Bolzano, 17 May 2021 - The organizers of the extreme mountain run along the horseshoe shaped Hufeisen tour in the Sarntal Alps defy the Corona pandemic. While the two longer distances (121 and 69 km) have to be cancelled for safety reasons, on Saturday 28 August the Südtirol Sky Marathon (44.5km/2863 metres altitude differential) on the original route and the Südtirol Sky Trail (27km/1800 metres altitude differential) with a reverse route will take place as planned. 

The Südtirol Ultra Skyrace can last a maximum of 40 hours; during the Südtirol Skyrace the participants can be running for almost a whole day. These times make it impossible for the athletes and their many helpers to ensure maximum safety during a pandemic: whether it's a matter of provisioning, accommodating the athletes at night or when the weather breaks, or in the event of an evacuation in case of storms.

“In the past few weeks, we, the organising committee, have had many talks and discussed the topic in depth. At the end, almost all arguments supported the cancellation of the two longer distances - also because we cannot offer the Ultra Skyrace and the Skyrace at their usual quality, and because we still don’t know whether and how many participants from abroad, who make up a very large proportion of the long distances, will be able to take part. For this reason, we will focus on the two shorter races on Saturday, 28 August and on giving the trail athletes an unforgettable mountain adventure in the Sarntal Alps," Chair of the Organising Committee Josef Günther Mair said.


Changes to the marathon distance necessary after rockfall at Eberle

The Südtirol Sky Marathon (44.5 km/2863 m altitude differential) can be run - with one small, insignificant change - on the original route from Bolzano via Renon and Forcella di Sarentino to Chiesetta del Morto and from there down towards Sarentino to the finish line. Because the initial section of the Oswald Promenade has been closed since the beginning of January following the rockfall at Hotel Eberle, the route in this area will be relocated to trail number 2. This means that the route will be approximately 2.5 km longer. 

Regarding the Südtirol Sky Trail, however, the route will be reversed in this special year. The participants also start on the Bolzano Prati del Talvera, then run from there up to San Genesio and across Salto, past Alp Möltner Kaser and the Omini di Sasso and finally from Prati down to Sarentino through the finish. "For the runners, this means that they have to complete around 800 more metres altitude differential than on the original route. On the other hand, the steeply descending final section is omitted," Josef Günther Mair commented.


Due to the pandemic, an additional safety concept is required

Due to the Corona pandemic, an additional safety concept has been developed for the special edition of the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace. Its details will be refined in the coming weeks. Because of possible relaxations in the coming weeks due to the decreasing infections and the increasing vaccination rates, the organisers of the ASV Südtirol Ultra Skyrace are still not announcing final plans in this regard. The participants will be informed of the safety measures in good time. 

All participants who have already registered for the long distances can change their entry to one of the two short races free of charge and with a refund of the difference or credit for 2022. Otherwise, the amount will be credited the 2022 edition of the Südtirol Ultra Skyrace. Registrations for the Südtirol Sky Marathon (entry fee 70 euros) and the Südtirol Sky Trail (entry fee 50 euros) can be made on the official event website www.suedtirol-ultraskyrace.it.

Foto: Harald Wisthaler