Victory at The Rut Vertical for Fejfar and Orgué

The weekend’s Skyrunner® World Series trio of races in Montana, USA kicked off Friday with a dramatic weather forecast prompting the organisers to adopt a plan B route. The new Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer® course had 610m vertical climb over 3.8 km distance. While the course remained demanding (the original had 1,000m vertical climb and 5 km distance), it did not summit Lone Peak at 3,403m altitude due to a risk of lightning.

The new parameters may have favoured some less adept VK specialists but none the less, champions always show their true colours. Laura Orgue and Ondrej Fejfar defied gravity yet again to win the race in 29’25” and 34’18” respectively.

Second man was new skyrunning promise, 18 year-old Jan Margarit from Spain who now rises to the second slot of the Vertical Series ranking, he closed in a close 29’49”. Third place went to American Scott Patterson with an excellent 30’32”. A special mention for race organiser Mike Foote, testing himself with the best…and finishing fourth in 30’34”. All the way from Andorra, Ferran Teixido had to forsake the podium finishing an unsual seventh, but he still leads the ranking.

The women’s field had American Cynthia Arnold take second place in 34’59” and Spaniard Maria Zorozza, third in 36’34”.

The field was an interesting mix between European Vertical Kilometer® specialists and Americans lapping up this new style of running – and doing great!

Next on the agenda is Saturday’s 28K, described by the organisers as “Extremely steep and technical with sections of exposure”. Just the way we like it!

The weekend’s events will conclude on Sunday with the 50K.

Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer® results
Men

1. Ondrej Fejfar (CZE) – 29’25”
2. Jan Margarit (ESP) Salomon – 29’49”
3. Scott Patterson (USA) – 30’32”
4. Mike Foote (USA) The North Face – 30’34”
5. Greg Vollet (FRA) Salomon – 31’18”

Women

1. Laura Orgué (ESP) Salomon – 34’18”
2. Cynthia Arnold (USA) – 34’59”
3. Maria Zorroza (ESP) Eusakal Selekzioa –36’34”
4. Aitziber Ibarbia (ESP) Eusakal Selekzioa – 37’49”
5. Jenny Wolfe (USA) – 38’17”

Race results

Vertical Series Rankings provisional results
Men

1. Ferran Teixido (AND) – 290 points
2. Jan Margarit Sole (ESP) – 254 points
3. Philip Goetsch (ITA) – 200 points
4. Marco Moletto (ITA) – 180 points
5. Hannes Perkmann (ITA) – 166 points

Women

1. Laura Orgue (ESP) – 358 points
2. Christel Dewalle (FRA) – 288 points
3. Emily Collinge (GBR) – 178 points
4. Francesca Rossi (ITA) – 156 points
5. Serena Vittori (ITA) – 146 points

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