The third leg of the 2017 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series Sky Classic category had everything going for it – a stacked international field, a super-technical high altitude course and picture-postcard weather. Sunday’s Livigno SkyMarathon® in Lombardy, Italy on June 18, represents one of the most challenging courses in the category.
Reaching 3,000m altitude, the 34 km course is highly technical, with fixed chains, ridges, moraine and snow fields. With last-minute course revisions to ensure the safety of the 151 competitors, the total vertical climb was established at 2,670m, due to snow conditions at the summit.
The day went to Skyrunning World Champion, Spaniard Maite Maiora and Italian Tadei Pivk, last year’s race winner.
Maiora is going from strength to strength after a spectacular win in a spectacular race today. She not only led comfortably from start to finish, but also endured a fall and subsequently six stitches to her knee. She closed in 4h37’30”.
“Frankly, my knee hurts a bit but I’m so, so happy!” she commented. “It was a really tough race. In a difficult race you risk and anything can happen. The first part was the hardest, but it’s the part I like best – the ascent.
“I’ve decided to do only the races I really like, like this, beautiful race. After this I’m going to race the Royal Ultra SkyMarathon® in Italy,” she added.
An excellent second place went to Rumanian Denisa Dragomir and in third, Spaniard Laia Andreu. Two new entries on the international skyrunning scenario, Americans Hilary Gerardi and Katie Schide closed fourth and fifth respectively.
For Pivk, it was a sound come-back, taking the top of the podium for the second time round. “I came back again this year. The race changed slightly and it was even harder! Aritz [Egea] was ahead of me and held a good pace. At the end of the first ascent I accelerated a bit and managed to gain enough margin on the downhill, where I’m stronger. I had to keep an eye on him so he wouldn’t get too close.” Evidently, the strategy paid off and he closed in 3h52’32”, just less than two minutes over his rival, Spaniard Aritz Egea. Eduardo Hernandez rounded off the podium.
Nepali Bhim Gurung who won the first of the season’s Sky Classics in Yading, China was not on top form in the race here, finishing 14th, but it enabled him to rise to third on the ranking – now led by Aritz Agea and Julen Larruzea in second.
Maiora now leads the women’s ranking followed by American Megan Kimmel and Italian Silvia Rampazzo in third.
The Livigno SkyMarathon® is part of four events over the weekend organised by top skyrunner Marco De Gasperi and his team which included Friday’s Santa Caterina VK, part of the new Vertical Kilometer® World Circuit.
Join us for the next Sky Classic just around the corner with the Olympus Marathon in Greece on June 24.
Livigno SkyMarathon® results
Men
- Tadei Pivk (ITA)- 3h52’32”
- Aritz Egea (ESP) – 3h54’39”
- Eduardo Hernandez (ESP) – 4h00’39”
- Eugeni Gil Ocana (ESP) – 4h02’00”
- Robert Krupicka (CZE) – 4h05’24”
Women
- Maite Maiora (ESP) – 4h37’30”
- Denisa Dragomir (ROU) – 4h43’21”
- Laia Andreu (ESP) – 4h47’16”
- Hilary Gerardi (USA) – 5h00’13”
- Katie Schide (USA) – 5h01’45”
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