12th GORE-TEX® Transalpine Run ends with spectacular finale in Bressanone/Brixen

Press Release / 10.09.2016

After 249.5 kilometres and more than 14,862 vertical metres of ascent, the 12th GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run came to a spectacular conclusion on Saturday in the town of Bressanone/Brixen in South Tyrol. The duo of Daniel Jung from Italy and Helmut Schiessl from Germany secured a deserved win in the overall standings. They follow in the footsteps of last year’s winning team of Oscar and Mark Casal from Andorra. Second place went to the Austrian-Italian pairing of Ivan Paulmichl/Michael Kabicher (6:37.70 minutes behind the winners), who put in a stellar performance to win the final stage from Sarnthein to Bressanone/Brixen and reduce their overall deficit by more than seven minutes. The Austrian duo of Florian Heinzle/Mario Weiß (1:01.12.20 hours behind the winners) took third place. The fastest German team were Florian Holzinger/Stefan Holzner in the Masters category. In the women’s race, Manishe Sina and Lisa Mehl from Germany took top spot in the general classification. In the Mixed Teams category there was joy for the German duo of Timo Zeiler and Melanie Albrecht.

What an emotional finale to the 12th GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run in Bressanone/Brixen in South Tyrol! With temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius, the charming square in front of the cathedral was packed with fans, tourists and family members on Saturday as the runners completed the seventh and final stage of this exhausting stage race across the Alps. “The South Tyroleans are really special people. What a reception! I was close to tears,” admitted a visibly emotional Daniel Jung in the finish area. Jung and his partner Helmut Schiessl had gone into the final leg with a commanding lead at the top of the overall standings, but surprisingly the duo and their supporters had more than a few nervous moments. At the start of the day Jung/Schiessl had held a 14-minute advantage over Paulmichl/Kabicher in second place, yet after 36.50 km and 1934 vertical metres of ascent only 6:37.70 minutes remained. Coming at the end of a week of hard racing, the final leg from Sarnthein to Bressanone/Brixen was a tough test for all the remaining athletes. “That was a hard day and a hard piece of work,” admitted 34-year-old Daniel Jung. Following second place in 2015 and third place in 2014, the man from the village of Naturns in South Tyrol finally claimed top spot together with his partner Helmut Schiessl. “Helmut is a great guy,” he said. “He is hugely talented and an absolute fighter.” Schiessl, who is 10 years Jung’s senior and won the mountain running world championship back in 2005, had actually ended his active career four years ago before Jung managed to convince him to come out of retirement and take the start with him at the 12th GORE-TEX® Transalpine Run. Despite his break from the sport, the 44-year-old from the Allgäu region of Germany showed throughout the week that he remains a class athlete. “But the downhill sections were particularly hard for me,” he admitted with a smile.

With fans, friends and family in attendance, the final run into the centre of Bressanone/Brixen was an emotional occasion for all the athletes. After crossing the line, many could be seen cooling their tired feet in the fountain and telling of the many ups and downs they had experienced over the last week. Indeed, the grand finale was made even more exciting than many had believed by the all-or-nothing attack launched by Paulmichl/Kabicher on the leading duo of Jung/Schiessl. “We were feeling good and pulled away as we passed the second feed station at kilometre 15. We tried everything, but to be honest we didn’t think that we would manage to reduce the deficit to almost six minutes,” laughed Ivan Paulmichl, who last year finished second together with Daniel Jung. The man from the Vinschgau region of South Tyrol had another strong partner by his side this year in the form of Michael Kabicher, with the 30-year-old Austrian often leading the pair down the descents.

While things remained close in the battle for the title, the third-placed team of Florian Heinzle and Mario Weiß from Austria could do nothing more than battle through to the finish after Heinzle suffered an extremely painful bout of cramp in his thigh on Friday. “The pain was almost too much to take – I have never been so happy to see a finish line in my life,” said an emotional Heinzle. His partner, Mario Weiß, admitted that he had pretty much given up any hope of finishing third after Heinzle’s injury on the penultimate day.

Despite a tough end to the week, the Austrians were the outstanding team of the 12th GORE-TEX® Transalpine Run, winning the first two stages and pushing the top teams hard.
Meanwhile there were also plenty of battles going on in the other categories – though ultimately no changes in the overall standings. In the women’s race Manishe Sina and Lisa Mehl secured victory, despite losing seven minutes to the stage winners Rene Unser/Sarah Macleod from Canada. “We had nothing left in the tank,” admitted the 34-year-old Manishe Sina from Frankfurt. “These seven days were really hard.” Sina also went out of her way to thank her partner Lisa Mehl, who is seven years her junior, explaining: “She saved me on more than one occasion.”

In the Master Men category the Germans Florian Holzinger and Stefan Holzner, two time winner of the Ironman Frankfurt with an Ironman personal best of 8:09 hours, dominated affairs and claimed six out of seven stage wins. Holzinger in particular will be a familiar face to fans of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run, having finished in second place with partner Volkmar Rolfes in 2012 behind Reiter/Karrera.
 
The Senior Master Men category saw Dr Thomas Miksch claim his seventh win at TAR, with partner Jörg Schreiber securing his third title. One of the most exciting categories throughout the week was that of the Mixed Teams, which was won in the end by Timo Zeiler/Melanie Albrecht with a lead of 17:10 minutes. Albrecht, who used to compete in cross-country skiing, could be one of the next big names in the trailrunning scene after showing enormous talent and maturity at just 20 years of age. “Nobody thought we would come here and do this,” admitted Timo Zeiler. Many observers had expected that the team of Kristin Berglund/Gerald Fister would launch an attack on the final stage, but Berglund was held back by early symptoms of flu. “Kristin is an unbelievable fighter,” praised partner Gerald Fister. In the end the Swedish-Austrian duo had to settle for second place with a slim advantage of just 2:03 minutes over the third-placed Germans Markus Mingo/Tina Fischl, who had become progressively stronger throughout the week.

There was also an interesting pairing at the top of the overall standings in the category Master Mixed. If there had been a prize for the nicest team in the race, then it probably would have gone to Jens Lord Kramer and Irene Senfter. Senfter, a former local politician, claimed her fifth victory at TAR, this time alongside Jens Lord Kramer, one of the pioneers of highlander sport in South Tyrol.

The 12th edition of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run was an overwhelming success – and not only in a sporting sense. The new Eastern Route leading from Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany to Bressanone/Brixen in Italy was widely praised by the 600 athletes from 34 countries. Fabulous landscapes, excellent trails and spectacular downhill sections left the runners exhausted but enthused after a week of intense racing. The villages of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Lermoos, Imst, Mandarfen, Sölden, St. Leonhard, Sarnthein and Bressanone/Brixen were all outstanding hosts. Of the approximately 300 teams who took the start in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, almost 250 crossed the finish line in Bressanone/Brixen.

Results overall after stage 7 Sarnthein – Brixen:

Men:
1. Daniel Jung/Helmut Schiessl (ITA/GER) 27:13.14,9
2.  Ivan Paulmichl/Michael Kabicher (ITA/AUT) 27:19.52,6
3.  Heinzle/Weiß (AUT/AUT) 28:14.27,1

Women:
1. Manishe Sina/Lisa Mehl (GER/GER) 38:46.03,0
2. Nina Koch/Johanna Erhart (GER/AUT) 39:31.24,7
3. Rene Unser/Sarah Macleod (CAN/CAN) 40:35.32,3

Mixed:
1. Timo Zeiler/Melanie Albrecht (GER/GER) 30:41.13,1
2. Kristin Berglund/Gerald Fister (SWE/AUT) 30:58.23,1
3. Markus Mingo/Tina Fischl (GER/GER) 31:00.26,6

Master Men:
1. Florian Holzinger/Stefan Holzner (GER/GER) 28:35.47,0
2. Seppi Neuhauser/Anton Philipp (AUT/GER) 29:33.47,2
3. Urs Jenzer/Ruedi Bärtschi (SUI/SUI) 30:24.31,8

Master Mixed:
1. Jens Lord Kramer/Irene Senfter (ITA/ITA) 34:44.26,9
2. Eva Färberböck/Mathis Bode (GER/GER) 35:13.23,9
3. Marie Kemenater/Franz Kröss (ITA/ITA) 36:01.09,9

Senior Master Men:
1. Jörg Schreiber/Thomas Miksch (GER/GER) 33:26.10,6
2. Falk Hübner/Andreas Panthen (GER/GER) 35:20.41,9
3. Josef Blasinger/Martin Mair (ITA/ITA) 35:39.24,3

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