knee. Le Saux takes the lead, followed by Swiss runners Marco Gazzola et Jules-Henri Gabioud.

Fatigue starts to play tricks on the body. Grégoire Millet from France, who had been in third place for a long time, falls victim to a knee tendinitis and slips down the ranking.

The head trio widens the gap to establish a 4-hour lead on the others.

Throughout all of Tuesday, Christophe Le Saux leads the pace. His small strides and his relaxed apearance reveal little sign of tiredness. Nevertheless, Marco Gazzola catches up little by little. While there is just an hour's difference between them at sunrise, the transit at Valtournenche (236 km) is « strained». Christophe is the first at 1.53 p.m., Marco only 8 minutes behind. Christophe takes 5 minutes to refuel, Marco 8.

Young Jules-Henri Gabioud arrives at 4.02 p.m. and rests for 50 minutes.

20 km further on, at Cuney (256 km), the race takes a new turning: Gazzola goes to the front overtaking Le Saux by 8 minutes. He will no longer give up his leading position. Le Saux, overcome by deep fatigue, falls asleep in the forest and is woken up 3 hours later by some volunteers of the race who were concerned because they hadn't seen him arrive at the Ollomont life base (283 km).

Marco crosses the finish line at 12.58 p.m. after 74 hours and 58 minutes of running. That's 5 hours 30 minutes less than last year's edition when Ulrich Gross completed the trail in 80 hours 27mins. He declared in front of spectators and journalists:

"The warm hospitality at the life bases, in the refuges and from all the volunteers along the trail provided me with a strong motivation to go on. This race is one of the hardest I've ever done. There was never time to rest my body so my knees, legs and feet hurt a lot. The final part of the race was really trying as I had decided not to sleep and to race against Christophe, who was always either just in front or a bit behind. He has more technique on the downhill slopes whereas I pass him uphill! The duel was tough until last night. It's a great victory for me!"

While the first man crossed the finish line in Courmayeur's main square, Anne- Marie Gross maintained her lead. First in 2010, she has dominated most of the race since the start. In Valtournenche, she registered an 8 hour lead on her pursuers Patrizia Pensa and Guliana Arrigoni, who are running together.

At the Cuney refuge (256 km), stomach pain stopped her race for 3 hours 30 mins. She set off again at 12.24 p.m. 10th in the overall ranking.

Wednesday 14th September at 12.58 p.m.

Marco Gazzola was the first runner to cross the finishing line at Courmayeur after having competed for 75 hours and 58 minutes.

Marco's last control point was timed at 12.06 p.m. at the Bonatti Refuge while the final compulsory crossing point of the race is at the Bertone Refuge. Marco was neither checked nor registered at this point.

Marco's time from Bonatti to Courmayeur (11.9 km and 809 m of vertical difference) was 52 minutes, which seems highly improbabile.

For the above reasons, the race committee has decided to disqualify Marco Gazzola from the competition.

The runner commented "feeling both euphoric and exhausted for the great effort made up until that moment, I committed the mistake of taking the wrong trail. I am the first to regret it. However, I agree totally with the decision made by the committee."

Courmayeur and the whole Valle d'Aosta are now waiting for the next runner to cross the finish line. Jules-Henri Gabioud is expected at 6 p.m. and will be officially declared the winner of the 2011 edition of TOR des GEANTS®

For more information on the TOR des GEANTS®, head to www.tordesgeants.it

Run the African X - 2012 Entries now open

2011-09-14T07:16:00.000-07:00

Entries are now open for South Africa’s most exciting three day stage trail run, the ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun presented by New Balance.

Taking place the weekend of 16 – 18 March 2012, trail running enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that the picturesque town of Kleinmond is once again the venue of choice for this much loved event. According to Michael Meyer, Director of Stillwater Sport & Entertainment, runners can look forward to an exciting experience. “We are very excited to be hosting the event two months earlier in the year. This decision was made to increase the possibility of favourable weather conditions over the weekend which in turn is sure to add to the running experience. Although we were considering a venue change after the 2011 event, the general consensus from our runners was that they really enjoyed the venue and trails and would love to return to Kleinmond in 2012. Our route designers have taken up the challenge, working around the clock to improve old routes, while searching for new and more enjoyable routes. Runners can look forward to being pleasantly surprised in March,” says Meyer.

Teamwork forms an essential part of the ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun presented by New Balance, as participants will have to rely on each other’s experience and expertise in order to complete the route. Teams of two (male/female/mixed) will be seen battling it out on a route varying in distance between 25-35km each day. The three routes have been planned in such a way that the participants will have the opportunity to tackle a different breathtaking scenic route each day, allowing them to enjoy the full diversity of the world-renowned Kogelberg Biosphere. This awe-inspiring trail run stage race will follow a cloverleaf format, which means that runners will finish in Kleinmond on each of the three days. Their accommodation, meals and entertainment will remain in the same place for the duration of the race.

NEW DATE: 16, 17 and 18 March 2012

FORMAT: Three-day stage race / teams of two (male/female/mixed)

VENUE: Starting & ending in and around Kleinmond (Western Day) each day

DISTANCE: Day 1: approximately 35km

Day 2: approximately 35km

Day 3: approximately 25km

ENTRIES OPEN: Tuesday, 30 August 2011

There is only room for 300 teams so enter early to avoid disappointment.

The race village in Kleinmond will be a hive of activity with entertainment throughout the day, which makes the event ideally suited as a family breakaway. Family and friends will also be able to support the athletes at various vantage points along the route.

Follow us on Twitter: @runtheafricanx

To enter the action packed ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun presented by New Balance visit www.stillwatersports.com, contact Stillwater Sport & Entertainment on 086 138 3591 or email entries@stillwatersports.com

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Champions crowned on final stage of the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run

2011-09-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

David Lopez and Miguel Caballero have won the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run. The two 29-year-old trail experts of Spanish Team Trangoworld Gore-Tex covered the monstrous distance of 273.73 kilometers and a cumulative ascent of 15,436 meters in astonishing 26:37:51.0 hours.

Trailing the overall victors by merely 17 minutes after eight intense days of trail running are Jethro Lennox and Joe Symonds of Scottish Team Inov-8 Gore-Tex Footwear (26:54:18.5). The finishing touch of their race performance, however, was not just a well-deserved second place position in the overall ranking but today’s stage victory well ahead of any other team (2:50:26.9).

Julien Chorier (FRA) and Philipp Reiter (GER) of Team Salomon International ended the globally recognized trail running event in third place overall after a total of 27:54:37.2 hours on the trail. After logging a distance of 30.2 kilometers today that packed 1,807 meters into a single sustained climb, the two racers even managed to come in second (3:02:33.1) ahead of the Spanish overall race champions.

For the first time in its seven-year history, a Spanish team made up of members of the National Trail Running team, won the Transalpine Run. “It’s simply an incredible feeling right now. We are overjoyed that we ended up winning the race as first-time participants” shared Miguel Caballero who was clearly the stronger of the two team members on the last two stages.

Apparently, his teammate “David started experiencing an increasingly upset stomach. That ended up costing valuable time,” said Caballero. “In view of that, our overall victory ended up being a real piece of work.”

Scottish sprint finish ultimately without appropriate reward

Closest competitors of the Spanish overall victors, Jethro Lennox and Joe Symonds, had experienced similar health issues early on in the race. Having fully recovered, they went full bore today winning the hearts of spectators with a riveting sprint to the finish line in sun-drenched Latsch.

In the end, though, that extra effort didn’t pay off in real terms. Joe Symonds, junior brother of last year’s champion Andrew, put it in plain language “Naturally, it is nice to know that we ended up being the strongest runners in the field today. However, in the end that doesn’t count. The prize
goes to those who went all the way in the least amount of time.”

Still, the audacious attack the two Scotsmen launched on the overall leaders was laudable if only as a daring expression of not accepting defeat without at least trying.

After setting a punishing pace up to the Göflaner Scharte (2,396m) and beating it back down to valley elevation (640m) at break-neck speed, Symonds and Lennox had managed to reduce the Spaniards’ extensive lead by one half. That, in turn, prompted Symonds’ tongue-in-cheek request to “extend the Transalpine Run by yet another two stages.”

Title Trilogy for Miksch and Philipp

While winning the Gore-Tex® Transalpine Run was a first for champions Lopez and Caballero, Dr. Thomas Miksch and Anton Philipp of Berglaufteam Haglöfs-Gore have savored that privilege already twice before. The Master category, where the cumulative age of both runners must exceed a total of 80 years, has been dominated by this highly experienced race duo (29:15:59.3) three consecutive times by now.

Having spent one half hour longer than the category champs on the trails between Oberstdorf and Latsch, Anton Steiner and Klaus Wellenzohn of Team Schlanders (29:43:34.9) claimed second place in the overall ranking.

Steffen Walk and Christian Stork of Team Salomon/Sport Reischmann (29:51:13.8) had closely pursued Team Schlanders throughout this week. Their courageous effort was rewarded by third place in the end.

In a gesture of true sportsmanship, Walk and Stork decided to cross today’s finish line in synch with Marco Schneider and Holger Finkelmann of Main Ausdauershop Trail Team with whom they had raced chin-to-chin for much of stage. The joint endeavor paid off as both teams ended up crowding the top podium position for today’s fastest time among the Masters (3:08:03.1).

While Anton Philipp and Dr. Thomas Miksch won the overall title, their performance on this final stage demonstrated a degree of vulnerability to the competition. Anton Philipp shared “I’m happy but also relieved. Thomas again suffered a great deal today. Thus, we were eager to simply get through. This tactic played out all right.”

Team Shettletrot crowned as Women champs

Claire Gordon and Fiona Maxwell have claimed the trophy among the Women teams at the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run. The two Scottish racers definitely dominated not just yesterday’s stage but also the final day of racing ending up in Latsch in less than four hours (3:57.32.8) and with a sizeable overall lead of nearly five hours ahead of the closest competition (34:40:28.5).

Gerti Ott and Sabina Kraus of Orthomol Sport Team Lautrach finished as runner-ups in the overall ranking (38:07:46.7) while Switzerland's Brigitte Eggerling and Daniela Nusseck of Team Alpinrunner rounded out the overall podium as third (39:57:25.5) after eight exhausting days on the trails across the High Divide.

Steigmeier and Neuhauser at the end of their dreams

After a couple of failed attempts, Gaby Steigmeier (SUI) and Seppi Neuhauser (AUT) finally have met their long-standing objective of ruling and winning the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run as a Mixed team (31:44:16.8). They accomplished that goal in an impressive manner that left little doubt as to their supremacy in that category.

With already seven stage victories under the belt, the Swiss-Austrian duo gave another handy demonstration of seasoned technical skills and physical prowess today arriving in the record time of 3:21:34.9 hours.

Steigmeier, was clearly moved and shared “A long-held dream has come true. I’m overjoyed. Finally, it worked out!”

Andrea and Uli Calmbach of Team Salomon Deutschland wrapped up their race week as second fastest duo in the ranking (33:42:14.6) while Sonja and Andrea Irendorfer of Team Innenausbau Irendorf were overjoyed with the remaining podium position (34:22:28.2).

Team Latsch/Mountain Heroes clad in Leader Jerseys right to the end

Akin to the victors of the Mixed category, Rudi Schöpf (GER) and Hans Hörmann (ITA) finished the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run without ever loosing the lead to another team. They carried that distinction right to the finish in Latsch, which they reached in 3:39:00.9 hours. That accomplishment brought their grand total to 33:50:06.0 hours spent on their feet.

The Senior Master category, where the cumulative age of team members must add up to at least one hundred years, sported other spectacular performances, such as the times of last year’s champions Gerald Blumrich and Jörg Schreiber of Team Trail Magazin who ended up claiming second place overall.

Also on the podium for today’s stage race and their overall time were Axel Zapletal and Peter Sandmeier of Team Pax Feldafing 100, who celebrated a much-deserved third place.

For more information, news and images, as well as the chance to register for the 2012 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run, head to www.transalpine-run.com

Drama on day 7 as leading women's team forced to withdraw from the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run

2011-09-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

Joe Symonds and Jethro Lennox of Team Inov-8 Gore-Tex Footwear (pictured left, image by Lars Schneider) delivered the evidence today that the hitherto dominant Spanish leaders of Team Trangoworld Gore-Tex are not entirely invincible. The Scottish racers mastered today’s stage from Mals to Schlanders across the infamous Rappenscharte (3,012 m) in 3:42:52.8 hours – quite a feat since the course packed no less than 36.90 kilometers and a whooping vertical gain of 2.063 meters.

Already in second place in the overall ranking, Joe Symonds and Jethro Lennox took a huge bite out of the Spanish dominators’ sizeable lead today reducing it by nearly 14 minutes. Yet, it is far too early to write off today's third ranked Miguel Caballero Ortega and David Lopez Castan (3:56:34.2) who may have shown a chink in their armor but still book nearly one half hour over Team Inov-8 Gore-Tex Footwear with only one short stage to go.

Second to arrive in the midday heat of Schlanders were German Philipp Reiter and French Julien Chorier of Team Salomon International (3:55:46.6) who had certainly tried but did not manage to keep up with the pitiless pace of Symonds / Lennox. The latter had clearly decided to pursue the uncompromising mission of dethroning the Spanish leaders at least once in the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run.

By the time they reached the first catering stop (1,824m), the Scottish racers indeed had distanced themselves quite successfully from the strong vanguard posse of podium contenders booking a lead of four minutes. In fact, they managed not just to carry that principle across the legendary Rappenscharte, but even to enlarge it modestly. Symonds and Lennox were clearly exulted that their risky strategy to go full out paid off as planned.

“We knew that it was going to be a very steep ascent and kept our focus on maintaining our lead. After reaching the pass we gave all on the descent to keep ahead” revealed Symonds, clearly touched by the triumphant finish.

Lennox, at 34 years of age the senior teammate of the two, shared “Actually our objective for the last two stages was to defend our second-place position. But it’s very rewarding that we were able to claim a stage victory after all.”

Symonds added “It’s good to know that we’re still up to it because we came here to win the race. The two Spaniards (Caballero and Lopez) really surprised us. May be we’ll manage next year.”

Injury forces leading women Miro and Jimenez to withdraw

Things clearly didn’t go according to plan, when professional athletes Mireia Miro (ESP) and Stephanie Jimenez (FRA) realized at today’s start that the tendonitis in Miro’s right foot had not improved any over night.

After owning the race to date with already six stage victories and only two more to go, the dominant Women’s team decided to give it at least an honest try. However, to no avail since a pain-stricken 23-year-old Miro simply could not carry on upon reaching the first food stop, seen pictured right grimacing from the pain. This misfortune brings
what were well-founded title aspirations to an abrupt and unexpected end.

A disappointed Miro shared “Of course, I knew already last night that something was wrong. But naturally I wanted to see if I could get by.”

The unexpected withdrawal of the leading Women team ultimately benefited Claire Gordon and Fiona Maxwell of Team Shettletrot who had repeatedly run formidable times over the course of the last stages but had always trailed the leaders with little hope to outrun them.

Today, they finally were first to arrive in Schlanders in 4:56:57.7 hours claiming the overall lead as well. Jubilant about their first stage victory, they were still saddened by the unexpected withdrawal of the leaders. Gordon revealed “We had no idea that they had to quit. We were convinced that they got taped up at the catering stop. Mireia and Stephanie so much deserved winning this race after their performance so far.”

Second to cross the finish line in Schlanders were Brigitte Eggerling and Daniela Nusseck of Swiss Alpinrunner Team (5:18:08.7) who were overjoyed to make it onto the podium on such a tough day. Third place went to Germans Gerti Ott and Sabine Kraus of Orthomol Sport Team Lautrach (5:46:13.2).

Local Team Schlanders delivers convincing home run among Masters

Roaring applause from the many local spectators in the finish area announced the arrival of Anton Steiner and Klaus Wellenzohn who call Val Venosta home and had made it their duty to claim today’s stage as victors. Little over four hours was the final time the two Italian runners of Team Schlanders (4:00:58.6) needed to make it to sun-soaked Schlanders.

Despite the best of intentions, an overjoyed Anton Steiner ended up being a bit surprised by their tremendous performance “Of course, you try to give your best on a stage that takes you home but we didn’t count on a victory. This morning I still suffered from an upset stomach but then it surprisingly got better.”

Roughly five minutes after the local victors, Dr. Thomas Miksch and Anton Philipp of Berglaufteam Haglöfs-Gore (4:05:42.2) arrived in their Green Leader Jerseys. It was yet a few more minutes before Christian Stork and Steffen Walk crossed the finish line securing the third podium position for Master Team Salomon/Sport Reischmann (4:08:28.1).

Seven out of seven is the impressive score for Steigmeier/Neuhauser
One more stage victory is all that separates Swiss Gaby Steigmeier and Austrian Seppi Neuhauser from an untainted overall victory in the Mixed category.

The two have repeatedly participated in the Transalpine Run but in the recent past have never been so close to fulfilling their coveted ambition of winning. Today’s victorious time of 4:24:28.4 hours extended their already sizeable lead by over 20 minutes.

They may not have had it in them to touch today’s victors but Austrians Sonja and Andreas Irendorfer have run a remarkable race overall so far. Today’s performance across the renowned Rappenscharte proved once more to the competition why they have to be considered serious podium contenders.

Team Innenausbau Irendorfer raced to Schlanders in 4:46:53.2 hours just ahead of second overall Andrea and Uli Calmbach of Team Salomon Deutschland (4:48:26.1) who – short of calamity – are sure-bet candidates for a podium position.

Schöpf/Hermann rule Senior Master teams undefeated to date

Rudi Schöpf (GER) and Hans Hörmann (ITA) of Team Latsch/Mountain Heroes leave little room for improvement in regards to their flawless race performance to date.

They are ever so close to completing their quest to win the race among teams with a cumulative age of 100 years and didn’t miss a beat today either. The international centurion team continued its victorious streak crossing the finish line first after 4:39:26.4 hours on the trail.

Gerald Blumrich and Jörg Schreiber of Team Trail Magazin (4:55:08.8) arrived with some delay on the leaders but their time was good enough yet for second place in the Senior Master category.

Axel Zapletal and Peter Sandmaier of Team Pax Feldafing 100 made it to third position with their time of 5:17:39.3 hours between Mals and Schlanders in Northern Italy’s sun-drenched Val Venosta.

Preview Stage 8: Schlanders – Latsch in Val Venosta, Italy

For many racers, tomorrow’s objective simply will be to make it through the day en route to the finish line in Latsch, Italy. For some, however, it’ll provide the last opportunity to improve their ranking – possibly even make it onto the podium.

As such, the 30.2 kilometers and 1,807 meters of vertical ascent of the ultimate stage promises lots of excitement. The racers will climb to a picturesque ridgeline overlooking the western expanse of the Ortler Range, the seventh and final mountain chain to get across in eight arduous days of racing.

The highest point of tomorrow’s stage will be the Göflaner Scharte at 2,369 meters from where race participants will finally take sight of their ultimate destination Latsch.

A single, long descent from the scenic crest will complete this year’s 273.3 kilometer long GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run that packed no fewer than 15,436 meters of vertical gain.

Leaders unstoppable as Stage 6 of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine Run reaches Italy

2011-09-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

Day after day, Miguel Caballero Ortega (pictured right, image by Klaus Fengler) and David Lopez Castan keep demonstrating their dominance in the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run. The two Spaniards of Team Trangoworld Gore-Tex made it to Mals in the Italian Val Venosta in no more than 3:14:26.9 hours – a stunning accomplishment given the distance of 37.02 kilometers and 1,332 meters of vertical gain en route.

Possibly, their performance had something to do with runner-up Team Salomon International who challenged the leaders for much of today’s stage relentlessly rushing them on to the finish line. However, second-placing Julien Chorier and Philipp Reiter (3:15:24.6) eventually ended up trailing the leaders by a single minute after courageously taking the lead for much of the day.

Third to call it a day were Tofol Castaner Bernat and Miquel Capo Soler of Team TransMallorcaRun who added to Spanish runners’ pride by claiming the remaining podium position after 3:19:30.2 hours.

The two Scottsmen Jethro Lennox and Joe Symonds surprised spectators in Mals arriving as the fourth Mens’ team, for the first time missing a beat in their quest to claim podium positions on each of the eight race days. They finished the day in 3:23:37.0 hours after their plan to distance themselves from the leading posse right off the start in Scuol backfired leaving them worn out for the latter part of the stage.

The two Inov-8 Gore-Tex Footwear Team members had tried to wear out the Spanish leaders of Team Trangoworld Gore-Tex with repeated, unexpected accelerations to a pace of 3:30 minutes / kilometer all the way to precipitous Uina Canyon.

However, in a twist of irony it was not the Spaniards but them who ultimately had to declare defeat as Joe Symonds shared: “Unfortunately, our strategy didn’t work since Jethro’s legs had not recovered sufficiently from yesterday’s sprint race.”

Leaders deliver flawlessly when put to the test

Unlike the unlucky Scottish initiators of the attack on the leaders, the French/German Team Salomon International benefited from the frequent change in pace early on in today’s stage. Given the relatively undemanding nature of today’s stage, it was probably the most suitable day to launch a strategic attack on the dominant Spaniards.

Philipp Reiter was clearly surprised when the Scotsmen suddenly fell back and their team found itself in the lead. “That was pretty amazing.” The 20-year-old trail talent from Germany immediately used the opening gap with running partner Chorier (FRA). They even managed to gain a lead of almost three minutes over the hitherto dominant Spaniards Caballero/Castan upon reaching Plantapatsch (2,261m).

However, they may have underestimated Team Trangoworld Gore-Tex who let the attack play out refusing to be lured into a premature chase. With less than 13-kilometers to go, they finally took the bait and calmly played out their tremendous downhill skills. Reiter was impressed but still satisfied with running to second place, his team’s best stage ranking to date.

“I guess I underestimated yesterday’s stage which cost some strength. We were unable to keep up with the Spaniards’ furious pace on the descent. They really are very strong.”

In the end, the stage didn’t deliver much of an upset and the Spaniards productively responded in trademark cool and collected manner to the challenge thrown at them. David Lopez was modest about his team’s accomplishment: “Today was very hard. We took quite a beating during the rapid changes in pace early on in the stage. We are pretty happy that we were able to close the gap towards the finish and that we ended up winning today.”

Without having expressed their objective explicitly, the two victorious members of the Spanish Trail Running National Team continue to be on track regarding their ambition to win every one of the eight stages in the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine Run.

Main Ausdauershop Trail Team upsets daily order among Master Men

It came as a suprise and probably tore at the nerves of the overall leaders in the Master Men category. Marco Schneider and Holger Finkelmann of Main Ausdauershop Trail Team (GER) launched a successful assault on Dr. Thomas Miksch and Anton Philipp of Berglaufteam Haglöfs-Gore on today’s stage from Switzerland to Italy.

Main Ausdauer Trail Team managed to stun the competition today with their triumphant time of 3:27:54.8 hours across the High Divide of the Central Alps. On account of two meager performances early on in the eight-day stage race and their unpresumptuous seventh place ranking overall, the duo Schneider/Finkelmann had not raised much attention to date. However, they came back to regular form today and rejoiced accordingly.

“It’s crazy. We had played with the thought of attacking on today’s stage and had prepared ourselves mentally for it during the last two days. But didn’t dare to think that we would be keeping the leading teams in check” Marco Schneider exulted.

No newbies to the Transalpine Run, 41-year-old Schneider mused that his intimate knowledge of the course between Scuol and Mals played a big role in leading to success. “Four years ago we arrived in 3rd place on this stage.”

Second to arrive in Bella Italia were Germans Steffen Walk and Christian Stork of Team Salomon/Sport Reischmann. Their time of 3:33:06.0 hours was sufficient to relegate Italians Anton Steiner and Klaus Wellenzohn of Team Schlanders (3:35:56.4) to third place and also reduced the latter’s lead in the battle for the second place in the ranking to five minutes.

Women’s Team Salomon International simply proves unbeatable

With already five decisive victories under their belt, they were clearly the favored team to win today’s stage. Yet, Stephanie Jimenez (FRA) (pictured right, image by Kluas Fengler) and Mireia Miro (SPA) of Team Salomon International also made the unthinkable possible when reaching Mals, Italy, in well under four hours. Their astonishing time of 3:49:57.2 hours left little doubt that they may be difficult to beat at their game at this point.

Their most immediate competition was once again the Scottish Team Shettletrot. However, Claire Gordon and Fiona Maxwell were unable to stay below the magic four-hour mark but still claimed a hard-earned second place with a final time of 4:05:54.6 hours.

Gerti Ott and Sabine Kraus of Orthomol Sport Team Lautrach (4:29:37.9) arrived with a delay of more than 20 minutes on the Scottish ladies, a performance that was still good enough for the remaining place on the podium and testimony to a deserved third place in the overall ranking.

Steigmeier/Neuhauser close in on desired overall victory

Having experienced much misfortune during the 2009 and 2010 Transalpine Runs, the forever-dominant Mixed team around Gaby Steigmeier (SUI) and Seppi Neuhauser (AUT) is inching closer to reaching their long-held goal of overall victory. Team Salomon covered today’s 37 kilometers through breathtaking Uina Canyon and across scenic Schlinig Pass in 3:48:28.2 hours and appears to be untouchable at this point in the race.

While Spaniards Leire Elosegui and Xabi Lekue of Team Leire_Xabi were not too far off with their performance of 3:56:10.1 hour, they had to make do with second place, which they had already achieved in yesterday’s mountain sprint. Chasing them, but to no avail, were Andrea and Uli Calmbach of Team Salomon Deutschland (3:57:527) who still rejoiced over a well-merited third place.

Team Latsch/Mountain Heroes cherish some solitude ahead of others

Rudi Schöpf (GER) and Hans Hörmann (ITA) of Team Latsch/Mountain Heroes continue to raise eyebrows given the extensive lead they have accumulated over their competition by now. The two leaders of the Senior Master category arrived in Mals after 4:03:38.2 hours, almost ten minutes ahead of their British age peers of David Jelley and Matrin Gabriel of Team Ripon Runners (4:13:46.7), who in turn were jubilant about their first podium ranking.

Axel Zapletal and Peter Sandmaier of Team Pax Feldafing 100 once again rounded off the podium trilogy with their performance of 4:15:05.3 hours.

Preview Stage 7: Mals – Schlanders in Val Venosta (ITA)

Runners will reach the zenith of the Western course of the 2011 Transalpine Run on tomorrow’s penultimate stage. As the crow flies, the distance between Mals and Schlanders may be less than 15 kilometers but the racers will have to detour via the Rappenscharte at 3,012 m elevation, an infamous highlight of the annual race.

The ascent of the lofty mountain saddle leads through mostly trail-less terrain and a vile boulder field testing the runners’ surefootedness with every step.

The descent across seemingly endless alpine meadows, in turn, may prove a relief at first but, nonetheless, requires a lot of technical competency. The stage skirts the Southern Ötztaler Range and sports the longest continuous descent to Schlanders via the picturesque Kortscher Alm.

Blistering "mountain sprint" by overall leaders on stage 5 of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run

2011-09-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

Miguel Caballero Ortega grew wings in today’s uphill race from Scuol’s town square to the plateau of Motta Naluns (2.130m) high above the Swiss spa community. His time of 38.57,6 minutes beat the previous, two-year-old record of Italian Michael Fischer by nearly a full minute. By the end of the day, the new record secured Team Trangoworld Gore-Tex first place in today’s stage. Race partner David Lopez Castan had not been in the best shape today finishing the race himself in 44:01.2 minutes. However, no other team managed to beat the Spaniards cumulative time of 1:22:58.8 hours.

The victorious Caballero clearly benefited in today’s 6,19 kilometer uphill sprint race from fellow countryman Tofol Castaner Bernat, the 2010 Sky Running World Champion. Castaner, who claimed second place today with teammate Miquel Capo Soler of Team TransMallorcaRun (1:25:38.7) had served as an ideal, albeit unintentional, pacer for Caballero.

Today’s staggered start required Castaner to race right ahead of Caballero who, in turn, never lost sight of his predecessor. “Naturally that was good for me since I was perfectly able to use Tofol for orientation” Caballero, victor of this year’s Stava Skyrace, explained. “I’m very happy that I won today.”

Castaner from the Mediterranean isle Mallorca, in turn, was not displeased with the turn of events that left him in second place despite his blistering time of 39:41.4 minutes. He shared his assessment “It’s quite all right. In the beginning I did very well. But when the terrain got steeper, Miguel had a clear advantage using poles. I’m from an island where you don’t use something like that.”

Caballero retracts previous intentions to call sprint stage a rest day

It may have been a spur of the moment decision for Miguel Caballero Ortega to use the benefit of having Castaner as his unintentional pacer. In the end, that circumstance offered him a unique opportunity that was simply too hard to pass up – and Caballero knew full well how to use it to his advantage.

Only yesterday, today’s victor had expressed different intentions altogether hoping to use today’s sprint race as a welcome opportunity to regenerate rather than exerting himself too much. Today, the Spanish Club Champion of 2010 retracted and commented tongue in cheek “I guess in hindsight and by definition I lied then.”

The third team on today’s podium were Jethro Lennox and Joe Symonds of Scottish Team Inov-8 Gore-Tex Footwear (1:26:18.2). Symonds also claimed 3rd place in today’s individual ranking, racing up the 936 m of elevation gain in blistering 41:36.3 minutes.

Mireia Miro teaching male competition a lesson or two

The fastest woman today, Mireia Miro of Spain, may have frightened the odd male racer today as she passed a long line of competitors along the steep ascent to Motta Naluns at mind-blowing speed.

In the end, she finished the race day in first place among the Women, trailing the victorious Caballero by only 6:45 minutes. Suffering from an aching hip on yesterday’s stage, the 23-year-old trail running and ski touring talent, showed little sign of weakness today. In the end, she required only 45:43.1 minutes to reach Motta Naluns which also put her in 15th place in today’s overall ranking.

Miro’s French teammate of Team Salomon International, Stephanie Jimenez (53:39.4), also put in a formidable performance today reaching the finish at 2,130 meters elevation in under an hour’s time. The two leaders were, in turn, able to slip on another set of leader jerseys for the upcoming stage from Switzerland into Italy.

Second-placing Claire Gordon and Fiona Maxwell of Scottish Team Shettletrot again lived up to repute en route to today’s hilltop finish by adding no more than 1:42:48.4 hours cumulative time to their race tally.

Isabel Sanjuan Tabuenca and Nuria Dominguez Azpeleta of Trangoworld Gore-Tex (1:54:28.1) returned to the podium today putting an early end to what some competitors may have mistaken as a bout of weakness on yesterday’s stage.

Master Leaders defeated for the first time

In contrast to the leading teams of all other categories, the vanguard Master team had to accept a setback today. Italians Anton Steiner and Klaus Wellenzohn of Team Latsch (1:34:01.6) finally managed to advance to the very top in today’s stage ranking abandoning what had become a trademark second-position after four days of racing.

Their cumulative lead, however, turned out to be merely eight seconds over Anton Philipp and Dr. Thomas Miksch of Team Haglöfs-Gore (1:34:09.8).

Trailing these two teams by more than two minutes were Stephan Tassani-Prell and Oliver Steiniger of Team Salomon Deutschland, who jubilantly celebrated their first podium ranking with a cumulative race time of 1:36:29.6 hours.

Mixed Leaders impossible to beat even in the uphill sprint

Local Gaby Steigmeier (SUI) literally feels right at home in Scuol and had no more than a few footsteps to the start area. She and team partner Seppi Neuhauser of Austria made the most of it and delivered a victorious ‘home run’ with a cumulative time of only 1:38:29.3 hours.

The two veteran racers in the Transalpine Run Series claimed a fifth consecutive stage victory and start into the second half of this year’s race from a most comfortable position.

Spaniards Leire Elosegui and Xabi Lekue of Team Xabi_Leire (1:44:48.1) delivered the second-best time of the day rejoicing over a first podium position. Overall second-ranked Team Salomon Deutschland around Andrea and Uli Calmbach had to resort to third place as their time added up to 1:45:25.0 hours.

Same old same old in the Senior Master Category

What may seem as a snide heading, in fact speaks of great respect for the Grand Masters of Transalpine Run(ning). Rudi Schöpf (ITA) and Hans Hörmann (GER) of Team Latsch/Mountain Heroes once more outpaced their international centurion competitors.

The Senior Masters will continue to be clad in black (leader jerseys) on tomorrow’s stage to Bella Italia as their cumulative time of 1:46:02.8 hours beat the second-best Team Elbland Sachsen (GER) by nearly three minutes.

Hans-Dieter Jancker and Jörg Schmoltz of the latter team yet were greatly satisfied with their respective time of 1:48:44,6 hours, possibly also since they managed to relegate podium regulars Gerald Blumrich and Jörg Schreiber of Team Trail Magazin (GER, 1:51:00,6) quite unexpectedly to third place.

Preview Stage 6: Scuol (SUI) – Mals in Val Venosta (ITA)

Three scenic highlights await the international field of racers on tomorrow’s stage across the international border to Italy. Uina Canyon, Schlinig Pass and finally the high trails to Plantapatsch should provide sufficient motivation to give it all on the 6th of eight days of trail running in the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run.

The stage ranks among the easier days in the race week with 37.02 kilometers and a single climb that packs ‘merely’ 1,332 meters of altitudinal gain.

Skies clear and leaders continue to dominate on Stage 4 of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run

2011-09-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

It almost seems a daily routine by now that David Lopez Castan and Miguel Caballero Ortega (pictured right, image by Stephanie Veith) lead the field of racers into the finish area at the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run. For the 4th day in a row, the two members of the Spanish National trail running team clearly dominated the race, reaching Scuol almost seven minutes ahead of the second-fastest team. Castan and Ortega, recognizable by their bright blue leader jerseys by now, covered today’s 39,93 kilometers and 2,339 meters of altitudinal gain en route to Switzerland in 4:06:46.8 hours.

Their most immediate threat, Scottish Team Inov-8 Gore-Tex Footwear, took 4:13:40.6 hours on the trail between Galtür and Scuol (SUI). Jethro Lennox and Joe Symonds’ attempts to break the dominance of the Spaniards all seem to have failed to date. Third to arrive in the spa community of Scuol were once again Julien Chorier (FRA) and Philipp Reiter (GER) with a time of 4:19:54.7 hours.

The overall leaders Castan / Ortega have by now accumulated a cushy lead of roughly 35 minutes over the scond-ranking Scotsmen Symonds and Lennox. As such, the Spaniards enjoyed the unheard-of luxury of taking in the breath-taking scenery on today’s Futschölpass (2.768m) and Piz Clünas (2.793m) without feeling too rushed.

Bluebird skies, coolish temperatures in the morning and racy singletrack en route to Switzerland left little to be desired for the field of racers. Twenty-nine year-old David Caballero Ortega shared: “This was by far the most beautiful stage to date and we took some time to savor it.”

An experience that clearly motivated the overall leaders enough to chance a surprise dash on the first lengthy descent towards Alp Valmala (1,980m).

Downhill competencies as a deciding factor in today’s stage

Yet, the Spanish leaders were not entirely oblivious to their competitors from Scotland. Ortega from Segovia, Spain, recalled, “The two kept the pressure up but we managed to run our race. It was on the first downhill that we noticed that we were stronger and decided to increase our speed to get away for good.”

Their strategy panned out once again, which Joe Symonds had no problem acknowledging: “Both are extremely strong on the downhill. They simply get along better with conditions on the descents than us. Unfortunately, I’m still somewhat handicapped by my fall on the second day and I may still be a little too cautious at this point.” Such hesitance would seem plausible given that Symonds’ lacerated leg required several stitches at the end of Stage Two.

The younger brother of previous year’s victor Andrew Symonds is planning to use tomorrow’s relatively short vertical race to Motta Naluns (6.19 kilometers, 936 meters of vertical ascent) as a kind of interlude for regeneration. Most racers will welcome tomorrow’ shorter itinerary as it should allow preparations for the final three days of racing.

Women Leaders shake off competition – again

Like the leading Mens team, Stephanie Jimenez (FRA) and Mireia Miro (ESP) (pictured left, image by Stephan Repke) managed to break away from the field claiming their fourth consecutive victory. The team that has been dealt openly as the top favorite for victory in this year’s GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run took no more than 5:01:53.0 hours to make it to Scuol, a charming resort town in Switzerland’s sunny Engadin region.

However, their impressive dash across the international border took its toll on the two female racers who themselves had gone into this race with high expectations for top podium positions. Miro admitted “We may have started out too fast on the first three days. The result of that today was Stephanie experiencing some problems, then me, so that eventually we decided to take a several-minute-long break for stretching”.

That disruption did not keep the whirlwind team from reaching the finish line on the medieval village square roughly 18 minutes ahead of their Scottish competitors of Team Shettletrot. Claire Gordon and Fiona Maxwell once again ran a formidable race but their time of 5:19:51.0 hours in the end was only good enough for second place given Team Salomon International’s invincible performance.

Miro recognizes her team’s overwhelming lead: “Clearly, that is a huge lead that we now want to manage over the course of the next days and hope to defend successfully to the final finish in Latsch.”

While Miro / Jimenez have become regulars on the podium by now, Team Craft around Stefanie Felgenhauer and Kathrin Höfler (5:36:42.3) celebrated that distinction for the first time today in the 2011 Transalpine Run.

Master Leaders still on track – well ahead of all others

Trail runners Dr. Thomas Miksch and Anton Philipp (pictured right, image by Klaus Fengler) clearly are on a very special mission: Winning three consecutive leader titles in their category. Their team, Haglöfs-Gore, may push a cumulative age of more than 80 years but the two Germans never seem to waste undue time or energy on the trail and always manage to stay ahead of their competitors. After 4:25:20.5 hours on the trail, they had not only secured first place in the Masters category for the fourth time in a row in this year’s event but also claimed 4th position overall.

Second across the finish line today were Anton Steiner and Klaus Wellenzohn of Team Schlanders (4:40:11.7) who took 15 minutes longer than the leaders to cross into Switzerland. They had a few minutes to put their feet up before Cristian Doliana and Fabio Varesco of Team La Sportiva/Gore-Tex Footwear (4:46:51.5) followed suite and called it a day.

Both teams had moved up a notch after the originally second placing Christian Stork and Steffen Walk had received a time penalty of 15 minutes for a short cut moving them back into fifth place.

Swiss-Austrian race connection continues to lead pack of Mixed teams

Gaby Steigmeier (SUI) and Seppi Neuhauser (AUT) don’t need to worry much about getting their laundry done during the weeklong race event. The two exceptional trail runners have grown accustomed to claiming a fresh set of leader jerseys at the daily flower ceremony by now. Team Salomon, a regular at the Transalpine Run for many years, extended its comfy lead further today.

On top of that, the two veterans stayed under the five-hour mark for today’s stage (4:55:56.2). Managing their lead to the end of the ultimate stage at the end of the week would seem to be their primary worry at this point.

Andrea and Uli Calmbach of Team Salomon Deutschland (5:07:06.1) came in second place today, more than four minutes ahead of the Austrian Team Innenausbau Irendorfer. The couple Sonja and Andreas Irendorfer claimed a deserved third place with their time of 5:11:20.4 hours.

Team Latsch/Mountain Heroes: A different kind of Senior lifestyle

Rudi Schöpf and Hans Hörmann, the seemingly untouchable Senior Master leaders, proved to be in a league of their own as they not just dominate their race category but keep on ranking among the top ten-percentile of race participants. The German – Italian team raced to Scuol in 5:17:44.8 hours, also claiming a fourth consecutive victory in this year’s Gore-Tex Transalpine-Run.

Somewhat slower, but still clocking a highly commendable time were their closest competitors of the previous days. Gerald Blumrich and Jörg Schreiber of Team Trail Magazin (5:32:28.7) came in second place- as has become customary by now, a comfortable position to start the second half of the race week from.

Their fellow countrymen Axel Zapletal and Peter Sandmeier of Team Pax Feldafing 100 (5:45:18.2) once more claimed the third position on today’s podium.

Preview Sage 5: Scuol (SUI), Vertical Race up to Motta Naluns

The fifth stage on the Western course of the Transalpine-Run is routinely dedicated for some R&R of the special kind: Race and Relax. The challenge of the fifth of a total of eight race days is a relatively short sprint race exacting a single climb of 936 meters of vertical gain. Starting at the old village square in Scuol, some racers can be expected to finish in under an hour. The finish is located at the summit station of the Motta Naluns funicular on a plateau just above treeline with a spectacular view over the Central Alps. An apt setting for the halfway point of the eight-stage trail run across the Alps!

While tomorrow’s race is short, the steep ascent over mostly trail less terrain will require much in terms of technique and stamina – not exactly how most would define a rest day.

For more information head to www.transalpine-run.com

Driving rain & near freezing temperatures forces route change at GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run

2011-09-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

David Lopez Castan and Miguel Caballero Ortega (pictured left) once again ruled today’s field of runners! As on both previous stages, they managed to distance themselves from any immediate competition halfway into the day and from then on simply ran their own race. The two Spanish talents put the full marathon distance between Schruns and Galtür behind them with seeming ease in the mind-blowing time of 3:49:47.7 hours. While today’s course had been changed to account for potential thunderstorm activity and avoided any exposed ridgeline trails in favour of a lower elevation route, the day still packed a punch.

Trailing the Spanish leaders by ten minutes were - as would have been expected by now - Jethro Lennox and Joe Symonds of Team Inov-8 Gore-Tex Footwear. The Scottish missed staying under the four-hour mark by a mere second with their time of 4:00:01.6 hours, but still rank second overall at this point.

Third to cross the finish line in the Austrian resort community of Galtür were Tofol Castaner Bernat and Miguel Capo Soler of TransMallorcaRun Team (4:09:09.9) with just a hair’s lead over their friends Julien Chorier (FRA) and Philipp Reiter of Team Salomon International (4:09:10.2). The four indeed leapt across the finish line in single file for a photo finish, a gesture implicit for the cordial race spirit in the Gore-Tex Transalpine Run series.

Conditions on today’s trails were anything but perfect. At higher elevations temperatures barely kept above freezing. Driving rain soaked the racers intermittently, while gusty winds pushed low-lying clouds around to obscure visibility at times. As such, opting for the alternative route turned out to have been a wise choice.

Race director Wolfgang Pohl was clearly relieved that most runners had enjoyed the new course despite the inclement conditions. “The original track would have been too exposed to the elements over a distance of nearly 18 kilometers. Subjecting over 600 racers to such a risk wouldn’t have been a responsible thing to do.”

The alternative route proved to be sufficiently challenging as it stood, which victorious Miguel Caballero aptly summed up: “It was very wet and cold, which made running a lot harder for us”. Still, running in the clouds must have held something mystical for most runners – something many runners commented on - as they made their arduous way across two mountain passes at elevations of 1932 m and 2271 m, respectively.

Spanish attack half way into climb proves successful strategy

The strategy of race duo Castan/Caballero, both members of the Spanish National trail running team, to ‚up the ante’ only half way into the day’s single 29-kilometer long climb, clearly had a demoralizing effect on all other vanguard teams.

Soaking wet but elated, 29-year-old Caballero explained: “We decided to increase our speed from one moment to the next and indeed managed to get away relatively easily. Let’s see what the next few days hold for us. We take itstage by stage.”

Joe Symonds, once again relegated to second place, concurred with the victorious Spaniard: “It was indeed very exhausting. The climb just didn’t seem to end. Then, between the first and second food stop, they got away from us”.

Masters of their game – Philipp/Miksch unbeatable

Every day Berglaufteam Haglöfs-Gore (GER) around Anton Philipp and Dr. Thomas Miksch seems to get a little closer to the ambitious goal of claiming a third consecutive victory in the Masters category at the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run.

So far, their race approach goes to plan as the two race veterans were once again the first Masters to cross the finish line in just 4:14:59.1 hours. That time also proved good enough for a deserved sixth place overall in today’s stage.

Steffen Walk and Christian Stork of Team Salomon/Sport Reischmann (GER) ended up trailing the leaders by over seven minutes but still entered the finish area in well-known ski town Galtür with the commendable time of 4:22:40.5 hours. The two German racers comfortably managed to stay ahead of Anton Steiner and Klaus Wellenzohn (ITA) of Team Schlanders who – once again – claimed third place on the podium with their time of 4:24:34.0 hours.

No need for Women leaders to trade in pink leader jerseys

Stephanie Jimenez (FRA) and Mireia Miro (ESP) once more demonstrated both physical and technical prowess with seeming effortlessness. With only 4:39:51.8 hours on the trail, the two not only managed to come in first with a sizeable lead of 23 minutes over their most immediate competition, but also claimed 18th place in today’s overall ranking.

Claire Gordon and Fiona Maxwell of Scottish Team Shettletrot mustn’t have spend any time sight-seeing alongside the trail either, as they ran the marathon mountain stage between Schruns and Galtür in just 5:03:20.1 hours. That performance afforded them a sufficient lead over third-placing Germans Gitti Schiebel and Simone Philipp of Team Mountain Heroes/Salomon (5:15:52.8).

Mixed Leaders also defend and extend their lead

Gaby Steigmeier (SUI) and Seppi Neuhauser (GER) of Team Salomon clearly form a perfect match as a race team winning their third consecutive set of leader jerseys on today’s stage. Veterans of several in the 7-year series of GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Runs, they ruled their category yet again in trademark form with the victorious time of 4:43:03.4 hours.

Kasia Zajac (POL) and Christian Zimmer (GER) of Team Salomon Polen Deutschland came in second trailing the dominant leaders by only ten minutes (4:54:17.4). The two racers actually arrived clasping hands with Germans Andrea and Uli Calmbach of Team Salomon Deutschland (4:54:17.5). The latter stayed a nose-length behind the international race team and graciously accepted third place for today.

Senior Master Leaders make it to Galtür in less than five hours

As in all other categories, the leaders of the Senior Masters were unwilling to relinquish their coveted vanguard position. Rudi Schöpf and Hans Hörmann (ITA) of Team Latsch/Mountain Heroes crossed the finish line after 4:59:55.7 hours on the trail extending their lead further over the ever-second German Team Trail Magazin around Gerald Blumrich and Jörg Schreiber (5:08:57.2).

The third centurion team on the podium were Axel Zapletal and Peter Sandmaier of Team Pax Feldafing 100, who didn’t exactly dilly-dally en route with their time of 5:28:07.5 hours.

Preview Stage 4: Galtür (AUT) – Scuol (SUI)

The fourth stage won’t afford the racers much of a break yet with a distance of almost 40 kilometers and a cumulative vertical ascent of 2,339 m.

After warming up on a gently rising forest trunk road up the Jam Valley, racers will get back on racy singletrack trails that lead up to and subsequently down from the Futschölpass (2,768 m), which also forms the Swiss-Austrian border.

Crossing into Switzerland also marks the beginning of the first descent to Alp Valmala before rising back up to an elevation of 2,370 m at Piz Clünas. From there, it’s going to be pretty much all downhill to the Swiss thermal spa community of Scuol.

For more information head to www.transalpine-run.com

Lopez Castan & Caballero Ortega extend lead at GORE-TEX Transalpine-Run

2011-09-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

David Lopez Castan and Miguel Caballero Ortega (pictured left) added yet another victory on today’s mammoth stage between Kleinwalsertal/Hirschegg (Austria) and Schruns (Austria). Little over five hours (5:01:25.0) was all the speedy Spaniards spent on the trails, putting no less than 53,20 kilometers and 2,481 meters in several grueling ascents behind them. On account of these stats, today’s stage was probably the toughest day for the remaining week of racing, but growing fatigue will unlikely make the ensuing stages feel any easier for any of the athletes.

Second across the finish line – trailing leading Team Trangoworld Gore-Tex Spain by just under five minutes – were the Scottish runners Jethro Lennox and Joe Symonds of Team Inov-8 Gore-Tex Footwear (5:06:14.9). The latter defended their position ahead of Julien Chorier (FRA) and Philip Reiter (GER) of Team Salomon International, whose time of 5:30:26.2 hours advanced them onto the podium in deserved third place.

The Spanish victors comfortably extended their overall lead to over 17 minutes by the end of today’s second stage. With one third of the total race distance already under their belt, Castan and Ortega have delivered a stunning performance to date that will be noticed undoubtedly by the global trail race community.

As would be expected, the two Spaniards (both 29 years of age) were greatly pleased after crossing the finish line first - ahead of no less than three hundred other teams. “We simply gave all and tried to distance ourselves from the Brits after the fourth food stop. It’s great that it panned out as planned.”

The Spanish breakaway bugged no one as much as Joe Symonds and his teammate Jethro Lennox, who had even set the pace off and on and for the longest time, had managed to hang on to the leaders with reasonable success. Joe Symonds, the younger brother of last year’s victor Andrew Symonds, recapped today’s trials and tribulations “The Spaniards attacked on the last ascent but we never lost sight of them and hung on to the summit. In the end, they surprised us by being able to take off on us on the flat sections towards the finish.”

Despite suffering a fall on the descent to Dalaas that left him with a laceration and nasty abrasions on his left leg, the 28-year Scotsman seemed content overall “I’m not really disappointed, since it already went better today than yesterday – apart from my fall.”

Team partner Lennox is still convinced “that Joe can run much faster if only he were to get through a day without abdominal cramps.” Both racers were optimistic that they still had a chance to pinch a few stage victories from the dominant team around Lopez Castan and Caballeor Ortega.

One team, long dealt as a potential contender for a top podium position, had to give up their aspirations to attack the current leaders. Tobias Brack and Thomas Geisenberger of TSV Buchberg Haglöfs-Gore clearly lived up to expectations well into today’s stage, when the latter racer had to quit.

Geisenberger, placing second in the 2009 GORE-TEX Transalpine Run, had suffered a heat stroke in yesterday’s stage, the aftermath of which forced him to admit defeat today.

Master Leaders extend lead

Veteran trail racers of Berglaufteam Haglöfs-Gore (GER) around Dr. Thomas Miksch and Anton Philipp certainly got through the day in better shape than most of their competitors. The defending champs of the Masters category managed to cross the finish in Schruns in just 5:38:39.2 hours, which extended their lead to more than 12 minutes.

Still, Anton Philipp confessed to having experienced a few weak moments, since the hot conditions of the previous day had “nearly destroyed him”. The champions of 2009 and 2010 know full well that they can afford being reasonably relaxed at this point.

Philipp shared that “We are running a good race right now and will try to continue to do so. If we keep that up, chances are good for a hattrick”, a third consecutive victory for the 42-year-old and the 49-year old athlete, respectively.

Second to arrive in Schruns were Steffen Walk and Christian Stork (5:46:07.5) of Team Salomon/Sport Reischmann, who moved up to the runner-up position in the master ranking. Third across the finish line in the category of teams with a cumulative age of 80+ were Anton Steiner and Klaus Wellenzohn of the Italian Team Schlanders (5:51:21.7).

Mixed Leaders living up to expectation

It didn’t exactly come as a surprise that Gaby Steigmeier (SUI) and her Austrian Team Salomon running mate Seppi Neuhauser handily claimed first place in the second of eight race stages in this year’s GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run.

The running duo is a serious contender for overall victory having routinely placed among the top in previous Transalpine Run race events. The two veteran competitors put today’s mammoth stage behind them in no more than 6:10:44.4 hours.

Second on the podium were Andrea and Uli Calmbach of Team Salomon Deutschland (6:34:36.1), who arrived with a delay of 24 minutes on the victors. Third to arrive in Schruns, a new host community in the Transalpine Run race series, were yet another couple, Sonja and Andreas Irendorfer of Team Innenausbau Irendorfer, who finished in 6:50:02.3 hours.

Pink leader jerseys keep dominating the trails

Team Salomon International defended their lead in the Womens category. Stehanie Jimenez (FR) and Mireia Miro (ESP) (pictured right) stayed well ahead of anyone else in their category and were able to kick back in Schruns after spending only 6:14:34.0 on the trail. It is noteworthy, that this formidable time advanced the international duo to 18th position in the overall ranking.

The remaining podium positions went to Claire Gordon and Fiona Maxwell of British Team Shettletrot (6:36:25.3) and Isabel Sanjuan Tabuenca and Muria Dominguez Azpeleta of Trangoworld Gore-Tex Spain (7:02:21.1), respectively.

Senior Master Leaders still a sure bet

Similarly to all other categories, the leaders of the Senior Masters category also managed to defend their top podium positions and won’t have to change into a different color jersey in tomorrow’s stage.

Rudi Schöpf and Hans Hörmann (ITA) of Team Latsch/Mountain Heroes may rack up more than a century in terms of cumulative age, but certainly have not intention to slow down any time soon. They ran a fantastic time (6:41:22.7) to the finish line in Schruns, which place them into a position to put up their feet almost a quarter hour before their most immediate competitors arrived.

Germans Gerald Blumrich and Jörg Schreiber of Team Trail Magazin (6:55:34.5) claimed that coveted position, whereas, third on the podium but trailing the victors by over 70 minutes were Axel Zapletal and Peter Sandmeier of Team Pax Feldafing (7:53:00.2)

Preview Stage 3: Schruns (AUT) – Galtür (AUT)

Almost a match to today’s mammoth stage in terms of physical demand, tomorrow’s trails offer up a picture-perfect marathon distance but pack it with 2,672 m of vertical gain.

After a seemingly never-ending, grueling climb, racers will stay at elevation along the highly scenic “Wormser High Trail” before dropping into the resort community of Galtür at the feet of the Silvretta Mountain Range in the Central Alps.

For more information head to www.transapline-run.com

Spaniards dominate the First Stage of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run 2011

2011-09-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

A Spanish win crowned a beautiful day on the first stage of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run 2011. David Lopez Castan and Miguel Caballero Ortega of Trangoworld Gore-Tex handled the 27.20 kilometers and 1,806 elevation meters from Oberstdorf, Germany, to Hirschegg/Kleinwalsertal, Austria, in 2:40:01.0 hours. Scottish runners Jethro Lennox and Joe Symonds from the Inov-8 Gore-Tex Footwear team came in second with a little over 12 minutes behind (2:52:37.8). Reigning Mountain Running World Champion Tofol Castaner Bernat and his team partner Capo Soler Miquel of TransMallorcaRun took the third spot on today’s podium (2:53:51.0).

Almost cloud-less skies and hot temperatures didn’t seem to impress the two Spaniards Lopez Castan and Caballero Ortega, who not only claimed the blue leader-jerseys but really set the pace on today’s comparatively easy stage on this world wide highly respected trail-running event.

However both members of the Spanish Mountain Running National Team admitted that they did not expect such a dominant impression of their physical abilities. „It was pretty surprising“, thought the 29-year old Miguel Caballero Ortega. His coeval team partner David Lopez Castan added, „we were running together with a few other teams at first, but after the first ascend we seemed to be by ourselves.“

From the Fiderepass-Hut (2,060m) on and further over the Wildenalpe (1,777m) and the Außerkuhgehrenalpe (1,622m) the two strong spaniards enlarged their lead consequently from about a minute to 12:36 minutes at the finish line. A fact that really pushed Lopez Castan for the upcoming legs. „We are going to give everything we got on each stage and if possible win even more legs“, as the National Mountain Running Champion of 2010 was quoted.

Heat and physical Problems slowed Rivals down

The two winners certainly benefitted from the hot temperatures on today’s stage. Especially their Scottish rivals really tampered with the heat. "Lately I had been running in Scotland more often and the temperatures there are different for sure“ said Joe Symonds. The brother of last year's winner Andrew also admitted to have slowed down his teammate.

"Jethro (Lennox) certainly could have ran faster today. But I tend to have problems with my stomach on every first day of any multi stage event. It is going to get better as we progress, that’s why I’m thinking it will bet he same this year.“

If the Scottish athlete is right, it should be an exciting race tomorrow when the runners have to surpass the biggest stretch and thus the Queen Stage on this year trail-running event. Especially since Philipp Reiter, the best German athlete, and his French teammate of the Salomon International Team contained themselves today. „We started off slow deliberately to not overpace ourselves right from the start“, stated the 20-year old Bavarian after the race.

Reigning Master class title defenders storm into Green Jerseys

Dr. Thomas Miksch and Anton Philipp have fufilled high expectations again. The two Allgau residents of Berglaufteam Haglöfs-Gore mastered the opening stage from Germany to Austria in only 3:04:44.5 hours and thus as fastest master duo.

According to this, the title defenders were about seven minutes faster than their rivals from Team Schlanders. South Tyroleans Anton Steiner and Klaus Wellenzohn finished on the runner-up spot within the class for the teams with a cumulative age of 80+ (3:11:28.2). Steffen Walk and Christian Stork of Salomon / Sport Reischmann followed in third (3:14:31.3).

Team Salomon International with best women team

On the women's side, Stephanie Jimenez (FRA) pictured right, and Mireia Miro (ESP) underlined their call for the Transalpine-Run crown. The most favored athletes stormed in 3:22:33.3 hours into the finish securing their first stage win with a comfortable lead of more than 20 minutes on their pursuers. And that while taking it easy according to their statements in the finish area.

Spanish runners Isabel Sanjuan Tabuenca and Nuria Dominguez Azpeleta of Team Trangoworld came in second (3:44:20.8), followed by Scottish racers Claire Gordon and Fiona Maxwell of Shettletrot (3:47:49.3).

Team Salomon meet requirements in mixed class

Gaby Steigmeier (SUI) and Seppi Neuhauser (AUT) of Team Salomon have secured victory in the mixed category. The several-time Transalpine-Run participants crossed the finish line of the first stage after 3:26:55.2 hours and are thus on course Transalpine-Run win.

Andrea and Uli Calmbach of Team Salomon Deutschland placed second (3:35:09.2) while Sonja and Andreas Irdendorfer, who run for Austrian Team Innenausbau Irendorfer, rounded out the podium as third (3:36:52.2).

Plain affair in the senior master category

Rudi Schöpf (ITA) and Hans Hörmann (GER) from Team Latsch/Mountain Heroes have put their stamps on the senior master class, the teams with a cumulative age of 100+, right on the first day of the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run. The Italian-German duo conquered the first rank in 3:35:25.7 hours.

Gerald Blumrich and Jörg Schreiber from Team Trail Magazin (4:03:03.1) as well as their fellow countryman from Germany Axel Zapletal and Peter Sandmaier of Team Pax Feldafing 100 (4:15:25.4) placed second and third respectively.

Preview Stage 2: Kleinwalsertal/Hirschegg (AUT) – Schruns (AUT)

The stage from Hirschegg to Schruns is the Queen Stage of the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run.

Tough 53 kilometers and 2,481 meters of altitude difference pose an extreme challenge where just making it to Schruns within the time limit will be an athletic feat.

From the start at 7:00 until the close of the finish at 19:00, participants will have a total of 12 hours to cover this year's longest stage.

The best hiking paths and challenging trails lead through an impressive high mountain landscape. With the Allgau Alps, the Lechtal Alps and the Verwall group, this stage alone crosses three mountain ranges.

For more information head to www.transalpine-run.com

Kimberly Ultramarathon ravaged by wildfires

2011-09-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

Kununurra, Australia

The 2011 Kimberley Ultramarathon, which started at 8:30am on Friday, 2 September, was abruptly cancelled before the end due to a serious bushfire which flared up in section 3 of the course.

According to one of the competitors, eleven of the runners were trapped in a narrow gorge as the fire approached. It has been reported that two women are in a critical condition in Darwin Hospital with burns to 60 to 80 per cent of their bodies while two men will be flown to Royal Perth Hospital today with burns to 10 to 20 per cent of their bodies. The remaining six competitors were evacuated by vehicle to the closest track access where they were taken out of the fire risk area.

A spokesperson at Racing The Planet said "The safety and treatment of the competitors is the priority at this time. A full investigation and report is being prepared."

South African runner Hylton Dunn, pictured right having his race pack weighed at the race registration, was amongst the competitors of the event.

"The race was filled with incidents all over, and unfortunately I was the only finisher who managed to get through all the checkpoints before the fires got out of hand. The main emphasis right now for Racing the Planet's organising team is regarding the well-being of those that got burnt and evacuated to hospitals around Australia."

Update: Monday 5th of September (courtesy The West Australian)

Turia Pitt, a 24-year-old mining engineer from the Argyle diamond mine, and Kate Sanderson, a 35-year-old experienced ultra-marathon runner from Victoria, are both in a critical condition with burns to up to 80 per cent of their bodies. The two women were flown to Kununurra District Hospital by helicopter about 5pm on Friday from El Questro Station, about 55km south-west of Kununurra, after they were discovered unconscious by other race competitors.

Both were transferred to Darwin Hospital. On Saturday, Ms Pitt was flown to a specialist burns unit at Concord Hospital in Sydney and is now breathing on her own some 48hrs after the incident occurred. Ms Sanderson was flown to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

Two men, aged 44 and 56, are in stable condition at Royal Perth Hospital with burns to up to 20 per cent of their bodies.

One of the injured men has described the moment the runners had to confront the wall of flame.

"We got to a situation where the flames were about two metres away from us," Michael Hull said. "It was just horrendously hot and we were scared for our lives."

He and the three other competitors tried to run away from the blaze, but he says they eventually became trapped by the wall of fire.

Trapped runner Michael Hull: "[We] had a quick choice of being a human fireball and burning and that was the end, or what we did, instantaneously, is just stop and run back through the wall of flame," he said. "We knew the flame, while it was high, we knew on the other side of it there was nothing left to burn."

Other competitors then came to their aid.

Mr Hull and the other man are both in a stable condition in the Royal Perth Hospital.

Racing The Planet event organiser Samantha Fanshawe would not give details of the investigation but said organisers were told there was no chance of a fire occurring on the course.

"We are looking into every detail of the incident, it was a terrible day and a terrible thing to have happened," she said. "It was very scary for the people trapped in that gorge. Everyone we spoke to prior to the race said there was no risk on the course to fires," she added.

"This fire flared up very suddenly, part of the investigation is putting together a full timeline and also looking at everybody who was involved in the pre-race part. So at the moment I don't want to disclose those details."

An official statement from the Racing The Planet offices in Hong Kong:

Racing The Planet is currently working with the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western
Australia (FESA), an arson unit and the police to gather all information around the bushfire that affected the Kimberley Ultramarathon on 2 September 2011. An investigation is currently underway that we hope will determine the exact cause and nature of the fire that injured participants in the event.

Kate K. Sanderson, Turia Pitt, Michael Hull, and Martin Van Der Merwe are in our thoughts and
prayers and are currently receiving treatment in various hospitals - updates on their conditions should come directly from their families and medical doctors. Mary Gadams (CEO of Racing The Planet), the fifth person to receive burns, has been released from the hospital.

Go Trail will continue to update this story as more becomes available.

For more updates, head to the Racing The Planet facebook page.

Go urban trail running in Johannesburg

2011-09-02T06:24:00.000-07:00

Strong field to battle it out at the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run

2011-09-01T05:24:00.000-07:00

In two days, things will get serious for more than 500 trail runners coming from all over the world. On September 3rd, at 11 AM, the 7. GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run, one of the most spectacular trail running events in the global race circuit, will kick off in Oberstdorf, Germany, right in front of Oberstdorf Haus. More than 250 two-person teams will tackle the challenge of mastering a total of 273.73 km and 15,436 meters of cumulative ascent from Germany to Latsch in Italy by feet.

The favorites in the field of athletes representing more than 30 different countries, including rare ones like Honduras, Cuba, New Zealand, South Africa and Venezuela, are the few pro and semi-pro duos.

In year one after Tom Owens/Andrew Symoand – the two Brits had been dominating the last two years winning in impressive manner – there is one British and one French-German team with great chances of winning the 2011 Transalpine-Run.

#1 contender might be Joseph Symonds. Andrew's two years younger but not less talented brother will enter the eight-day-long race with Lennox Jethro, a several-time Scottish Athletic Hill Running Champion, as Team Inov-8 Goretex Footwear.

There main rivals would be #2 contenders for the title, Julien Chorier of France and his Team Salomon International mate Philipp Reiter. At 20 years of age, the Bad Reichenhall resident must be the best trail running talent in Germany at this time as he has claimed several noteworthy victories in his Vertical race career so far such as the second rank at the inaugural Salomon 4-Trails.

30-years-old Chorier secured victory at this year's Hardrock Hundred Endurance Race as well as the Ultra-Technitrail de Tiranges. In addition, the father of two placed second at he Signes Trail Méounes-Belgentiere.

But there are even more teams with high hopes for a podium finish like Thomas Geisenberger and Tobias Brack from Team TSV Buchberg Haglöfs-Gore as well as Austria's David Kolditz and Sasa Savuljesko from Team Westpoint.

Battle of three in the women's category

While the top teams in the men's classifier have to keep an eye on several other racer duos, a battle of three looms on the ladies' side.

Besides Nannette Mereles and Cassey Shepard of Californian Team Cassey and No No, who are both 45+, two German duos are counted among the favorites.

Above all, it's Gitti Schiebel, a two-time Transalpine-Run runner-up (2005 and 2008) and here Team Mountain Heroes Salomon mate Simone Philipp who raise justifiable hopes for a top-3 result.

Furthermore, third ranked athlete of this year's Salomon 4-Trails, Stefanie Felgenhauer and Kathirn Höfler from Team Craft Woman will also enter the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run.

Master title defenders ready for another shot

On side of the teams with a total age of 80+, one has to beat the title defenders in order to bring home the coveted Transalpine-Run crown. However, Dr. Thomas Miksch and Anton Philipp from Berglaufteam Haglöfs-Gore have already underlined their this year's extraordinary shape.

While Miksch, a senior physician in the town of Kempten, claimed the title at the premier of the Salomon 4-Trails, his seven year's younger running mate Philipp rounded out the master podium as third.

For more information, head to www.transapline-run.com

Kilian Jornet and Anna Frost headed for the South African trails

2011-09-01T02:19:00.000-07:00

Compiled and issued by Jazz Kuschke Media on behalf of Salomon Sports.

Two of Salomon’s top international runners are on their way to South Africa. Anna Frost and Kilian Jornet are to join Ryan Sandes at the up-coming Salomon International Trail Seminar. All three have enjoyed spectacular success over the past couple of weeks – with Jornet winning the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc, Frost the mixed category of the Trans Rockies and Sandes the Leadville 100-miler.

SPANISH FIRE

Kilian Jornet (pictured right) is a phenom. The diminutive Catalonian (he weighs-in at just 56 kilos for his 1,7m frame) won the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc on 28 August. The ninth edition of the legendary race around the Mont Blanc massif over 170-kilometres with some 9 500-metres of climbing saw runners battle rain, fog, thunderstorms, hail and chilly temperatures. This is the 24-year-old’s unprecedented third UTMB title, classing him as arguably the most successful trail runner of our time. Not bad for a guy who started off as national ski mountaineering team. This year also saw him claim the The North Face 100 (km) in Australia and the Western States 100 in the USA.

KIWI GRIT

Anna Frost (pictured left) has just won the mixed category of the TransRockies. Besides dominating their category, she and partner Rickey Gates finished fourth overall.
The GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run is a six-day stage race from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek, through the heart of the White River and San Isabel National Forests. The course includes a mix of singletrack and forest road with nearly 9 000 metres of elevation gain, reaching altitudes of over 4000 metres. Anna tweeted afterward “6 hard but awesome days on the TransRockies with Rickey Gates! One heck of a steam train! Look out if you are racing him anytime soon!”
‘Frosty’ spent the week prior helping Ryan Sandes win the Leadville, as part of his pacing crew for the last 50 miles. For more on Frost log onto her personal blog.

HOMETOWN HERO

Ryan Sandes (pictured right) won the Leadville 100-miler trail race in Colorado “I have been dreaming about winning Leadville for the past six months,” blogged Cape Town’s top mountain export a few days after the race, “and to cross the finish line in first place was definitely one of the highlights - if not the highlight - of my athletic career”. Sandes is excited to show-off South Africa’s amazing trails to his international teammates, but also believes they will have a positive influence on the sport locally. “Having some of the Salomon International Team members in South Africa is bound to showcase trail running as a sport. I think it will create a lot of interest amongst runners in here.”

Seminars are scheduled to take place in Gauteng (11 September), Durban (13 September) and Cape Town (15 September). ‘Like’ the Salomon South Africa Facebook fan page for details on how to secure your spot . Seats are limited!

The African Experience – Alex Flynn Runs South Africa

2011-08-30T01:55:00.000-07:00

Alex Flynn is no ordinary athlete! Having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 36, Alex has embarked on the 10 Million Metres campaign and chosen a life where he now hopes to achieve more then ever before. Competing in events around the world, this epic journey sees Alex contribute all of his race mileage to his overall goal.

“I've decided to make the most of the now! I live life to the full and have taken those plans that we all have, to one extent or another, and decided to realise them by covering 10 Million Metres running, walking, swimming, cycling or, if necessary, crawling. In the process, I hope to raise £1 million, or more, to fund vital research into Parkinson’s and, hopefully, find a cure!”says Alex.

On the 26th of September 2011, Alex will be arriving in South Africa. His goal: to run at some of South Africa’s most iconic landmarks as part of The African Experience. Included in this mammoth 2000km road trip will be Alex’s participation at the 2011 Otter African Trail Run presented by Hi-TEC, one of South Africa’s most prestigious trail running events, a race which takes place along the southern Cape coastline in the Tsitsikamma National Park. Other notable runs will include a public run along the Durban beach front, a visit to the unmistakable landform that is the Hole-In-The-Wall on the Wildcoast of the Eastern Cape and a second public run along the beach of Tableview near Cape Town, famous for it’s views of Table Mountain.

As the official host and partner of The African Experience, Go Trail magazine is proud to be associated with Alex on this initiative. “Alex is a fantastic guy with a great cause. To be able to host him in South Africa for what we’re sure will be a very memorable experience, as well as a positive contribution to achieving his overall goal, is truly an honour” said Go Trail magazine Editor James Hallett.

If you would like to be a part of The African Experience and meet Alex Flynn, come and join us in either Durban on the 26th of September at 4.30pm or Cape Town on the 2nd of October at 1.00pm and run a few kilometres in support of 10 Million Metres.

For all necessary details as well as time and places we'll be running at, please email james@gotrail.co.za.

The African Experience is proudly supported by:

News from the final stage of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run

2011-08-27T01:02:00.000-07:00

There's no easy way for runners to get a coveted TransRockies Run finisher's shirt, in fact, it's traditional that the leftover finisher shirts are destroyed each year to ensure that they're only given out to those who crossed the finish line.

As the final test. the last Stage of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run has always been a tough day of running. In 2011, the route got a little tougher and more spectacular due to a course change necessitated by the USA Pro Cycling Challenge which started in downtown Avon around the time TransRockies runners traditionally through town to the base of the final climb up to Beaver Creek.

While the run was tougher, runners were effusive in their praise of the new course which brought them up and over the east shoulder of Beaver Creek Mountain on some of the resort's system of singletrack and down into the Village to finish at the main lift. A superb way to end six fantastic days in the Rockies. The weather cooperated serving up a light cloud cover which kept temperatures down and runners comfortable on a another long day on the trails.

While it was never stated during the week, both members of the leading Run Flagstaff Team were back at the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run in search of some redemption. Mike Smith won the 2009 TransRockies Run with teammate Robert Krar but was unable to really enjoy the experience as he broke fingers on the last stage while Krar was being treated for severe cramps and muscle damage after the event. Wolfe was leading the Open Mixed division in 2009 when his teammate was forced to withdraw due to a death in her family.

With the win in their grasp, Run Flagstaff were in no mood to cruise to the finish and they set a blistering pace on the first climb for the third straight day and dropped the other teams one by one until they were running by themselves winning in a time of 3:10:59, exactly six minutes ahead of Team Bend (Max King/Ryan Bak) who were second on the day and second overall. The British Salomon pair of Tom Owens and Ricky Lightfoot came in 30 seconds later to wrap up their third overall place.

The Open Mixed and Open Women's Divisions saw high drama as the surging third placed overall teams in both categories put in huge final day efforts as the second placed teams struggled to the finish. In the end, one team held on and one succumbed with gaps of less than 20 seconds after six days of racing.

The Open Mixed Division had been dominated by Ricky Gates and Anna Frost of Team Salomon, who put an exclamation point on their race by finishing 4th overall on the day behind only the top 3 Open Men's teams. Behind them the third-placed Team Red Fern (Amy and Greg Friedman) were eating into the 2:04 gap that Zach Violett and Stephanie Howe (Team GORE/We Might Be Crazy) held after Stage 5. and as Amy and Greg crossed the line the clock began ticking. Team GORE appeared at the top of the hill and pushed down toward the line but 2:04 came and went and Red Fern slipped into second place overall for the first time on the last day with a razor-thin 17 second gap.

The story was similar in the Open Women's Divison where the winning Team Trail Runner (Cynthia and Ashley Arnold) secured a clean sweep of the stages while behind them a battle raged between second-placed Team Arc'teryx (Amy Golumbia/Rosemarie Gerspacher) and third-placed Team Flagstaff (Jennifer McCarthy/Brianna Torres). In this case, there was a nearly 16 minute gap which was down to 17 seconds by the time Team Arc'teryx crossed the line, surprised to hold onto second place overall after a hard day on the trails.

The 80+ Division results were more stable with three leading teams expanding their leads with last day wins. The Caba-Nators, Jeff and Katie Caba ran to a clean sweep of the Stages in the 80+ Mixed Division on their way to the overall win. Likewise Nikki Kimball and Tracy Garneau (The North Face Betties) did the same in the 80+ Women's Division and the Quebecois pair of Christian Vachon and Joel St. Louis (Le Coureur/Merrell) won stage 6 and the overall in the 80+ Men's Division

As the closing party went on and runners were safely in the banquet hall, the skies finally opened and a high mountain thunderstorm pounded down on Beaver Creek. But inside, the story telling after another epic year in the mountains had begun and registration had opened for the next chance to take on the Run of a Lifetime in 2012.

For full registration details for the 2012 GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run, click HERE.

Stage Five of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run - Under a clear Vail sky

2011-08-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

Stage 5 is considered to be the "Queen Stage" of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run and it takes runners high over Vail Mountain from the famous back bowls, across the China Wall and down a nearly 3000 vertical foot descent to the finish line at Golden Peak. Any thought of bad weather for Stage 5 disappeared overnight with all the clouds and the runners gathered at the start line in Red Cliff under crystal clear skies. As soon as the sun cleared the surrounding mountains, the temperature began to soar and it was clear that a long hot day in the sun lay ahead.

After a hectic Stage 4 which saw Team Run Flagstaff retake first place and Team Bend's Ryan Bak spill and bloody his ribs, Stage 5 promised to be another tough battle across the top of the Rockies with two significant passes and lots of singletrack along the way. One of the more technical pieces of trail is Bowman's Shortcut which was built and used by the soldiers at Camp Hale, training ground of the 10th Mountain Division who used this trail as a shortcut to the lights and action in Vail and Minturn. Hiking 20 miles over an 11000ft pass to get to a bar? Those guys really wanted a beer.

The runners who took on the 2011 TransRockies Run were tin search of any cold beverage they could as they hit the top of Vail Mountain under clear skies and a baking sun. In an impromptu celebration, the resources of the medical crew were supplemented by a large slip and slide and super soakers at the finish line to help cool over 250 runners down after most had spent five hours or more on the trails.

After taking the overall lead with a maximum intensity attack on Stage 4, Team Run Flagstaff weren't going to take their foot off the gas pedal and they surged on the first climb up Shrine Pass and never looked back. By the time they reached the finish line Mike Smith and Jason Wolfe had opened up a big lead which grew at each of the three checkpoints. They crossed the line in a scorching 2:55:25, 20 minutes faster than the winning time in 2010 and over 13 minutes ahead of the second-placed Team Salomon. Running with injuries sustained on Stage 4, Ryan Bak of Team Bend gamely hung on with teammate Max King to hold onto second place overall. With a 15 minute overall lead going into the final stage, they can run defensively and safely as they try to wrap up the overall win.

On this long day, there were few changes in the overall standings as survival became more of a priority than competition. With the finish just one day away, risks were forsaken for smart, safe race strategy. After three nights sleeping at over 9500 feet above sea level, even the air at Vail's 8000' elevation feels richer and thicker. That, warmer temperatures and a BBQ feast from Gourmet Cowboy catering should allow runners to get a final good night's sleep in preparation for Stage Six and the run to the finish line in Beaver Creek.

All photos by Klaus Fengler/www.klausfengler.de courtesy TransRockies Run

Stage 6 Preview - Vail to Beaver Creek

23.6 miles/5000 ft climbing

In 2011, the TransRockies Run saves some real sting for the last day of the race with a 23.6 mile route to Beaver Creek which includes 5000 feet of climbing three major climbs and numerous smaller ones as the runners make their way down the steep-sided valley to the finish line at Beaver Creek. After five straight clear, hot days, many runners would welcome the break from the heat that some overnight rain seems to promise. One more very touch stage remains before the remaining TransRockies Runner get to call themselves "finishers".

Head to the official GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run website for more info

Stage Four of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run - Wolfe and Smith run strong

2011-08-25T00:37:00.000-07:00

Bracketed as it is by three gruelling days, Stage 4 of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run is a last chance for most runner to enjoy a shorter run and extra recovery time before the big efforts that are demanded during the 48 miles and 9000 feet of climbing in the last two days.

With no campsite to move, Stage 4 is also the best chance staff and sponsors get all week to jump in and participate in a Stage. Many of them do, from race office staff, to start line crew to even one of the recycling team who work with the event throughout the week to reduce our waste footprint. Many a friendly wager is settled at Mango's Pub once the runners cross the line.

For the elite runners battling for podium positions, Stage 4 is just another day at the Office of Pain, shorter in distance but just as hard and competitive. The 2011 GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run is seeing some of the closest competition ever for the overall win and the Leaders' jerseys changed hands for a second straight day after the Run Flagstaff pair of Jason Wolfe and Mike Smith rebounded from losing seven minutes on Stage 3 to win Stage 4 by three minutes. More importantly, they put over five minutes into overnight leaders Max King and Ryan Bak who struggled to a fourth-placed finish on the day. After finishing third the day before, the Colorado Runner/INOV-8 team of Alex Nichols and Peter Maksimow moved up another place to finish second on the day pushing Ricky Lightfoot and Tom Owens (pictured below right) down to third, beating them by less than 5 seconds. When the overall standings were calculated Run Flagstaff have a 1 minute and 25 second lead over Team Bend with two stages to go.

The race is even tighter in the 80+ Men's division where the gap between first and second overall is less than a minute following Stage 4. The Canadian Le Coureur-Merrell team of Christian Vachon and Joel St. Louis won the day in a time of 2:14:40, over four minutes ahead of the Trail Loving B*stards (Andres Santiago/Mark Thurston) to take the leaders jerseys heading into Stage 5. That means that three different teams have held the overall lead in the last three days. The GECKO/Trail Runner Mag team of David Wilcox and Morgan Murri are lurking just behind with a solid grip on the last overall podium position.

The North Face Betties (Nikki Kimball/Tracy Garneau) won their fourth straight stage and continue to lead the 80+ Women's Division from Holly Anderton and Michelle Barton (Run or Die/Wicked Fast) while Jeff and Katie Caba did the same in the 80+ Mixed Division. First place looks quite safe in both the Open Women's Division (Ashley and Cynthia Arnold) and the Open Mixed Division (Rickey Gates/Anna Frost) cruised to stage wins on Stage 4.

After three perfect days in the Rockies, the fifth anniversary GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run got a taste of the changeability of Rocky Mountain weather. Around noon the darkening sky let loose with a few violent thunderclaps and boiling clouds scudded around the valley but the worst of the weather stayed to the South hitting the field in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

Thunderstorms remain a possibility for Stage 5 and with runners spending significant time high on Vail Mountain mandatory gear checks will be done with extra care on the start line in Red Cliff.

All photos by Klaus Fengler/www.klausfengler.de courtesy TransRockies Run

Stage 5 Preview - Red Cliff to Vail

24.2 Miles/4100 feet climbing

Stage 5 of the TransRockies Run is a spectacular trip up and through the famous back bowls of Vail Mountain and through pristine singletrack to the new finish line at Golden Peak Village. Starting with a long steady climb up Shrine Pass, the course traverses two passes over 11,000 feet before a 3,000 foot descent to Vail Village where runners will spend their last camp night of 2011.

For more info on the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run click here...

GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run heats up on stage 3

2011-08-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

For many participants, including a number of elite runners, the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run is their first exposure to stage racing. Basic arithmetic teaches us that getting twenty cents six times leaves you with a buck twenty but when it comes to stage racing, all that math has to be unlearnt because doing six hard 20 miles races back-to-back on consecutive days is nothing like running one long sustained 120 mile effort.

By the time runners filled the main drag of Leadville in anticipation of Stage 3's 24 high altitude miles, the initial race adrenaline rush has worn off, the scrapes and bruises from days 1 and 2 are beginning to tell, and the reality that over 85 tough mountain miles remain to be run has set in. For those who're ready for stage racing, though, this is when strategy and patience on the first two days begin to pay off.

For the third straight stage, participants in the 2011 GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run and RUN3 were set to see another facet of Colorado's natural beauty as the 24 mile route from Leadville to Nova Guides Camp would see them pass through postcard-perfect Aspen forests, over Tennessee Pass and through historic Camp Hale. The rolling profile meant that there were few places where runners could just lean back and let gravity do its thing-the miles would have to be run.

If there's an athlete in the TransRockies field who's got stage race pacing dialled, it's defending TransRockies champion Max King. Today, he and partner Ryan Bak gave it a full effort and were able to put time into the rest of their competition finishing the Stage in a scorching 2:47:03, twenty minutes faster than last year's winning time. In the process, they wrestled the overall lead from Jason Wolfe and Mike Smith who finished nearly seven minutes behind in second place. Team Colorado Runner/INOV-8 (Alex Nichols/Peter Maskimow) jumped onto the podium for the first time finishing third, though they were unable to move the British Salomon pair of Ricky Lightfoot and Tom Owens out of third place overall.

Over the years, the TransRockies has seen some fierce competition in women's divisions that disproves the cliché that women play together better than boys, but on Stage 3, some leading women's racers decided that the 24.3 miles would be more enjoyably run with company. The two fastest women's teams in the race are the leaders in the Open Women's and 80+ Women's divisions, and team Trail Runner and the North Face Betties ran the course stride for stride finishing in identical times of 3:44:41, again taking the honours in their race categories.

The final stage of the RUN3 Women's division saw the same approach 1st and 2nd placed runner Deborah Davies and Susie Howery also ran through to identical finish times of 4:01:10 with Davies taking the overall race win. While his first two stages had been impressively dominant, Men's RUN3 leader Justin Ricks nearly paid for the efforts on Stage 3 when he started to feel sick and ended up walking sections of the final part of the course, finishing in 3:07:35. He was followed in by second-place overall finisher and Phil Villeneuve and Brian Rusiecki who, between them, dominated the podium all three days.

Ross McMahon and Tim Menoher of Salmoon has put their stamp of authority on the first two days of racing in the 80+ Men's Division but the race was thrown wide-open on Stage 3 as Menoher was unable to finish the stage. This handed the stage win and leaders jerseys to Andres Santiago and Mark Thurston who lead by a scant 3:47 from Joel St. Louis and Christian Vachon.

The field will be a little smaller on Day 4 with the departure of the RUN3 participants, but the energy on the start line will the same as before with the promise of great views on top of Hornsilver Mountain and, more importantly, fish tacos and margaritas at the legendary Mango's Pub in Red Cliff.

Stage 4 Preview - Nova Guides to Red Cliff

14.2 miles/ 2,800 feet climbing

If 14.2 miles and nearly 3,000 feet of climbing can be considered a "break" then Stage 4 offers participants a chance for a shorter day on the trails between three stages which average 24 miles and nearly 4000 feet of climbing per day. From the start line at Nova Guides Camp, runners head warm up with a couple of miles of rolling fire road befor heading straight up a steep three mile climb to 12,000 feet and the shoulder of Red Mountain before a traverse across the exposed top of Hornsilver Mountain where they enjoy spectacular views North to the bowls of Vail Mountain and West to famous Mount of the Holy Cross. From there, it's a steady descent off the peak to the Wearyman Creek before joining up with the Shrine Pass Road for a gradual last couple of miles downhill to the finish line in the hamlet of Red Cliff.

For more information head to the Trans Rockies Run website

7th GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run off to a fresh start September 3rd

2011-08-23T04:42:00.000-07:00

With less than two weeks to the start on 3rd Sept. 2011, racers registered in the 7th GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run can be expected to experience some level of excitement - if not anxiety - by now. The race has been sold out for a while and a highly motivated field of two-person teams will embark on one of the most spectacular trail running events in the global race circuit. Breaking with routine, this year’s eight-day-long race showcases three new, consecutive stages before resorting back to tried and tested trails over the High Divide and to the finish line in Italy.

Right off the start, the first stage leading out of Oberstdorf, Germany, has seen a complete overhaul. Rather than following the beaten track of previous years, the new course takes aim for Hirschegg, Austria this time around. The cumulative vertical gain of 1.806 m over a distance of 27.20 km should provide the right warm-up for the ensuing seven stages, each of which a tough challenge by itself.

Race director Wolfgang Pohl is clearly exulted: „The 2011 edition of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run, racks up a distance of 273 km and 15,436 m of cumulative ascent and arguably will be the most challenging course along the Western route from Oberstdorf, Germany, to Latsch, Italy, to date”.

While tried and tested stages between the Austrian resort Galtür and the finish line in Italy’s Val Venosta, remain unmodified from previous events; racers will face new and formidable challenges early on in the week on all but new, choice trails.

Pohl, CEO of Vivalpin, the agency in charge of race routing since Day One in the event’s history, would know: “The 2nd stage is likely the hardest we’ve come up with in all these years – packing no less than 53 km and 2,481 m of ascent. The 3rd stage shouldn’t come any easier, though, testing many racers’ limits over a whopping distance of 43 km and a vertical gain of 2,672m. The scenery should make up for the hardships, though, as the ‘Wormser High Trail’ ranks as one of the most beautiful trails in this central part of the Alps”.

However, racers can’t expect much of a respite on the 4th or 7th race days either with 35 and 40 km of trail running, respectively. The latter stage sports the scenic but infamous Rappenscharte - a mountain saddle reaching 3,012 m in elevation, with a precipitous boulder field on one side and a screaming scree slope on the other.

The week’s only reprieve – if only on account of somewhat lesser climbs - may be the 5th day Scuol hill sprint (6.19 km, 936 m vertical), the 6th stage through mystical Uina Canyon, and the ultimate 8th stage to the finish line.

To view the map of the 2011 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run click here

The 7th GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run is sold out.

Five months before the race starts a registration for the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run is not possible anymore...read more from a previous news post

For more info on the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run click here

Stage Two of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run - Up and over Hope Pass

2011-08-23T01:13:00.000-07:00

Every year, it seems that the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run gets its biggest shakeup in the standings between the first and second stages. Whether it's that some racers need a day of racing to find their stage racing legs or that some don't enjoy the transition from rolling desert conditions to classic high alpine trails, Stage 2 is always a very different race than Stage 1. For the fifth straight year, the pattern held to form with new winners in categories and close races where there had been big gaps the day before.

One thing that was common across all the categories was speed-winning times were often ten minutes faster than the year before on exactly the same course. As a spent Max King said at the finish "last year was a Trail Run, but this year it's a Trail Race". He and partner Ryan Bak finished in 1:53:26, over 10 minutes faster than last year's winning time and still finished second behind the Salomon pair of Ricky Lightfoot and Tom Owens who crossed the line in 1:52:50. Stage 1 winners Mike Smith and Jason Wolfe finished nearly two minutes down but held onto their overall lead. As if to prove how competitive and deep the Open Men's Division is this year, Nick Hirsch and Mario Mendoza finished 4th today in a time which would have won 2010 by 4 minutes. Stay tuned to this category for a battle to the finish line.

While the Arnold sisters once again stamped their authority on the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run another stage win in 2:20:21, a full 12 minutes faster than last year, a new pair of faces jumped onto the podium as Amy Lane and Sabrina Moran of Team INOV-8/GORE-TEX grabbed a strong second place ahead of the Arc'Teryx duo of Amy Golumbia and Roser Gerspacher. Cynthia and Ashley Arnold are already over 20 minutes ahead on the overall standing but the teams in 2nd-4th are separated by only a few minutes in a daily battle for the podium.

The Open Men and Open Women's RUN3 races saw exactly the pattern unfold as Justin Ricks, who was dominant on Stage 1, was pushed to the finish by Phil Villeneuve, who seems to have recovered from Leadville 100 pacing duties-and the pizza and beer that followed-to finish less than 2 minutes behind Ricks sneaking into second place in the overall standings just a handful of seconds ahead of third-placed Brian Rusieki. After finishing third on Stage 1 Susie Howery found the high-alpine terrain of Hope Pass much more to her liking, winning the stage in 3:08:29. She was able to cut second-place Deborah Davies overall lead down to less than five minutes. With just one more stage to run tomorrow, the RUN3 podium places are up for grabs during the 24.3 miles from Leadville to Nova Guides.

With the incredible diversity of participants, Ultrarunning sometimes seems like a utopia of sporting democracy, and the start line of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run is no exception. Nearly as many women as men take part in the TransRockies Run, and just as many athletes over 40 as under choose to take on this challenge.

Let's be clear, though, this isn't affirmative action on the trails-the women and masters can be fast. Case in point, New Zealander Anna Frost who's back at the TransRockies Run in 2011 racing in the Open Mixed category with partner Rickey Gates. Today they beat all but five of the Men's teams who raced Stage 2. Likewise, the Top 80+ Masters Men's Women's and Mixed teams would be competing for Top 5 Open after 2 stages despite being a combined 25-30 years older than the teams running in the Open Divisions.

Stage 3 Preview

For the third straight stage, participants in the 2011 GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run and RUN3 will see another facet of Colorado's natural beauty with a rolling 24 mile run from Leadville to Nova Guides Camp through peaceful Aspen forests, over the Continental Divide at Tennessee Pass and along the Colorado Trail. The course finishes with a run through historic Camp Hale before finishing at Nova Guides Camp. If it sounds like a postcard, remember that it's almost a full marathon in length at an average elevation of over 10,000 feet with 2,700 feet of climbing thrown in and it should be the longest day yet on the trails yet at the TransRockies Run.

For more info head to www.transrockies.com

Clemons and Sandes Crowned Champions at 28th Annual Leadville Trail 100 Run

2011-08-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Both winners accomplish the third fastest times in race history

Competing against a stellar field of ultra-distance runners, Lynette Clemons (Leadville, Colo.) and Ryan Sandes (Cape Town, South Africa) conquered elevations ranging from 9,200 to 12,612 feet to take top honors at this year’s Leadville Trail 100 Run. More than 600 athletes started this year’s race from 41 states and 12 countries and took on one of the country’s most grueling ultra-distance races, which takes place in Leadville, Colo.

Clemons (pictured left on Hope Pass, photo by Glen Delman Photography) won the women’s division at 19:59:06 and established the third fastest time in history for the division, missing the course record by 113 minutes. She also won the women’s division in 2009 at 20:58:01. The hometown racer will be adding a second gold belt buckle to her collection. The remaining women’s division podium finishers saw Rhonda Claridge (Ophir, Colo.) finishing second at 21:11:24 and Andrea Metz (Wausau, Wisc.) finishing third at 21:13:14.

Sandes (pictured below on Hope Pass, photo by Glen Delman Photography) won the men’s division at 16:46:54, having the third fastest time in history for the division and missing the course record by 64 minutes. This was Sandes’ debut race in Leadville. Running in to take second place in the men’s division was Dylan Bowman (Aspen, Colo.) who finished in a time of at 17:18:59, Neal Gorman (Washington D.C.) rounding up the top three in a time of 17:48:51.

This year, 634 participated but only 347 finished the race before the 30 hour cut off. The Leadville Trail 100 run also marked the fifth and final Leadman and Leadwoman Challenge. Of the 68 that started the challenge, 25 men and women showed the world their athleticism to earn the esteemed title. Since July, each Challenge athlete has competed in the Leadville Trail Marathon, Leadville Silver Rush 50-Mile Mountain Bike Race or Silver Rush 50-Mile Trail Run Race, Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race, and Leadville 10K Run.

About the Leadville Race Series

Launched with 45 runners as the Leadville Trail 100 in 1983, the Leadville Race Series now consists of six running events and three mountain biking events. The Leadville Race Series hosts thousands of racers on foot and on mountain bike in some of the world’s most iconic events and environment. It begins each July with the Leadville Trail Marathon and Heavy Half Marathon events and concludes with the 12/24 Hours of Leadville MTB and Run in September. Endurance athletes worldwide now make the pilgrimage to Leadville, Colo., with the single goal of competing in a “Race Across the Sky.”

For all Leadville race results and more information, visit www.leadvilleraceseries.com.

News from stage one of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run

2011-08-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

As it had each of the four previous years, the fifth annual GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run started its six-day journey on Main Street in historic Buena Vista, Colorado. And, as it had each of the previous years, the group of runners leaving the start line had grown again and the 2011 start list was now three times as long as it had been in the first year of the run.

And they're off . . .

When the starter’s pistol went off at 9am sharp, 360 runners from 13 countries and over 20 states headed out under clear skies out for a 20.8 mile “warmup” to their TransRockies Run 6-day or RUN3 3-day run trek through the desert scenery and heat. While the starting elevation of 8,000 feet is still a shock to runners from sea level it’s a stepping stone to the next four days which will see runners above 10,000 feet for extended periods topping out at 12,000 feet above sea level at the highest point.

One of the great appeals of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run is the way it brings a kaleidoscope of runners of all ages, sizes and styles together for a celebration of trails. Weekend warriors get to rub shoulders with a group of elite runners which this year included champions and course record holders like Rickey Gates, Anna Frost, Justin Ricks, Max King, Dean Karnazes, Cynthia Arnold and many others.

The deep elite field meant that competition on Day 1 got off to a fierce start as teams gunning for top placings sought to lay down a marker and send a message to their competition. The sister team of Ashley and Cynthia Arnold (Team Trail Runner Magazine) lived up to their impressive resumes with first place on Stage 1 in the Open Women’s Division in 2:58:37 beating Brianna Torres and Jennifer McCarthy, one of the super-fast Flagstaff teams, into second place. The Canadian Arc’Teryx duo of Amy Golumbia and Roser Gerspacher came in just behind them grabbing the last spot on the first day’s podium.

Half of last year’s Open Men’s winning team Max King is back for another year with a new partner in former track All-American Ryan Bak as is half of last year’s second place team Jason Wolfe who stepped up to the start line with 2009 winner Mike Smith as his new partner. Stage one would be the first chance for these very experienced teams to measure each other and it would be Wolfe and Smith (Team Run Flagstaff) who took the win ahead of King and Bak (Team Bend). Both teams know that lots can happen in five more days but the early advantage has been taken.

Long time TransRockies Run supporter Salomon always brings a top group of athletes to the event and one team that everyone was looking at was the Open Mixed duo of Rickey Gates who’s been on a roll of great results this summer and Anna Frost who destroyed the field in the TransRockies RUN3 last year. They lived up to their billing with a dominant 12 ½ minute win in Stage 1. Look for these two to do amazing things all week.

The TransRockies Run also has three age-group categories which annually see great competition and congratulations go to Stage 1 Winners Team Salomon (Tim Menoher/Ross McMahon 80+Men), North Face Betties (Nikki Kimball/Tracy Garneau 80+ Women) and Katie and Jeff Caba in the 80+ Mixed Division. Watch for more coverage on this great racing as the week progresses.

Along with the team racing in the full GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run, the event also includes a solo 3-day race called RUN3 and last year’s men’s winner Justin Ricks has come back with the goal of a second-straight win. He moved a long way toward that goal with a super quick 2:27 run and a big gap over second-placed Brian Rusieki and third-placed Phil Villeneuve of Salomon, who was one of a number of runners who had run part of the Leadville 100 route the day before as a pacer. Haven’t they ever heard of resting before race day? In the women’s division, Deborah Davies followed Ricks’ example establishing a solid lead after one day of the RUN3.

So, Stage 1 is in the books and runners now know what’s in store for them as the week progresses. The character of the course and race changes dramatically on tomorrow’s stage as the route crosses over to the huge peaks on the West side of the Arkansas River Valley. While the stage is much shorter, it features a lung-busting climb to the top of the 12,540 foot Hope Pass and the technical descent on the other side. It’s a completely different challenge for the runners but one that will be rewarded with some amazing views of the surrounding peaks from high above the treeline.

For more information on the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run head to www.transrockies.com

Ryan Sandes wins debut 100 miler

2011-08-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

South African Ryan Sandes (pictured left with pacer Adam Chase, image by Martin Gafurri) made history this past weekend winning one of America's most iconic trail running events, the Leadville Trail 100, on his debut appearance. Having started the race as a top 10 favourite, Sandes ran consistently over the first 40 miles, having sat back to let early leaders Tim Parr, Ryan Burch and Dylan Bowman set the pace.

He was paced by fellow Salomon International team member Anna Frost, Salomon US team boss Adam Chase and Salomon Canada’s Phil Villeneuve, and looked strong having taken over 1st position as he began the ascent on Hope Pass. From there on in it was only Bowman who seemed a likely challenger, but through the final inbound check points of Fish Hatchery and May Queen, Sandes extended his lead to take the over-all victory in 16:46:56, the third fastest ever Leadville 100 time and almost 30 minutes over Bowman who finished 2nd.

A few minutes after finishing, Sandes commented " I was handed the South African flag and immediately there were tears in my eyes. I can't thank everyone enough for messages of encouragement and support."

For more results and news from the Leadville Trail 100 CLICK HERE...

Macia, Dobson triumph at Pikes Peak

2011-08-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday’s Pikes Peak Ascent, the fifth Skyrunner World Series race, was won by 29 year-old Mexican Mario Macias and Kim Dobson, both from Colorado. The five international skyrunners competing in the Series all made the top twenty.

The men’s winning time, 2h08’57”was the fifth fastest time to date. It was another Mexican however who came closer to beating Matt Carpenter’s 1993 course record: Ricardo Mejia, in 1995 with 2h05’04”.

Macia, a strong road runner, has dominated in mountain events before, but nothing like the 4,299m that towered above him Saturday. He started out as he meant to go on – in the lead, and powered to the summit seven minutes ahead of Tommy Manning , second in 2h15ì43” and forty-five year-old Simon Gutierrez,,a three-time Ascent winner, third in 2h10’15”.

Kim Dobson’s superlative winning time of 2h34’07” was only 36 seconds off the thirty-year-old women’s record by Lynn Bjorklund, finishing 14 minutes ahead of Cynthia Arnold, followed by Lisa Goldsmith, third.

World Series competitors, Italian Jean Pellissier, who flew in just in time for the race, was eighth and Spaniards, Laia Andreu 9th, Oscar Roig, 11th and Xavier Martinez 15th. The two brothers from Andorra, Oscar and Marc Casal Mir - who always run together - finished 14th and 19th respectively.

The Marathon du Montcalm in France, a World Series Trial held the same day, will also affect the general ranking. The race, representing the French Skyrunning Championships, was won by Michel Rabat and Stephanie Jimenez who consequently move up in the ranking.

With one more trial to go, the Series concludes in Italy with the gruelling Sentiero delle Grigne on September 18 where all competitors gain an extra 20% on their points and, finally, the men’s and women’s world champions, still open, will be crowned.

For more info head to www.skyrunning.com

Running with Elephants in the ADDO National Park

2011-08-19T02:01:00.000-07:00

With only 400 places on offer, here is an early warning not to miss out on the 2012 Addo Elephant Trail Runs!! Preparation done is the race half run, as they say, so grab an entry form, complete the entry process and make an elephant-sized note in your diary for Saturday 10th March 2012, when the 8th presentation of the 82km and 50km Addo Elephant Trail runs will take place!!!

Both events start at the parking area of the Lookout Restaurant at 06h00 on 10th March, taking you past the citrus orchards of Kirkwood and into the wild and scenic Addo Elephant National Park. The 50km run finishes at the picturesque Zuurberg Mountain Village, whilst the 82km finishes at the iconic Main Rest Camp, Addo Elephant National Park. Both runs will take you through dense riverine forests and up dry hillsides to the high ridgeline, through lush valleys, and across many streams. Wending your way along the jeep tracks and single trails, you will often see the spoor of other runners - kudu, duiker, eland, warthog, ostrich...plus the occasional takkie print! The trail will be clearly marked, but distractions will be many: stunning views, indigenous bush, glimpses of game and birdlife, and of course the camaraderie of the trail as the kilometres tick away.

At 8 -10km intervals you will also see welcoming refreshment stations, stocked with bottled water, energy drinks, cola, tea, coffee, soup, boiled potatoes, jam and peanut butter sandwiches, fruit, and sweets to help you on your way. However, you will not see sachets, styrofoam cups, or sweetie papers - you must take a drinking bottle or a water bladder for the helpers to fill for you, and leave your empty gels and wrappers at the water points. And of course, this being a wilderness run, safety is our first concern and your first responsibility - stay on the marked route at all times, carry a space blanket and a whistle, and pack a torch if you expect to be on the route after 18:00. Sweepers and marshals with radio comms will ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable run.

Your welcome at the finish line will be complemented by a quality (dare we say sought-after?) tee-shirt, and a memento of the event to remind you of this very special day.

There is plenty to do in the area before and after your run: take the family on a guided sundowner tour through the Park, or drive your own vehicle through the varied landscape, where buffalo, elephant and lion await. Visit nearby attractions such as floating restaurants, offshore whale and dolphin spotting, and hands-on African elephant experiences. Enjoy the weekend in comfort at Lookout Lodge, or Zuurberg Mountain Village, or take your choice of accommodation at the Park, from camping to luxury accommodation, or at one of the many well-appointed guest houses or B&B's in the area.

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to experience one of the Eastern Cape's finest wildlife areas at grassroots level and become part of the magic of Addo. We can virtually guarantee that if we see you once, we'll see you again!

For more detailed information, visit our website on www.extrememarathons.com or join us on Facebook to link up with other participants and get the latest news and views.

See you at the 2012 Addo Elephant Trail Run.

Wandering Fever currently filming in the USA

2011-08-19T01:39:00.000-07:00

Local Production Company, The African Attachment is currently filming what could be the final part of epic 3 year adventure. Based in the tiny mining town of Leadville Colorado, the film's Director Dean Leslie and cameraman Grant Appleton are filming Ryan Sandes' build up to his maiden 100mile race. The Leadville 100, billed the race across the sky sees over 800 competitors from all over the world compete in an out-and-back course over some of the toughest terrain the Colorado Rockies have to offer. The Leadville Trail 100 has one of the highest dropout rates in Ultra-Running with over half the field expected not to finish.

The film which began very humbly in the Namib Desert in 2009 has travelled with Ryan to some of the most demanding and remote parts of the world and by then end of this current trip in the USA and France it would have visited some of the wildest places on earth including Antarctica, The Amazon Jungle, The Atacama Desert, The Namib Desert, The Blue Mountains in Australia and the Colorado Rockies in the USA. It has followed him as his life has changed from the ordinary to the extra-ordinary and over the years the struggles with the film have become synonymous with Ryan's. Director, Dean Leslie reflects " Three years ago we entered into the unknown, chasing a wild and reckless dream. We have faced many challenges along the way but are proud to have remained true, honest and independent. The film has grown into a project that is much deeper than I ever expected. It uses Ryan's remarkable story to raise some important questions on how we live, where we have come from, and where we are going."

Filming Ryan's life, as it happened, over the last few years has been remarkable and for the filmmakers from The African Attachment is has been the project of a lifetime. Greg Fell describes it as follows "we got into the film industry to make movies and when you are presented with a story like this, you can't help but go with it and see where it takes you - it has been awesome to say the least and we are looking forward to getting stuck into the edit in the months to come".

Wandering Fever is a documentary film that explores one of the last purist sports in existence today. Through the remarkable story of Ryan Sandes and the simple act of running, it raises some important questions on how we live, where we have come from and where we are going.

The film is set for a late 2012 release.

Please visit our blog to see latest photos and write-ups of what's happening in the States: theafricanattachment.com/wordpress

Rupanga joins the Hammer ranks

2011-08-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

A budding star on the South African trail running scene, Zimbawean born Nicholas Rupanga, has recently joined the Hammer Nutrition sponsored athletes list.

"Hammer are proud and excited to welcome Nicholas Rupanga to our team, one which includes 4 Deserts Ultra Marathon champion Ryan Sandes" said Kevin Symington, Sales Manager of Hammer Nutrition South Africa.

Nicholas recently competed in the 2011 Featherbead Trail Challenge, part of the Pick & Pay Knysna Oyster Festival. In blustery and wet conditions, Nicholas ran both the long course (in the morning) and the short course later that afternoon, winning both races and smashing 2 minutes off the previous years record.

Hammer Nutrition is an established USA based company specialising in fuels and supplements for endurance athletes. The slogan 'Fuel right, Feel great' best sums up Hammer Nutrition's attitude to all their athletes both on and off the road.

For more information head www.hammernutrition.co.za

"America's Mountain" to host round five of the Skyrunner® World Series

2011-08-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

Round five of the Skyrunner® World Series heads for Colorado’s Pikes Peak Ascent on Saturday August 20 - a half marathon to the 4,299m summit of “America’s Mountain”. Favourites include World Series participants from Spain, Andorra and Italy aiming to chalk up ranking points before the final in Italy on September 18. Look out for Spaniards from the Catalan Team: Xavier Martinez, currently ranked 5th in the World Series; Oscar Roig, uphill specialist and a member of the Spanish ski-mountaineering team; Laia Andreu, ranked 3rd. Jordi Bes, recovering from pneumonia, has cancelled.

Italian skyrunner and accomplished ski-mountaineer, Jean Pellissier, has been racing and in training - despite a recent micro fracture in a foot and a broken collar bone earlier this year. Pellissier, with skyrunning legends Bruno Brunod and Fabio Meraldi set a record in 2000 on Mount Aconcagua, 6,962m (4h52’). In 2012 he is planning a second solitary record attempt on Mount McKinley after being forced to abandon the first attempt in 2008 due to adverse weather conditions. www.jeanpellissier.com

Andorran brothers Marc and Oscar Casal Mir are also aiming high and after a good season in the World Series races in Europe, expect to perform well, summitting among the top runners.

This steep fast race sees stiff competition from seasoned Americans including Ricky Gates (3rd last year) and Max King (fresh from the fourth round of the World Series in Sierre Zinal, Switzerland, where he placed 20th).

Last year’s surprise Ascent winner was 24 year-old Glenn Randall in 2h09’28”, leaving the long standing record set by Matt Carpenter in 1993, unscathed. Randall also excelled in the recent Sierre Zinal where he pulled off an excellent 8th competing with skyrunning icons Marco De Gasperi and Kilian Jornet. Randall will be staying over in Europe to compete and so will last year’s women’s winner, Brandy Erholtz who has been successfully competing in the Skyrunner® World Series. She is now ranked 13th after her 3rd place in the Dolomites SkyRace® in Italy and 14th in Sierre Zinal.

Saturday’s outcome will be closely followed on both sides of the pond. The Series concludes in Italy on September 18 putting the world’s best to the test with the gruelling Sentiero delle Grigne – 43 km with no less than 3,200 metres vertical climb!

For more info head to www.skyrunning.com

1000 Runners Lace up for the Legendary Leadville Trail 100

2011-08-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

Legends will be created and limits will be tested on Saturday August 20th as nearly 1,000 runners embark upon one of America's most grueling ultra-distance races in history, the Leadville Trail 100 Run. Entering its 29th year, the event will expose runners to the rugged Colorado Rockies as they attempt to finish the race in 30 hours or less.

Beginning and ending in the heart of Leadville, Colo., located 100 miles west of Denver, participants from 45 states and 10 countries will race on a demanding 103-mile out-and-back course with descents ranging from 9,200 feet to 12,612 feet.

This year's event includes a strong field of competitors including 2010 Leadville Trail 100 Run Champions Elizabeth Howard and Duncan Callahan. Both will be joined this year by some of the most elite ultra-distance runners in the world, including: Lynette Clemons, Stephanie Jones, Ryan Sandes, Barefoot Ted, and Micah True.

"Since 1983, when only 113 racers toed the start line, the Leadville Trail 100 Run has been a true test in determination and spirit for ultra-distance runners of all abilities," said Kenneth Cooper, vice president of Life Time Fitness Athletic and Endurance events. "For nearly three decades this legendary race has proven that, as tough as the journey may be, there are no insurmountable obstacles. We're looking forward to continuing this 'must-do' for every serious runner for decades to come."

The race begins at 4:00 a.m. MT at the corner of Sixth Street and Harrison Avenue in Leadville, and marks the fifth and final challenge for the 48 athletes still eligible for the Leadman and Leadwoman Challenge. Since July, each Challenge athlete has competed in the Leadville Trail Marathon, Leadville Silver Rush 50-Mile Mountain Bike Race or Silver Rush 50-Mile Trail Run Race, Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race, and Leadville 10K Run. For more information visit www.leadvilleraceseries.com.

About the Leadville Race Series

Launched with 45 runners as the Leadville Trail 100 in 1983, the Leadville Race Series now consists of six running events and three mountain biking events. The Leadville Race Series hosts thousands of racers on foot and on mountain bike in some of the world's most iconic events and environment. It begins each July with the Leadville Trail Marathon and Heavy Half Marathon events and concludes with the 12/24 Hours of Leadville MTB and Run in September. Endurance athletes worldwide now make the pilgrimage to Leadville, Colo., with the single goal of competing in a "Race Across the Sky."

For more information, visit www.leadvilleraceseries.com

World's elite mountain runners to host trail seminar in South Africa

2011-08-17T02:21:00.000-07:00

Compiled and issued by Jazz Kuschke Media on behalf of Salomon Sports.

Some of the world’s most successful trail runners will visit South Africa in September. Kilian Jornet and Anna Frost will join South African Salomon teammates, Ryan Sandes, Cas Van Aardenne, Linda Doke and Hanlie Booyens as well as key international and local Salomon staff for a mountain-running seminar tour of SA.

Seminars are scheduled to take place in Gauteng (11 September), Durban (13 September) and Cape Town (15 September).

Salomon sees itself as ‘the mountain sport company’ and is dedicated to the global growth and improvement of trail running. “If the rapid growth in participation; and the wide variety of events on the calendar is any indication,” explains Salomon South Africa’s Brand Manager, Lee Besnard. “Trail running is poised to explode in South Africa. This trip is an opportunity for the international team to share their incredible talent, experience and expertise with the local trail running community,” he said.

SEMINAR SPECIFICS
In this vein, topics will include:

- Technical insights into the use of compression and other performance garments (by one of the company’s international R&D experts).

- The company’s sports marketing strategy (by Greg Vollet – Salomon’s Global Outdoor Sports & Community Marketing Manager).

- Talks by the athletes on their racing and training experiences, notably including Anna Frost, Ryan Sandes and Kilian Jornet.

- Talks by experts on topics ranging from podiatry to physiotherapy and recovery.

Of course the latest designs in Salomon trail footwear will also be on show and guests will be able to test and feedback on new models. Salomon values all feedback and uses input from a broad-spectrum of athletes (from elite racers to trail newbies) to continuously evolve their products and help drive the progression of the sport.

See the Salomon SA Facebook page for details on how to secure your spot at the seminar. Seats are limited!

THE TEAM

New Zealander Anna Frost has enjoyed a spectacular 2011, with wins at the Motatapu Off Road Marathon, the gruelling 6-Foot Track Marathon in Australia’s Blue Mountains and the prestigious Salomon 4Trails race in Germany.

Sandes, the winner of all four Desert Marathons, has shifted his focus from stage-racing to the big mileage one-day events. He will chat about his meteoric rise in the trail-running world, but specifically about his experiences at the Leadville 100 miler (taking place this weekend 20 August, in Colorado). “I’m hoping local runners will be inspired by the International team being here and that it (the seminar) will help grow the sport,” Sandes said from Colorado where he’s been training and acclimatising for the past three weeks. “It’s not every day you get to run with the likes of Kilian Jornet and Jonathan Wyatt (two-time Olympian who will also travel with the team). Check out www.ryansandes.com for more.

Killian Jornet (pictured left running the recent TNF100 in Australia) is arguably the most prolific and successful trail runner in the world. The diminutive Spaniard is twice winner of the North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc was Skyrunning 2010 World Champion. But he is perhaps better known for his ‘Kilian's Quest’ world records of Kilimanjaro and others (check out www.salomonrunning.com for more)

TABLE MOUNTIAN CHALLENGE

The International Salomon team’s South African tour will culminate in them competing in the Crazy Story Table Mountain Challenge on 18 September. This 35-kilometre race around Cape Town’s iconic mountain is one of the premier trail events on the SA running calendar. No doubt the mainstay will be the Sandes/Jornet dual. “Kilian only races one way and that’s to win,” said Sandes. “He’s had an awesome year and won just about everything he’s entered. But I also love winning and this is my home mountain...”

“I may need some help from some of my Cape cobra and puffadder friends though,” he joked. “Kilian’s often told me how he hates snakes. My advice: if he runs slowly the snakes won't be a problem.”

De Gasperi & Kortazar, winners at the 4th round of the Skyrunner® World Series

2011-08-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

A triumphant win for Marco De Gasperi in the fourth round of the Skyrunner® World Series on the fast Sierre-Zinal course today, shaving 32” off his best performance to cross the finish in 2h30’18” . Portugal’s Cesar Costa was second in 2h31’20” and Spain’s Kilian Jornet third in 2h34’15” and Luis Hernandez, fourth. He now moves up to lead the world ranking. Last year’s world champion Tofol Castañer, recovering from injury, took a satisfactory 7th.

Spain’s Oihana Kortazar shows just how it’s done closing in 3h11’24”. She now takes over the World Series ranking lead from Emanuela Brizio, absent due to illness. Second and third were French runners Aline Camboulive and Celine Lafaye respectively. Last year’s winner, American Megan Lund was fourth and rising star, Zhanna Vokueva from Russia, fifth.

Costa led the men’s race for the first 12 km, with De Gasperi and Jornet hot on his heels. De Gasperi closed in on Costa on the last stretch of the ascent, trailing him a tight ten seconds behind, while Jornet was at a safe three minute distance. There was no stopping De Gasperi who increased his advantage to close comfortably more than two minutes ahead of Costa.

The same strategy was adopted in the women’s race with France’s Aline Camboulive in the lead up to the 12 km mark followed by Megan Lund a minute behind. Oihana Kortazar, nearly three minutes from the leader, confidently moved in and overtook her rival, gaining almost six minutes advantage to close a good two minutes ahead of Camboulive.

In what was probably the highest number of top international runners to date, it made for an extremely competitive atmosphere over the 31km course and 2,200m vertical ascent. Today’s race celebrated an all-time record turn-out in 38 years of activity with 3,315 participants from 20 countries.

The rich American field included long distance runners Nick Clark (36th) , Max King (20th) and Glen Randall, who finished a very respectable 8th in 2h45’34”.

The Skyrunner® World Series moves on to the 4,299m summit of the Pikes Peak Ascent on August 20th in Colorado, with 21 km of high altitude uphill thrills. The Series that pits the world’s greatest mountain runners against each other, concludes with the gruelling Sentiero delle Grigne on September 18th in Italy.

For more news and info head to www.skyrunning.com

Final showdown in the Cape Winter Trail Series Championship

2011-08-13T02:20:00.000-07:00

The sound of a quarter pound cannon will once again start the battle in the final race in this year’s Cape Winter Trail Series Championship, sponsored by adidas. The final stage is set in the magnificent Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve in and around the beautiful coastal town of Kleinmond.

With three out of the four races counting to the final Championship score, there are a few battles that are yet to be settled out there which will make for some interesting racing on Saturday morning.

Championship

At the sharp end of the Championship, it’s a 1st and 2nd done deal for the rampant Bernard Rukadza and chasing Tsungai Mwanengeni. Morne van Greenen can still however take third from Nicholas Rupanga, who has yet to really get going in this year’s Championship.

In the ladies open Championship, it’s an all out battle for top spot with Marie Wessels currently holding on to a one point advantage going into the final race. This final course however suits the strengths of Candice Davison so the opportunity is still there for her to take the Championship from Wessels.

In the veterans race Derek Oehley and Eckhardt Visser are tie on points going into the final race, ensuring whoever takes the win on Saturday will take the Championship. The veteran ladies is however all but sown up, with Tanya Templeton taking charge at the front with two 1st and a 2nd. Joanie Wylie follows three points behind, and Louise Kitson a further two points adrift in third.

At the front of the masters, Ludwig Lillie and Neil Hermann have been battling it out, with Ludwig having the edge on Neil on two of the three races that have taken place so far. One point is all that separates these two going into the final charge, leaving Neil to do all the work on Sat to secure the Masters Championship.
The familiar face of Susan Bracher leads the masters ladies Championship with three straight wins in a row. Jenny O’Hanlon is in second, with Tissa Fuchsloch one point adrift of Jenny.

For more info as well as current championship results, head to www.trailseries.co.za

2011 Hi-TEC Puffer set to see some hot running

2011-08-13T02:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday 27th August sees the latest running of the grand daddy of trail running in the Cape, the Hi-Tec Peninsula Ultra Fun Run, or PUFfeR to its participants and followers.

The men’s race this year is wide open! With no Ryan Sandes or Will Robinson, a new name will be added to the role of honour. Derrick Baard and Rupert Becker have both taken to trail running like ducks to water albeit over shorter distances. Both are much improved and have a great chance to claim the men’s crown. Hi-Tec sponsored Nic de Beer finished 2nd last year when living in Joburg. Now CT based, he has been training on the route with women’s champion Karoline Hanks, and won’t make the route errors he made last year. He is the class (road) act in the field with a 6.12 comrades to his name (2010) and a 3.35 two oceans earlier this year. PUFfeR has been his goal since last year’s race. He had an easy run at the Hout Bay Trail Challenge, and provided he tapers well, must start favourite. Ryan Sandes record of 6.57 might be out of sight, but a sub 7.30 looks a real possibility.

In the women’s race it looks a straight shoot out between last year’s winner Karoline Hanks (pictured right, photo by Jacques Marais) and improving Melany Porter. Karoline had 10 minutes to spare over Melany at the recent Hout Bay Trail Challenge and over this longer distance the odds will be that Karoline will come out tops again. Last year’s 2nd and 3rd Tatum Prins and Robyn Woodward are not present so the 3rd place on the podium is up for grabs. The experienced Sue Ullyett and the effervescent Miranda Symons could find themselves on the podium with a good run.

For more information head to www.puffer.fishhoekac.com

The 2nd Edition of the Commonwealth Championships

2011-08-11T01:22:00.000-07:00

Courtesy: Commonwealth MUD Championships

The 2nd annual Commonwealth Mountain and Ultra-distance Championships will be held from the 23rd to the 25th of August in three spectacular north-west Wales locations – Llandudno, Llanberis (Snowdon) and Newborough Forest, Anglesey, with 19 already confirmed countries taking part.

As part of the festival of sport happening over the 3 days, the inaugural Commonwealth Ultra-Trail Running Championships will take place in the beautiful Newborough Forest on the Isle of Anglesey on Thursday the 25th of August. A race of 55km for men and women will test the skills of trail runners and ultra distance athletes alike.

The Commonwealth has a long tradition of ultra distance running (defined as distances beyond the marathon distance of 42.2 km), and competitors will battle it out over a 5-lap course that will take in Newborough’s singletrack trails, fire roads and the beautiful habitat of Llanddwyn sands. The race will start at 10.45am with top runners expected to complete the course in 3 hours 30 minutes.

Read more about it at www.cmudc2011.org/en/