The Schlegeis 3000 Skyrace®, eighth race of the Skyrunner® World Series, was extreme in every way.
Due to forecasted afternoon thunderstorms, the start time was brought forward by one hour to06:00 am. A decision made in the interests of safety also allowed athletes to see the awe-inspiring views of the Austrian Alps when up high on the course before the clouds could close in.
Starting on the breathtaking Schlegeis Reservoir, at 1,700 metres in Zillertal, Austria, the 34 km race route climbed to nearly 3,000 metres, briefly crossing into Italy before returning to Austria.
Skyrunners from 25 nationalities were blown away by the beauty of the course, especially the female winner Karina Carsolio of Mexico (team Black Diamond). Carsolio pulled off an outstanding performance to beat the 2023 Trail Running World Champion Clementine Geoffray (FRA, Team Evadict). Lucille Germain (FRA, Team Sidas Matryx) took third place to beat Hillary Gerardi (FRA, Black Diamond / Scarpa) and defending champion, Lindsay Webster (CAN).
In the men’s race, French athlete Sebastien Poesy (team Brooks) won and collected a new course record, beating the previous CR by three minutes. William Boffelli (ITA, Team Crazy) and Luka Kovacic (SLO, Dynafit / Red Bull) rounded out the podium, both of whom were also under course record time.
Midway through the race, the lead pack consisted of Manuel Merillas (ESP, Scarpa), Robert DeLorenzi (SUI, Team Brooks), and Daniel Antonioli (ITA, Scarpa). The group took an unfortunate wrong turn and ended up missing the checkpoint at Riepengrat. The difficult decision was made by SWS and the race organisation to issue a 20-minute time penalty. Remarkably, all three athletes still placed in the top ten, with Merillas placing fourth overall, and Delorenzi and Antonioli finishing jointly in seventh place.
The top 20 of Schlegeis 3000 Skyrace® have gained points towards the overall ranking.
The next stage of the Skyrunner® World Series will be the Ultraks MatterHorn Extreme on August 25th 2023.
Top 5 Women:
1. Karina Carsolio (MEX), Team Black Diamond – 4:23:19
2. Cleimentine Geoffray (FRA), Team Evadict– 4:28:07
3. Germain Lucille (FRA), Team Sidas Matryx – 4:33:39
4. Hillary Gerardi (USA), Team Black Diamond / Scarpa – 4:38:00
5. Lindsay Webster (CAN), – 4:34:47
Top 5 Men:
1. Sebastien Poesy (FRA), Team Brooks – 3:52:01
2. William Boffelli (ITA), Team Crazy / Hoka – 3:52:45
3. Luka Kovacic (SLO), Team Dynafit / Red Bull – 3:54:49
4. Manuel Merillas (ESP), Team Scarpa – 3:56:10
5. Otagiri Shoma (JAP), Team Merrell – 3:59:45
