This Saturday, 16th of September, the Skyrunner® World Series shall touch down on Italian soil for the first time since 2021 for the historic Grigne SkyMarathon.
Pasturo, Italy, hosts the tenth stage of the 2023 Skyrunner® World Series – Grigne SkyMarathon. The race was started in 2014 by Team Pasturo, the masterminds behind ZacUP Skyrace, in memory of Davide Invernizzi, a former member of the organisational committee and La Sportiva athlete who sadly lost his life in 2015.
The 43 kilometre course with 3,900 meters of elevation gain begins in the town of Pasturo in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, around 60 kilometres from Milan. The route has been designed to celebrate the Grigne Massif, an impressive mountain range which rises to 2,410 meters.
The first Team Pasturo race held on the Grigne Massif was in 2007, Trofeo Scaccabarozzi, which attracted skyrunning legends such as Kilian Jornet and many more. Over the years it has evolved to Grigne SkyMarathon and although some adaptations have been made to the route, the spirit of the locals and the technicality of the terrain continues to attract the best of the best.
28 nationalities will stand at the start line of the sold out race this Saturday. Among them, an all-star elite field, including:
Local legend, Daniel Antonioli (Team Scarpa / Karpos); top Italian skyrunners William Boffelli (Team Crazy / Hoka) and Cristian Minoggio; Spains finest, Manuel Merillas (Team Scarpa) and Zaid Ait Malek; Great Britains greatest Skyrunner and 2022 KIMA champion, Finlay Wild (Team Green Runners); and the one to watch, Esteban Olivero of France (Team Inov8).
The women’s field is led by the 2021 winner and defending champion, Hillary Gerardi of the USA (Team Scarpa / Black Diamond). Gerardi faces tough competition from the likes of Marcela Vasinova of the Czech Republic; Amélie Bertschy of Switzerland (Team ON Running); Rea Kolbl of the USA (Team Dynafit); and Oihana Azkorbebeitia of Spain (Team Merrell).
The race begins this Saturday 16th of September, at 07:30 am local time.
Prize money shall be awarded equally to the top 10 males and females.
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.
