Skyrunner - 2005 Champions Decided on Kinabalu

News Release / 06.10.2005

The Buff Skyrunner World Series spans seven races and three continents, and more than 3,000 athletes from 22 nations took part this year. The 2005 series concluded on Sunday, October 2nd and saw Briton Rob Jebb of the Saab Salomon Adventure Running team, and French woman Corinne Favre, crowned World Champions in the final race.

This was the 19th Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and the winners were Ricardo Mejia from Mexico and Anna Pichtrova from the Czech Republic, who was also last year’s winner.

The World Series final represents the steepest race of the circuit with a vertical climb of 2,300m to Mount Kinabalu’s summit at 4,095m. The 21 km round trip winds along jungle paths, steep steps and slippery rock faces – a demanding, competitive course even for the world’s top mountain runners.

The men’s race was a thrill from the start with a group led by the Mexican, Italians Fulvio Dapit and Jean Pellissier, and the Venezuelan, Guillen Neido, followed by Rob Jebb. Dapit held the lead for a good part of the ascent, while Jebb lost ground, risking his almost certain title if Dapit had won the race. However, Mejia gained 9 minutes on the final ascent, making any attack impossible, and won the race in 2h41’51”. Dapit closed in 2h48’18”, followed by Pellissier, in 2h49’57”.

The world title is assigned on the sum of the four best races out of seven, so Jebb confirmed his leadership with 366 points, followed by fellow Briton, Simon Booth with 352 and Fulvio Dapit finished third with 328.

The women’s race was dominated by last year’s winner, Anna Pichtrova, summiting with 7 minutes advantage over Favre, who, with her five victories in the Series, could relax. Pichtrova, an Olympic marathoner in Athens and Helsinki, crossed the finish in 3h13’25”. Favre finished in 3h29’08”, followed in third place by Venezuelan runner, Cruz Salazar in 3h42’19”.

Favre, skyrunning world champion in 1998, regained her title with 400 points, followed by Emanuela Brizio from Italy, 354 points, and Spain’s Ester Hernandez with 328 points.

Catalonia won the team category with a total of 1,538 points, thanks to the team’s consistent top places. Second were Italy’s IZ-Sky Racing team with 1,325 points and third, Britain’s SAAB-SALOMON team with 1,321 points.

For full details see www.buffskyrunner.com.