Torrential rain forced organizers to dramatically shorten the course, but that did nothing to dampen the quality of racing at today’s Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme, the 13th stage of the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series. Italy’s Alex Oberbacher and Romania’s Denisa Dragomir claimed the men’s and women’s titles respectively in Zermatt, beneath the shadow of the Matterhorn.
With heavy, persistent rain moving through the region overnight and into race morning, organizers were forced to cut the iconic course from its full 27km, 3,175m+ profile down to a reduced 15km route with 1,500m of elevation gain. The technical high-alpine sections — including the glacier crossings and exposed ridgelines that give the Extreme its name and reputation — were removed from the route due to the safety risks posed by wet rock and reduced visibility in the high mountains.
MEN’S RACE: OBERBACHER EDGES A STACKED FIELD
Alex Oberbacher (ITA, La Sportiva) took the win in 1:39:52, holding off a red-hot chasing pack in a race that stayed tight from start to finish. Local favourite and former champion Martin Anthamatten (SUI, adidas TERREX) crossed in second place, just 37 seconds back in 1:40:29, once again delighting the home crowd in his adopted hometown of Zermatt. France’s Louis Dumas (Esclops d’Azun) completed the podium in third with a time of 1:41:08. Rounding out the top five were Nicolas Molina (ESP, SCOTT) in fourth (1:42:03) and Daniel Antonioli (ITA, SCARPA) in fifth (1:42:09) — with barely two minutes separating the entire top five finishers.
WOMEN’S RACE: DRAGOMIR LEADS HOME A DEEP WOMEN’S FIELD
In the women’s race, Denisa Dragomir (ROU, Merrell – Red Bull) took a commanding win in 2:00:23.
Perrine Abadie (FRA, Nnormal) finished second in 2:01:18, with Patrycja Stanek (POL, Brooks Team Poland) completing the podium in third in 2:03:05. Alice Basseron (FRA, New Balance) finished fourth in 2:03:20, with Great Britain’s Natalie Beadle (Arc’teryx) rounding out the top five.
Full Matterhorn Ultraks race results HERE.
WEATHER FORCES A SAFETY-FIRST ROUTE CHANGE
Persistent, heavy rainfall across the Zermatt region in the hours before the race pushed organizers to prioritize athlete safety over the full Extreme experience. The revised 15km/1,500m+ route bypassed the demanding glacier and high-ridge sections of the traditional course, keeping runners off the most exposed and technically hazardous terrain while still delivering a genuine mountain test through the lower alpine trails around Zermatt. The race was also delayed by two hours.
THE SERIES CONTINUES: TROFEO KIMA TOMORROW
The Merrell Skyrunner® World Series doesn’t stop for long. The action moves across the border tomorrow, Saturday, August 22, to Val Masino, Italy, for the legendary Trofeo KIMA — one of the most storied and demanding races on the skyrunning calendar which starts tomorrow at 07:30 am.
Live results for tomorrow’s Trofeo KIMA HERE.
Photos: Antton Guaresti
