Gore-Tex Transalpine-Run
Across the High Divide in a Hurry
News Release / 07.09.2010
Today was not the day to hang back and enjoy the vistas. The racers awoke to a slight drizzle and the rain and overcast conditions continued throughout the day. The stage turned out to provide quite a few other challenges but also some distinct highlights.
Next to the weather, the biggest trial of the day was certainly Birnlücke Pass (2,667m), the highest elevation the racers have to negotiate during the 2010 race. Significant snow banks in the high alpine arguably made it pretty rough going today. On the bright side, the racers had a chance to claim yet another marathon on their resumé as today’s distance covered just over 43 kilometers – not counting the 1,967 meters of climb. Other news race participants rejoiced in was reaching the halfway point of the competition as they passed within a mere stone’s throw of the Prettau Kees Glacier. There are only four more stages to go and the race seems more manageable to most at this point.
British racers Andrew Symonds and Tom Owens (TEAM SALOMON TRAIL MEN) certainly seem to manage the race quite well at this point. For the fourth consecutive day, they were able to ditch the competition arriving at the finish line after a mere 04:14.22 hours. However, Matthias Dippacher and Christian Stork of ORTHOMOL SPORT TEAM were not to be outdone by the knee-deep snow either.
The two Germans arrived 18 minutes after the leaders with a time of 04:32.22, handily claiming second place. Alaskans Brenton Knight and Brandon Newbould (TEAM SKINNY RAVEN, 04:34.28) also seem to enjoy the flower ceremony associated with podium positions as they have consistently run to third place to date. As such, today’s performances didn’t change the overall ranking in the Men’s category.
<b>Masters Leaders enjoy fresh set of leader jerseys each day</b>
New jerseys every day – that’s better than laundry service and something to get used to! The fourth fastest time across the High Divide and, thus, first place in the Masters category, was claimed once again by Dr. Thomas Miksch and Anton Philipp (BLT LAUFSPORT SAUKEL-HAGLÖFS, 04:35.46) who seem quite at ease by now with an overall two-hour-plus lead over their immediate competition. So much so, that they felt comfortable granting an interview even before reaching the finish line in Prettau. Thomas shared that “the first 28 kilometers were hard. I had to lead a lot on account of headwinds, snow and foggy conditions. But we love this stuff and look forward to the remaining four stagesâ€?.
SleepMonsters
