2016 Skyrunner® World Series Launches
New races, a new partner, all-round rebranding and website, the Series is set to reach new heights.
A breath of spring air sweeps across the Skyrunner® World Series just before the 2016 season kicks off.
The Series’ new management company, Geneva based SkyMan SA, is pleased to present a new Main Partner, Migu Xempower, a Chinese exercise and health management platform which also counts a rich experience in organising marathons, city and mountain races for millions of runners.
In addition, the Skyrunner® World Series is delighted to count on the continued support of Alpina Watches, together with the three Official Pool Suppliers, Compressport, Salomon and Scott Sports.
The 2016 season launches with the Series’ highest race, the Yading Skyrun reaching 4,664m in China’s Sichuan mountains on April 30. From here, the race calendar expands to stretch across the globe from East to West featuring 23 races, six of them new to the Series.
The well-established, Sky, Ultra and Vertical format is joined by the Extreme Series presented by Alpina Watches, which more than ever expresses the true spirit of skyrunning defined not only by distance, but vertical climb and technical difficulty.
Kilian Jornet, the sport’s best known figure and organiser of the Extreme Series’ Tromsø SkyRace® in Norway, comments, “When I started to run I was inspired by the images of Bruno Brunod, Fabio Meraldi and Marino Giacometti climbing (and descending) technical ridges, passing climbers and alpinists with just a pair of running shoes – and amazing technical skills! I’m very glad that today there’s an Extreme Series with this alpine philosophy and, as an organiser, to share my passion for scrambling and travelling light on big mountains.”
The Skyrunner® World Series is known for attracting the best athletes in the sport at each event. They compete for an end of season prize purse of €36,000, in addition to the prize purse of over €100,000 distributed across all races.
Mike Foote, world class trail runner and organiser of The Rut events in the rugged Montana mountains, adds, “It’s an honour to be a part of the 2016 Skyrunner World Series. As the organisers of three events here in the United States, it is exciting to host many of the world’s best. I love the ethos of skyrunning. Steep, technical and dramatic courses inspire me as an athlete and it has been such a pleasure to also organize events with these traits here in my backyard.”
About Skyrunner® World Series
Skyrunning was founded in 1992 by Italian Marino Giacometti, President of the International Skyrunning Federation which sanctions the discipline worldwide and sports the tagline: Less cloud. More sky.
The Skyrunner® World Series was launched in 2004 and has grown to represent the peak of outdoor running defined by altitude and technicality. In 2016, the Series, composed of four disciplines, features 23 races in 15 venues on three continents.
It is supported by Migu Xempower, Alpina Watches, Compressport, Salomon and Scott Sports.
About Migu Xempower
Migu Xempower is an advanced O2O (online to Offline) exercise and health management platform in China. Online Migu Xempower APP integrates exercise, sports events, public service, and recreation. Offline Migu Xempower IP is built with a purpose of organizing class-1 marathons, inner-city races and mountain-cross races. China Mountain Trails is an important race brand of Migu Xempower which integrates online and offline resources.
www.skyrunnerworldseries.com
2016 SKYRUNNER® WORLD SERIES
SKY
April 30: Yading Skyrun – 29 km, Sichuan – China
May 22: Maratón Alpina Zegama-Aizkorri – 42 km, Zegama – Spain
June 26: Livigno SkyMarathon® – 30 km, Livigno – Italy
July 17: Dolomites SkyRace® – 22 km, Canazei – Italy
July 31: SkyRace® Coma Pedrosa – 22 km, Andorra
August 20: Matterhorn Ultraks 46K – Zermatt – Switzerland
September 3: The Rut 28K – Big Sky Montana – USA
October 15: Limone Extreme SkyRace® – 23 km, Limone sul Garda – Italy
EXTREME
August 7: Tromsø SkyRace® – 50km, Tromsø – Norway
August 28: Kima Trophy – 50 km, Sondrio – Italy
September 18: Salomon Glen Coe Skyline – 53 km, Glen Coe – UK
ULTRA
May 7: Transvulcania Naviera Armas Ultramarathon – 74 km, La Palma – Spain
June 4: Ultra SkyMarathon® Madeira – 55 km, Madeira – Portugal
July 10: High Trail Vanoise – 68 km, Val d’Isère – France
September 4: The Rut 50K – Big Sky, Montana – USA
September 24: Salomon Ultra Pirineu – 110 km, Bagà – Spain
VERTICAL
May 5: Kilómetro Vertical Transvulcania Binter- La Palma – Spain
June 24: Santa Caterina Vertical Kilometer® – Sondrio – Italy
July 8: Kilomètre Vertical Face de Bellevarde – Val d’Isère – France
July 15: Dolomites Vertical Kilometer® – Canazei – Italy
August 5: Blamann Vertical – Tromsø – Norway
September 2: Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer® – Big Sky, Montana – USA
October14: Limone Extreme Vertical Kilometer® – Limone sul Garda – Italy
* Skyrunner® World Series Ranking
Scoring is based on:
Sky: four best results / Extreme: two best results / Ultra: three best results / Vertical: four best results
New website: www.skyrunnerworldseries.com
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