Skyrunning, a sport defined by high-altitude mountain running on steep, technical terrain, has evolved into a global phenomenon and 2024 was the year of skyrunning with more events than ever before. Competitions take place in stunning mountain ranges, where athletes traverse challenging courses at altitudes often exceeding 2,000 meters (6,500 feet). Within this sport, two major formats dominate the competitive landscape: Skyrunning Championships and the Skyrunner® World Series circuit. While both are prestigious, they differ in structure, objectives, and how athletes compete and are ranked. Let’s break down these differences.
THE MAIN DIFFERENCE:
Before we dive deeper into the various events, it’s worth taking note that the main difference between Championships and the SWS is that the latter is a circuit (equivalent of a world cup) made up of many races, whereas the Championships are one-off events awarding medals and world titles. (The VK OPEN is the only exception which is a circuit).
THE SKYRUNNER® WORLD SERIES
First things first: some background info:
“Skyrunning” was created in 1992 with the concept of running a marathon, which was the principal race distance practised at the time, but in the mountains and at high altitude. “Skyrunning” was conceived as a dictionary word to describe the discipline. A skyrunner or skyrunners are those that practise the sport. However, almost immediately, the word “Skyrunner®” was created and registered by main sponsor Fila to name a shoe designed specifically for skyrunning. In 2003 the trademark was used to launch the “Skyrunner® World Series” in 2004, sponsored by Buff®. Since the beginning, athletes’ benefits and final prize money have always been awarded.
The idea of the Skyrunner® World Series was the creation of a new circuit which took over from the Fila Trophy. While the Fila Trophy was based on much more extreme races – (Monte Rosa, Mont Blanc, Tibet, Mexico, the Rockies and Mt Kenya), the SWS was designed to carry out races where they were most popular – in the Italian Alps, Spain, France and Switzerland with the idea of expanding the number of participants and promoting the concept. The Skyrunner® World Series also touched on other countries outside Europe, such as the USA, Mexico, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan.
Many of the races were designed from scratch or elaborated to fit skyrunning parameters, such as the first Vertical Kilometer® in Cervinia, the Kima Trophy, Dolomites, Face de Bellevarde VK, Mont-Blanc Vertical KM, Mont-Blanc 80K, Skyline Scotland and many more, and have grown to become some of the biggest races in the world.
The Vertical Kilometer® was introduced in 1994 and longer races (ULTRA) were introduced in 2012 alongside the “classic” SKY. Between 2012 and 2017 the SWS consisted of the three disciplines: SKY, SKYULTRA and VERTICAL.
Since 2019, the SWS removed the categories and athletes now compete for points towards the overall ranking. This year, 2024, the SWS has 21 races in 13 countries over four continents. The overall ranking takes into consideration the best four points results and athletes must complete the final race – The SkyMasters – to be included in the ranking. The SkyMasters is a qualifier-only race and athletes must qualify for the SkyMasters throughout the season.
The Skyrunner® World Series also has a U23 category – The U23 Trofeo Esteban Olivero – which includes a ranking for young athletes, consisting of their top two race results of the season.
At the SWS, athletes represent themselves and their team / sponsor, not their country.
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
BIENNIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
World, Continental and SkySnow Championships
The World Championships and Continental Championships run on alternate years: World Championships on even years, Continental Championships on odd years.

Skyrunning World Championships
Skyrunning World Championships feature three skyrunning disciplines: VERTICAL, SKY and SKYULTRA.
Medals and World Titles are awarded to individuals and official teams in each of the disciplines and include a Combined title based on the sum of the VERTICAL and SKY results. Countries are also ranked.
Only athletes selected by the ISF National Member can participate.
Skyrunning Continental Championships
Skyrunning Continental Championships are held in four continents:
North & Central America, South America, Europe and Asia featuring one, two or all three skyrunning disciplines: VERTICAL, SKY and SKYULTRA.
The Championships may be open and individual medals and titles are awarded to the champions in each discipline. Countries are ranked based on official national team participation. Combined titles and medals are also awarded based on the results in both the VERTICAL and SKY disciplines.
The SkySnow Championships
The SkySnow discipline – running on snow at altitude with micro-crampons – was introduced in 2022 as a natural extension of skyrunning during the winter season.
Medals and World Titles are awarded to individuals and official teams in the VERTICAL and CLASSIC disciplines and include a Combined title based on the sum of both results. Countries are also ranked.
ANNUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Skyrunner® National Series, Masters, Youth and VK OPEN
Skyrunner® National Series
The Skyrunner® National Series is an annual circuit derived from the Skyrunner® World Series,organised on a national level, managed by the ISF through its Members. Benefits include qualification for the SWS SkyMasters for the winners.
There are ten National Series worldwide. .
The Masters Championships
Not to be confused with the Skyrunner World Series SKYMASTERS – the Masters Championships were introduced in 2023, designed for the over 40’s, split into three age categories, from 40 to 56 or more. VERTICAL, SKY and SKYULTRA dìsciplines may be contested. The Championships are open and individual medals and titles are awarded to the champions in each discipline. Countries are ranked based on official national team participation.

Youth Skyrunning World Championships
The Youth Skyrunning World Championships, introduced in 2016, are designed for young athletes, split into four age categories from 15 to under 23. Two disciplines are contested: the VERTICAL and SKY and the COMBINED title based on the sum of the two disciplines. Countries are ranked based on official national team participation.
VK OPEN Championships
Based exclusively on the Vertical Kilometer® format (1,000m vertical climb with 5 km distance max) individual athletes can participate. A maximum of three races are counted for the final ranking: two races plus the Grand Finale. Nine races in eight countries made up the 2024 calendar.