The Gore-Tex Transalpine Run 2016
New Route for the Gore-Tex Transalpine Run
Race Release / 30.08.2016
Surely no other high-elevation trail can boast as many superlatives: quad-thrashing descents, a glacier crossing with breathtaking views, dramatic mountain landscapes and a wealth of other exclusive spots. The GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE RUN, set to take place for the twelfth consecutive year from September 4 to 10, 2016, has a new star – the route itself.
Starting in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, crossing the main ridge of the Alps and ending up in Brixen in South Tyrol, the route in the east of the Alps has been totally redesigned. It traverses three countries and includes 7 stages, covering a trail distance of 247.2 km, an elevation gain of 14,862 m and descents totalling 14,998 m. 300 teams of two from 30 different countries will be pushing themselves to the limit. The adventure of a lifetime and the toughest of challenges paired with great team spirit, the whole gamut of emotions, masses of sweat and a unique alpine experience. On the 4th leg of the race - the first glacier stage in the history of the world renowned trail running event - “James Bond 007” fans will get their full money's worth.
The 4th leg of the race, which runs from Mandarfen in Pitztal to Sölden in the Ötztal valley, takes the runners past some of the filming locations of “Spectre”, the new bond movie. Also to one of the most spectacular locations in the Alps: the cube-shaped "Ice Q" restaurant situated at the summit of Gaislachkogl, at an altitude of 3,048 m. The first glacier stage in the twelve year history of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine Run crosses over from the Pitztal to the Ötztal valley. It is actually “only” 27.7 km long, while at 1,453 m the elevation gain is relatively easy to overcome. However, the summit itself is some 3,000 high and the trail wends its way through the permanent ice of the Rettenbach glacier.
For this leg of the race the competitors will be joined by a prominent figure from the sports scene: GORE-TEX® athlete and ski mountaineer Greg Hill from Canada. In 2010 he climbed 71 mountains to complete a cumulative elevation gain of more than 600,000 metres within 366 days. The 41 year old athlete is now keen to share his experiences with other outdoor enthusiasts. On the evening of the 4th stage, Greg Hill will be talking to the other participants about his “2 mln vertical feet in 1 year” project.
Greg's talk will certainly help strengthen everyone's motivation. After all, even before the glacier stage to Sölden, the athletes have to undertake an awesome task. The toughest day of the 12th GORE-TEX® Transalpine Run, leading from Imst to Mandarfen, is 47.9 km long with an elevation gain of over 3,000 m. It is the longest and toughest leg of the race with the most cumulative elevation gain.
Who are the favourites to win the 12th GORE-TEX® Transalpine Run? Considering how long and tough the run is, and the risks involved, it is very difficult to say. Nevertheless, there will be one pair at the start in Garmisch-Partenkirchen that will be very hard to beat: Daniel Jung, the man from South Tyrol who, with team partner Ivan Paulmichl, was only just beaten to second place last year, and Allgäu-based Helmut Schiessl, who can boast having been mountain running world champion. Jung, who has been a successful mountain biker, makes no secret of his ambitions. “Of course the route is challenging, and on any one day anything can happen. But as a committed athlete, you have to set yourself ambitious goals. Secretly, I'm hoping for a win,” Jung confidently said. And just how fit he is, Jung recently demonstrated on home ground by winning the fourth Südtirol Ultra Skyrace in Bozen. The 33 year old covered the 121 km long ultra mountain run involving 7,554 of elevation gain along the Hufeisentour (Horseshoe Tour) in the Sarntal Alps in a new record time of 17:34.37 hours.
It appears that Jung is considerably fitter than he was last year when he was beaten into second place in the GORE-TEX® Transalpine Run, which finished that year in Sexten. “I trained hard over the winter. I feel fitter than I was a year ago. When I first met Helmut Schiessl we clicked immediately.
We have one important thing in common: we are both fiercely competitive,” Jung said. The athlete from the Gore Running Wear® team sounds confident about being one of the top finishers. A new partner and a new chance. And a new route.
That's something he's really looking forward to: he thinks the glacier crossing sounds totally cool. As Jung said, it's “a new challenge,” especially for someone who, within the space of a few years, has changed from being a successful mountain bike rider to being a top finisher in ultra-long-distance runs.
And what is his ex-partner Ivan Paulmichl doing these days? On September 4, the man from South Tyrol will be at the start with Austrian athlete Michael Kabicher. A pair that is always to be reckoned with. Kabicher was first to cross the finishing line of the HochkönigMAN Marathontrail. Paulmichl moved from Vinschgau to Mödling just south of Vienna and started the season in the Basetrail XL category by coming in second in the SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL.
A newcomer to the trail running scene is Austrian athlete Thomas Farbmacher. The 30 year old runner is a member of SALOMON Running Team Austria and will be at the start with Peter Fankhauser. Recent achievements include victories on the 100 km course at the SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL in June and on the 70 km course at the SALOMON ALPEN X at the beginning of August.
Among the women, all the attention will be focused on Swedish athlete Kristin Berglund who claimed first place at the SALOMON ZUGSPITZ ULTRATRAIL over the 100 km distance. Jutta Buschmann, her partner from Breitenbach am Inn, won the half marathon race at SCOTT ROCK THE TOP last year.
It looks as though things are going to get really exciting this year in the mixed category. The Germans will be watching Tina Fischl and Markus Mingo closely. Mingo dominated the ZUGSPITZ TRAILRUN CHALLENGE in 2015 while a couple of weeks ago in exactly the same place, Fischl claimed a victory in the race up Germany's highest mountain. “The Transalpine Run is the undoubted highlight of the trail running season because we can spend seven consecutive days doing what we enjoy most: running through stunning scenery along a new, incredibly spectacular route,” Mingo said. For Tina Fischl, it will be her first ever Transalpine Run. “So far I haven't dared take on the challenge. Markus is the only person I would consider running with. He is very good-natured and has already completed the course twice,” enthused the Passau-based athlete.
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