Madeira, Portugal, will host the fourth stage of the Skyrunner® World Series on the 17th of June. An international field, including many of Spain’s finest athletes, gear up to compete for overall ranking points and skymasters qualification places on the brand-new 45 km course that goes from sea to summit on one of the world’s most beautiful islands.
With its breathtaking landscapes, stunning sunrises and endless technical trails, it’s no wonder that the Skyrunner® World Series will return to Madeira Island for the seventh time.
This year, the world-famous race, which has seen the likes of Emelie Forsberg, Anna Frost and Jon Albon stand behind its startling line in the town of Santana, has had a 2023 makeover with a newly-designed course that guarantees a faster and more intense skyrunning experience.
The brand-new 45 km Madeira Skyrace route, with 3,600 meters of elevation gain, has been reduced by 11kilometers and 1,000 meters of climb, whilst ensuring the most technical aspects of the route remain. The race climbs from the town of Santana to the summit of Pico Ruivo, the highest summit on the island at 1,862 meters. The course covers technical sections with ropes and chains, beautiful mountain scenery and sea-cliff trails before making its way back to the finish line in Santana.
In the running for the title are a number of big names on the circuit at the moment. The current men’s overall ranking leader Antonio Martinez Perez of Spain (team Scarpa) will be there, no doubt looking to claim his second victory of the season and secure his place at the top of the leaderboard.
Martinez will face tough competition from a host of Spanish elite runners, including Zaid Ait Malek(team Jimbee Melon); Manuel Anguita (team Land Trail); Alejandro Forcades (team Nnormal); Aitor Zunzunegi (team Basque Selection); and Borja Zubizarreta (team Basque Selection). Sebastian Ljungdahl of Sweden, the 2022 Madeira Skyrace runner up, will also be at the starting line.
In the women’s elite field, two names stand out: Emma Cook-Clarke of Canada (team Arc’teryx) and Naiara Irigoyen of Spain (team Basque Selection). Cook-Clarke’s impressive second-place finish at Hochkönig two weeks ago tells us that the full-time fire woman means business and after a strong win at the 2022 Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme, Irigoyen seems like a worthy opponent. The women’s field also includes Rea Kolbl of the USA (team Dynafit), Spain’s Oihana Azkorbebeitia (team Merrell), Ainara Urrutia (team Basque Selection) and Sara Peña (team Basque Selection), and Jessica Campbell of New Zealand (team Scott Running).
The race begins this Saturday 17th of June at 07:00 am (local time).
Points shall be awarded to the top 20 male and females of the race and prize money awarded to the top 10.
The top 10 will also qualify for the 2023 SkyMasters, the final race of the season. This is only as long as they complete a further 2 races of the season and the SkyMasters. More information on the rules can be found on the Skyrunner® World Series website.
Overall ranking
Rules
SkyMasters qualification
