Salomon Zugspitz Ultratrail
Michael Arend und Simona Morbelli rule the SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL
Press Release / 23.06.2015
Ultra races - by definition - are designed to take you beyond your boundaries. But if the weather turns bad on top of the athletic bid, even the most intrepid will learn a thing or two about limits – the physical, the mental and their gear. The 2015 SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL did just that - it was a staggeringly tough race! All the more power to Michael Arend (GER) and Simona Morbelli (ITA) who were first in their respective categories (Men / Women) this year to complete the full circumnavigation of the Zugspitze Massif on the German-Austrian border.
Calling conditions merely 'inclement' would have been blatantly euphemistic given the incessant drizzle interrupted only by downpours of rain throughout much of the race. Temperatures that barely broke into the double digits even at the height of the day adding to the insult on what were the summer's longest days. Now picture gusting winds at elevation and you get a real appreciation for the athletic acomplishments of all who braved the elements, ahead of all others: Michael Arend (09:44:08 hrs) and Simona Morbelli (11:11:15 hrs).
Course crew certainly went into overdrive to come to terms with a cold front that dumped copious amounts of slushy snow at high elevation and ultimately forced race organizers to redirect the racers to low-altitude trail alternatives. At some point, snow and limited visibilty simply would have spelled too much of a risk for runners and trailside personnel in the context of what was going to be an overnight event for most participants anyway. Staying out of harm's way by avoiding the alpine certainly didn't seem to affect the tune of the race and finish line vibes.
Given all limitations it had seemed surprising that just about 2,000 enthusiastic athletes from 50 nations lined up at the different start venues spread around the perimeter of the mountain massif. Even more astonishing that only a few of them would end up regretting their decision and toughed it out over the course of the day and teh ensuing night. Most may not have raced the times they had hoped for but it certainly turned out to be an experience to write home about.
Michael Arend would have done so right away after his victorious arrival at the finish line in Grainau: „That was simply incredible. I secretely had been hoping for a position among the top five but ending up first took me entirely by surprise“. The Bavarian athlete from nearby Kempten (GER) knew about the strengths on the downhill of fellow favorite racers, especially Benjamin Bublak of Berlin (GER) who kept nipping at Arend's heels through the race. Testimony to the constant threats were Arend's bloodies knees owing to spills he repeatedly took on punishingly-slippery descents to stay ahead.
So, the 33-year-old winner resorted to aggressively playing out his own prowess. He upped the ante on the uphills again and again to put some distance between him and the small posse following him closely. He gave all he had on the final climb which cinched victory and gained him 6 and 11 minutes on his two closest competitors, respectively (B. Bublak,GER, and Bernard Lussis, FRA).
Bublak, on the other hand, put on a sensational performance in his own right - deserving of second-place. The Berlin-native attributed his extraordinary race improvement from last year to a recent move to Innsbruck, Austria, a location which would seem to offer unlimited opportunities for steep mountain training sessions. Bernard Lussis to whom the French Vosges Mtns. are home proved with third place overall that just as anywhere else it 's all about location, location, location.
Italian Simona Morbelli ruled the Women (category). After ceding a sure-bet victory last year on account of loosing the trail literally a handful of kilometers from the finish, the Italian returned this year to settle unfinished business once and for all. The fatigued but overjoyed winner shared in her finish line interview: „I was really upset for a whole year. So I decided to come back to prove that I can win on this course“. Second place went to British racer Sophie Grant (11:59.11) who managed to arrive ahead of Helene Ogi (SUI, 12:12.16).
While the Ultratrail course clearly had been all about distance and pacing oneself just right over the course of the day, it was brute speed that defined the short Basetrail race between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Grainau. The Men's podium was dominated by three German competitors with Markus Mingo taking first place (1:47:02.1). Benedikt Abel ran to second position on this shortest of five courses in the event, while Marius Förster claimed third place (1:53:38.6). Among the women it was Sabine Wallner (GER), a competitive XC skier of repute, who proved victorious in her second trail-running race ever. She was joined on the podium by her fellow Germans Christin Hopf (2:29.10) and Marie Meixner (2:30.07).
Victory on the the Basetrail XL was claimed by Swiss racer Walter Manser who relegated favorite Lukas Sörgel to second place. While the Helvetic got along just fine with the treacherous trail conditions his German pursuer seemed displeased with the the shortened trail itinerary from which the alpine course section had been trimmed due to weather. Sörgel commented on his experience on the trail. „At some point towards the end the race it became somewhat confusing. Regardless, I'm satisfied especially in view of my preparatory efforts for the SALOMON 4 TRAILS“. Kirill Rusin of Novosibirsk (RUS) was rewarded with third place for his efforts during 2:41.41 hours on the trail.
Tina Fischl (GER) shone with a repeat performance of last year's victory on the Basetrail XL course, which she completed in 03:06.16 hours - ahead of Emöke Pàal.
The latter may have arrived in second place in the women's category but on account of her age managed to claim also first place among the Master Women with her formidable time of 03:21.55 hours. Third place went to Anke Friedl (3:30.18 hrs), the current German Trail Runnning Champion of her age actegory, who was relieved not to have taken any spills on the treacherous technical downhill sections of the course.
The Supertrail (Leutasch-Grainau) course was dominated by a small posse of four racers for the longest time. It wasn't until the race's last punishing climb that Christoph Lauterbach (GER) mercilessly upped the pace forcing the others to drop off one-by-one. His victorious time ended up 05:15:54.5 hours - which translated into a lead of more than 20 minutes on Lauterbach's closest pursuers, Tim Wortmann (GER, 05:41:22.6) and Matthias Baur (GER, 5:42:14.1). The latter stuck together pretty much to the finish and claimed podium positions as an apt reward for their tenacity. Impressed by Lauterbach's pace towards the end, the two had to admit defeat „as his speed was simply too high even on the shortened course“.
Alexandra Raddatz (GER) won on the Supertrail course among the Women. A tried and tested triathlete, Raddatz had considered withdrawing from participating in the race early Saturday morning due to the foul weather but ultimately convinced herself that it would be good experience for her upcoming participation in the GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE RUN. After 06:41:17.6 hours on the trail Raddatz claimed victory and was happy to have pulled through ahead of her closest pursuers, Magdalena Martini (6:58,59) and Rebekka Baldauf (7:04,31), resp. „I felt like being in the Tough Mudder“ (ed. a British race event known for its trademark mucky trail conditions). The winner admitted to being humbled by the tricky snowy trail sections in the first third of the race. „That was too ambitious for my liking. I'm just not technically-versed for that kind of thing yet“.
Of the five race events in this year's SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL, it was the Supertrail XL, the second-longest course itinerary, which seemed to offer the tightest group of lead runners and, thus, nail-biting competitive action. In the end, it was German Matthias Krah (07:34:06.6 hrs) who finished in first place ahead of Czech Martin Strelka (07:37:14.8) and Italian Gerald Hermann Plaickner (07:40:50.4), resp. The race proved anything but a walk in the park for the three experienced podium-placing athletes. While Krah at some point had managed to distance himself thereby establishing what seemed a comfortable lead, he was challenged by Strelka 40 km into the race. From then on it wasn't until the last climb of the race that the top racers established the order of ranks.
Hungarian-born Ildiko Wermescher (08:27:44.3), this year's winner of the Women's Supertrail XL, didn't seem phased by the weather as much as some others would have been. She provided a straight-forward demonstration of her dominance underscoring once more her previous victories over the 2012 and 2013 Ultratrail distance. Czech racer Hana Krajnikova certainly gave Wermerscher a run for the money with her time of 08:31:35.1 hours on the trail but to no avail.
Still, Krajnikova managed to stay ahead of German Nathalie Walter (9:42.04) who joined the two on the podium.
Wermerscher, the winning athlete appeared pretty relaxed about the inclement conditions throughout the race and shared: „That was a lot of fun – I'd rather be running in mud anyway than on gravel“. The 50-year-old veteran member of the German Trail National Team clearly would have enjoyed the high alpine trails that had been trimmed from the race itinerary for safety reasons. But she quick to concede that as the day wore on „it had gotten pretty cold“. Hundreds of racers who would run well into the night - even the wee hours of Sunday morning - would emphatically have echoed that assessment!
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