Trail of the month: June
With so much happening this June, when some of the biggest races with outstanding athletes trail running is going stronger than ever. Trail running is going stronger than ever as can be seen from the month of June when all over the world, high level athletes took part in some of the biggest races.
From the Western States 100 in the United States via the Lavaredo Ultra Trail in Italy and then on to Nepal with the Sindhupalchowk trail race, swinging by the Mozart 100 in Austria and finally last but not least on to the Mont Blanc Marathon. Watching the races was pure entertainment. Read a review of the races where the best athletes gathered together for the pleasure of sharing unforgettable moments in the heart of breathtaking scenery.
The Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run: United States
The Western States ® 100-Mile Endurance Run is one of the world’s oldest 100-mile trail race. Starting in Squaw Valley, California, not far from where the 1960 Winter Olympics were held, and finishing 100.2 miles further away in Auburn, California, the Western States race, in the decades since its inception in 1974, has come to represent one of the hardest endurance tests in the world.
Kicking off on June 24th the race offered its usual incredible route through spectacular Californian landscapes. This year the runners ran 161.6 km with 5,370m of positive elevation and 6,890m of negative elevation in temperatures averaging 40°C. Not only were they challenged by high temperatures, but they also had to finish in less than 30 hours to earn 6 new ITRA points.
This year, the American, Jim Wamsley, (ITRA Performance Index 951) won hands down, with an all-time record of 14:30:04. UTMB Champion in 2017, François D’Haene (ITRA PI 916), from France, came second with 15:54:53, followed by the American Mark Hammond (ITRA PI 836) with 16:08:59. On the women's side, two Americans stood first and second on the podium, with Courtney Dauwalter (ITRA PI 781) completing the race in 17:27:00, and Kaytlyn Gerbin (ITRA PI 719) in 18:40:19, followed by the Australian Lucy Bartholomew who finished the race in 18:59:45.
Sindhupalchowk : Nepal
Sindhupalchowk International Trail Race took place on June 23rd, 2018 in Thulo Sirubari, a small village in central Nepal. For its 4th edition, this 48.1 km-long, technical race totalled 4,090m of elevation gain and 4,340m of elevation loss with a bonus of 3 ITRA points awarded to all finishers. Trail enthusiasts were able to partake in another shorter but equally technical race, this time 26 km long and with an elevation gain of 2,600m.
In the heart of Nepal, these two races featured a variety of landscapes typical of this country, with ridges to climb and breathtaking panoramic views of the Himalayas to admire. The participants discovered rice fields, river beds, typical Himalayan bridges... The race offered the possibility of discovering small hamlets in the local architectural style, allowing their inhabitants to come out and cheer on the participants. What else did this race have to offer? All profits from these two races are directly donated to the local communities of the Sindupachlok district This year the organizers were delighted to have more than one hundred runners of so many different nationalities, thereby enhancing the cultural magic of the event.
The results will be coming soon:
The North Face® Lavaredo Ultra Trail : Italy
The North Face® Lavaredo Ultra Trail starts from the center of Cortina d'Ampezzo, Corso Italia, with hundreds of headlamps that guide the athletes in their first few miles of running at night.
They come from all over the world for this incredible race that embraces the most spectacular places of the Dolomites: the Cristallo, the Tofane, Cinque Torri, and of course the Tre Cime.
The North Face® Lavaredo UItra Trail from the Ultra Trail® World Tour Challenge, is also a QUARTZ Event. The association Athletes For Transparancy (AFT), the foundation Ultra Sports Science (USS) and ITRA were present at the event to conduct tests and samples from the top 10 men and women of each team.
Pierre Sallet (AFT) and Meghan Detourbet (ITRA) with the athletes during the Health Policy.
This year, the level of the athletes was still very high. On the men's side it is the American Hayden Hawks with an ITRA Performance Index of 921 who won with a time of 12:16:20, ahead of the Spanish Pau Capell (PI ITRA 913) second with 12:20:22 and the American Tim Tollefson (PI ITRA 905) third with 12:44:44. On the women’s side it is the American Kelly Wolf (PI ITRA 760) who won with 14:37:00 in front of the Chinese Miao Yao (PI ITRA 768)
This year, the level of the athletes was still very high. On the men's side it is the American Hayden Hawks with an ITRA Performance Index of 921 who won with a time of 12:16:20, ahead of the Spanish Pau Capell (PI ITRA 913) second with 12:20:22 and the American Tim Tollefson (PI ITRA 905) third with 12:44:44. On the women’s side it is the American Kelly Wolf (PI ITRA 760) who won with 14:37:00 in front of the Chinese Miao Yao (PI ITRA 768)
second with 14:52:04 and the Swiss Kathrin Götz (PI ITRA 729) with 15:03:04.
The Cortina Trail of 47.9 km with 2,630m D + and 2,630m Dis another race of the event; again, there was an amazing selection of athletes. The American Zach Miller (IP ITRA 906) won first place with 4:20:24, followed by the two Italians Stefano Rinaldi (IP ITRA 839) second with 4:27:03 and Christian Modena (IP ITRA 825) third with 4:53:31. On the women’s side, it is the American Hillary Allen (IP ITRA 735) who wion the first place with 5:19:20 followed by the Hungarian Irén Tiricz (IP ITRA 652) second with 5:23:11 and the Polish Anna Kacka (IP ITRA 652) third with 5:37:23.
Results can be viewed at : https://itra.run/page/328/Results.html
The Mozart 100 : Austria
The Mozart 100 took place on June 16th in Salzburg, Austria. Nicknamed "The Salt Castle", the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Famous for having witnessed the birth of Mozart here, this Austrian city bordering Germany is also known for its beautiful natural landscapes.The Mozart 100 offers 6 different races so that each athlete can find his ideal race. 5 of them
are evaluated by the ITRA.
- The Mozart 100®: 105.2km with 4,510m D+ and 4,520m D- => 5 ITRA points.
- The Mozart Ultra: 63km with 2,120m D+ and 2,120m D- => 3 points ITRA.
- The Mozart Marathon: 42.7 km with 1,590m D+ and 1.590 D- => 2 points ITRA.
- The Mozart Light: 31.1km with 1,050m D+ and 1,280m D- => 2 points ITRA.
- The Mozart Half Marathon: 20.7km with 700m D+ and 1,010m D- => 1 ITRA point.
The Mozart 100® is part of the Ultra Trail® World Tour circuit and applies the ITRA Health Policy with the QUARTZ Event Program. The top 5 men and women were followed to protect the runners' health and to contribute to a doping-free sport.
The Mozart 100® was won by the Austrian Florien Grasel (ITRA Performance Index: 811) in 10:26:36, followed by the British Damian Hall (ITRA PI 814) second in 10:29:45 and the Italian Alexander Rabensteiner (ITRA PI 830) third in 10:32:44. In the women's category, the Austrian Martina Trimmel (ITRA Performance Index 694) wins first place in 11:57:50, followed by the British Sarah Morwood (ITRA PI 675) second in 12:12:03 and the Austrian Veronika Limberger (IP ITRA 690) third in 12:21:20.
Results can be viewed at: https://itra.run/page/328/Results.html
Marathon du Mont Blanc: France
This year the Marathon du Blanc celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Cross and participated in the iconic 42km Mont Blanc race in the Golden Trail Series challenge sponsored by Salomon. This competition is made up of 5 short-distance trail races around the globe bringing together the best athletes in the world. For the second stage of this Golden Trail Series, the 42km event of the Mont Blanc Marathon has brought to the fore a list of exceptional athletes (more than a dozen racers are over 900 ITRA Performance Index). Among them is the famous Spaniard Kilian Jornet (ITRA PI 926), back after his injury, who won first place with 03:54:54 in front of the Swiss Marc Lauenstein (ITRA PI 906) with 03:58:15 and the Norwegian Stian Angermund-Vik (ITRA PI 915) who completed there race in 04:00:07. On the women's side, it is the New Zealand's Ruth Croft (ITRA IP 789) who won first place in 04:37:30 in front of the Swedish Ida Nilsson who arrived just behind in 04:39:37 followed by Spanish Eli Gordon (ITRA PI 742) who took 04:41:01.
Salomon with The Golden Trail Series sponsors the QUARTZ Program the aim of which is to protect the health of runners and to ensure this sport remains dope-free. ITRA, the association Athletes For Transparancy (AFT) and the foundation Ultra Sports Science (USS) teams tested about 20 athletes who participated in the 42km Mont Blanc, and who were found to have the best ITRA Performance Index
The athletes during the Health Policy organized by AFT and ITRA.
Six other races were organized during this weekend including the famous 90km-race with its 6,220m positive and negative elevation gain. This race allowed the finishers to win 5 ITRA points. This year again the big names of the trail pushed their limit even further. On the men's side, Sylvain Court (ITRA PI 880) from France, won first place finishing in 11:23:48. The Eleven in the Scratch and 1st in the women’s race is the Swedish Mimmi Kotka (ITRA PI 782) who won in only 12:09:45. The 23km of Mont Blanc with 1,680m of elevation gain and 670m of negative elevation awarded 2 ITRA points and the 10km of Mont Blanc with 330m of elevation gain offered the opportunity to all runners to discover the trails of Mont Blanc and the riches of this iconic valley..
The rusults will be coming soon.
Six other races were organized during this weekend including the famous 90km-race with its 6,220m positive and negative elevation gain. This race allowed the finishers to win 5 ITRA points. This year again the big names of the trail pushed their limit even further. On the men's side, Sylvain Court (ITRA PI 880) from France, won first place finishing in 11:23:48. The Eleven in the Scratch and 1st in the women’s race is the Swedish Mimmi Kotka (ITRA PI 782) who won in only 12:09:45. The 23km of Mont Blanc with 1,680m of elevation gain and 670m of negative elevation awarded 2 ITRA points and the 10km of Mont Blanc with 330m of elevation gain offered the opportunity to all runners to discover the trails of Mont Blanc and the riches of this iconic valley..
The rusults will be coming soon.