First ever glacier stage at GORE-TEX Transalpine-Run fulfills high expectations

Press Release / 07.09.2016

Under clear blue skies, the Italian-German duo of Daniel Jung and Helmut Schiessl claimed victory on day four's 25.7 km stage from Mandarfen at the end of the Pitztal Valley to Sölden at the end of the Ötztal Valley. Jung/Schiessl came in 6:43 minutes ahead of Ivan Paulmichl/Michael Kabicher, who now move up to second in the overall standings. Paulmichl/Kabicher lie 11:37.40 minutes behind the leaders, while the Austrians Florian Heinzle/Mario Weiß dropped down to third overall. Following three strong second-place finishes so far in this year's race, the impressive performance of Daniel Jung, who finished second last year, and the former mountain running world champion Helmut Schiessl on what was the first ever glacier stage at the GORE-TEX® Transalpine Run indicates that they will be favourites for overall victory going into the last few days. The fifth stage on Thursday, 8 September, starts in Sölden and leads up over the Timmelsjoch mountain pass between Austria and Italy as far as St. Leonhard in the Passeier Valley. The internationally renowned stage race concludes on Saturday, 10 September, in Brixen/Bressanone in South Tyrol.

Despite being relatively short at just 25.7 km, the first ever glacier stage in the history of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run pushed the competitors to their limits through a mixture of hot temperatures and accumulated fatigue from the previous day's queen's stage measuring almost 50 km in length. Day four's glacier adventure took the almost 500 runners from 34 countries all the way up to 2982 metres above sea level as they traversed the ice-covered Rettenbachferner glacier. "The scenery was incredible, absolutely unique," commented Daniel Jung, who surprised the rest of the field by taking the lead on the downhill section, enabling his partner Helmut Schiessl to follow his line. The most challenging passage for many of the athletes was the descent from the glacier through the slippery snowfield, with the majority of the runners – including Jung and Schiessl – opting to slide down on their backsides instead of negotiating the treacherous slope using the safety rope provided. "We got up some serious speed sliding down," said Austria's Mario Weiß, whose partner Florian Heinzle continued to suffer from illness. "He had a tough time but he made it," Weiß added when asked about his compatriot and teammate. And what of stage four winners Ivan Paulmichl and Michael Kabicher? After finishing first on yesterday's leg to Mandarfen, the duo ran their own tempo across the glacier. "There's no pressure on us," smiled Paulmichl, "but we're still up there in a good position." The duo's relaxed attitude seemed to work once again for them, with Paulmichl/Kabicher the second team to cross the finish line in Sölden. The result means that they now move up into second place in the overall standings behind Jung/Schiessl.

The other categories saw many of the favourites underline their dominance. In the Mixed Team competition, Melanie Albrecht/Timo Zeiler continued to build on their strong form in recent days. The 20-year-old Albrecht and 34-year-old Zeiler appear to be growing stronger and faster by the day, with the reigning European mountain running champion in the junior age group defying expectations to put in yet another impressive performance in the high Alps. Despite a good day of running, Sweden's Kristin Berglund and her partner Gerald Fister were unable to close the gap to Albrecht/Zeiler. Indeed, the only category which saw major changes on day four was the Masters Mixed classification, where the Italian team of Lara Crivelli/Max Valsesia, who had led until day three, was forced to withdraw from the race following an injury to Crivelli.

While the title race is hotting up at the 12th GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run, the tough course and growing fatigue of back-to-back days running in the Alps are beginning to take their toll on many of the teams further down the field such as "Team Deichläufer" and "Hamburger Goldjungs". "Team Deichläufer" comprises Ralf Theelen and Daniel Seinsche, two air traffic controllers from Bremen who are currently 200th in the overall standings. "We have no problems reaching the finish within the time cut," the German runners explain, though they admit that each and every day out on the trails is tough. Increasing fatigue, steep climbs and that all too tempting idea of slowing down and taking it just a little bit easier are three battles that Theelen and Seinsche must fight on a daily basis, especially considering that physically they are anything but typical runners. Theelen is well over 6 feet tall, making him easily the tallest runner in the field, and weighs in at almost 15 stone.

To make things even tougher, the big toe on one of his enormous feet is red and inflamed. Seinsche is a little smaller but only marginally lighter. "We thought that TAR stood for 'Turnen am Reck' [bar gynmastics]," jokes Ralf. "Then we came here and everyone was running." The 44-year-old has completed several Ironman events as well as the Hermannslauf, a well-known 31 km run held annually in Germany. However, he admits that running in the mountains is a totally different experience. Nevertheless, the duo managed to complete the 50 km queen's stage on day three within the time limit and without losing their sense of humour. "Our training for mountain running involved running up and down the 8 m dyke on the banks of the Weser river in Bremen over and over again," laughs 41-year-old Daniel Seinsche.

Yet, even he admits that the longest stage of the race on day three leading up to Mandarfen at the end of the Ötztal Valley had pushed them both the absolute limit. "My body was saying no, but my head was saying yes," the German remembers, though he believes that their job as air traffic controllers does give them a certain advantage over other runners in the field. "In our job you are exposed to stress all the time," he says. So what's his secret? A glass of wheat bear at the hotel bar every evening does wonders for recovery!

Results: 4. Stage: Mandarfen/Pitztal - Sölden

Men:
1. Daniel Jung/Helmut Schiessl (ITA/GER) 3:11.55,7
2.  Ivan Paulmichl/Michael Kabicher (ITA/AUT) 3:18.37,4
3. Florian Heinzle/Mario Weiß (AUT/AUT) 3:24.50,0

Women:
1. Rene Unser/Sarah Macleod (CAN/CAN) 4:46.09,1
2. Manishe Sina/Lisa Mehl (GER/GER) 4:53.24,2
3. Nina Koch/Johanna Erhart (GER/AUT) 5:03.22,2

Mixed:
1. Timo Zeiler/Melanie Albrecht (GER/GER) 3:38.48,1
2. Kristin Berglund/Gerald Fister (SWE/AUT) 3:42.22,2
3. Markus Mingo/Tina Fischl (GER/GER) 3:44.11,1

Master Men:
1. Florian Holzinger/Stefan Holzner (GER/GER) 3:26.19,8
2. Seppi Neuhauser/Anton Philipp (AUT/GER) 3:30.14,1
3. Urs Jenzer/Ruedi Bärtschi (SUI/SUI) 3:33.55,9

Master Mixed:
1. Maria Kemenater/Franz Kröss (ITA/ITA) 4:09.28,9
2. Eva Färberböck/Mathis Bode (GER/GER) 4:11.23,3
3. Annelise Felderer/Markus Planötscher (ITA/ITA) 4:23.13,1

Senior Master Men:
1. Jörg Schreiber/Thomas Miksch (GER/GER) 4:01,47,5
2. Josef Blasinger/Martin Mair (ITA/ITA) 4:07.14,1
3. Falk Hübner/Andreas Panthen (GER/GER) 4:16.16,2

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