Andorra will host the fifth stage of the Skyrunner® World Series with the SkyRace® Comapedrosa where many top athletes fresh from the World Championships will compete for the Series’ rankings on Sunday, July 31.
The small ski resort of Arinsal will light up with stars from the top rankings together with close on 370 runners taking on the challenge of the 21 km course which starts and finishes in the town. The ascent involves a brutal 1,000 metre-high vertical wall over just 2 km which will test the best to the summit of the Comapedrosa at 2,942, the highest point in Andorra.
Among the favourites in the stacked fields are: Spaniards Azara Garcia, Silver Medal 2016 Skyrunning World Championships and 2015 European Sky Champion, Laura Orgué, 2015 Series Champion and last year’s race winner, Oihana Kortazar.
In the men’s field, Manuel Merillas 4th in the recent World Championships and 2nd in the 2015 Sky rankings. If Rémi Bonnet is back on form, he be contending the podium. Pere Aurell, 2015 race winner, will defend his title.
From the current SWS Sky rankings:
Women
Yngvild Kaspersen (NOR) 3rd, Marta Molist (ESP) and Ragna Debats (NED) 4th equal, and Spaniards Aitziber Ibarbia 7th, Sheila Aviles 8th, Laura Sola de Miguel 9th, Laura Orgué, currently ranked 10th, Oihana Kortazar (2015 race winner) 12th and Nuria Dominguez 14th and Ekaterina Mityaeva (RUS) 18th.
Men
Marc Casal Mir (AND) 3rd , Pablo Villa Gonzales (ESP) 5th, Oscar Casal Mir (AND) 6th, Stian Overgaard (NOR) 10th, Hassan Ait Chaou (ESP) 15th and Alexis Sevennec (FRA) 17th.
Look out for:
Rémi Bonnet (SUI) and Ondrej Fejfar (CZE) both currently ranked 10th in the VK Series and Spaniards Pere Aurell (2015 race winner), Aritz Egea, Pere Rullan, Alfredo Gil Garcia, Sintu Vives, Jessed Hernandez.
The records to beat? 2h46’42 Pere Aurell and 3h21’15” Oihana Kortazar.
It’s going to be a battle of the giants on the magnificent duelling ground of the Principality of Andorra, Sunday. Over such a short course and with such a stacked field, some exciting racing is in store.
