Under the towering presence of the iconic Matterhorn, Martin Anthamatten and Anastacia Rubtsova have claimed victory in the 2024 Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme, the 12th race of the the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series.
Anthamatten Shines on Home Turf
After coming fourth in 2019 and runner up in 2021, Martin Anthamatten (team Adidas Terrex) was determined to take home the winners bib and conquer the brutal 27km with 3,175 meters of elevation gain. The local hero from Zermatt led the race from early on and crossed the finish line with a winning time of 3h44’13”.
Anthamatten comments: “For me it was like a dream. It feels incredible to win this race against this level of field of runners. It was a tough race but I tried to just keep moving forwards and run fast on the technical parts. In the end it worked out and I am happy to take home the winners bib.”
Italians Luca del Pero (team Scarpa) and Gianluca Ghiano (team Brooks) pulled off impressive performances to finish second and third respectively after an entertaining battle with Jackson Cole of New Zealand and Luka Kovacic of Slovenia.
After placing second at KaiserKrone Skyrace, this victory solidifies Anthamatten’s position as a top contender in the Merrell Skyrunner World Series overall ranking.
Second win at Ultraks for Rubtsova
In the women’s race, Anastacia Rubtsova of Russia delivered a commanding performance to claim the 2024 Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme title for the second year in a row. After leading the race from start to finish Rubtsova completed the gruelling course in 4h20’26”, outpacing a highly competitive field and finishing an astonishing 34 minutes ahead of the second woman.
Rubtsova comments: “This was the hottest and craziest race I have done. I tried my best from the beginning to the end and again it was a good day for me in Zermatt. I love this race and it was a pleasure to race against these girls.”
Second place went to Olivia Magnone from France (team Esclops D’Azun) and Lide Urrestarazu of Spain (team Basque Selection) closed the podium.
This is also Rubstova’s second win of the series making her a top contender for the women’s overall title.
The weekend of skyrunning continues tomorrow with Trofeo KIMA in Val Masino Italy at 06:30 am local time.
Full results for Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme can be found here.
Top 5 men:
- Martin Anthamatten – SUI – team Adidas Terrex – 03h44’13”
- Luca Del Pero – ITA – team Scarpa – 03h48’17”
- Gianluca Ghiano – ITA – team Brooks – 03h49’29”
- Jackson Cole – NZL – team La Sportiva – 03h51’50”
- Joseph Mamai – PER – team CIVA – 03h53’28”
Top 5 women:
- Anastacia Rubtsova – 04h20’25”
- Olivia Magnone – FRA – team Esclops D’Azun – 04h54’42”
- Lide Urrestarazu – ESP – team Basque Selection – 04h59’19”
- Myrielle Weingand – SUI – 05h10’13”
- Iris Pessey – FRA – team Scott Running – 05h12’38’
Photo credits: Antton Guaresti
