8th Gore-Tex® Transalpine-Run is ready!
In two days, things will get serious for more than 600 trail runners from all over the world. The 8th GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN, one of the hardest trailrunning events in the world, starts in Ruhpolding on Saturday, Sept 1 at 9 a.m…
Full event release
The Alpine classic begins in this year with a big bang, since the first stage from Ruhpolding to Kitzbühel is with its 49.6 kms and 1,663m difference in altitude not only the royal stage, but also the longest starting stage in the history of the race.
The route director Wolfgang Pohl from the mountain school Vivalpin is sure that this year’s route will not only impress the participants but also drive them to their limits:
“The GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN 2012 features everything that experienced trailrunners expect from such an Alpine route: challenging and at the same time varied trails, long ascents and rapid downhills, high Alpine passages with a great perspective and breathtaking views down the landscape.
“The GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN 2012 is with over 320 kilometers of horizontal distance and over 15,000m difference in altitude ascent, the longest Transalpine run since its debut in 2005. From Ruhpolding in the Bavarian North Alps to Sexten in the Dolomites there is no Alpine passage that offers more challenges for the runners. Accordingly, the finisher shirt is very popular. It awaits the participants in Sexten.”
With 1,766m difference in altitude and almost 35 kilometers, the second race stage from St. Johann to Kizbühel might not be the toughest stage but the route from the Wilder Kaiser to the Kitzbühel Alps already offers some high alpine passages.
Phillip Reiter in 2011
On the third day there is another great challenge. The over 2,258m difference in altitude and more than 46 kms from Kitzbühel to Neukirchen at Großvenediger make the 3rd stage to the royal stage. Just the start over the notorious ‘stripe’ to Hahnenkamm is already per se a demanding mountain run.
The 4th stage from Neukirchen at Großvenediger to Prettau in Ahrntal with full marathon distance and 1,997m difference in altitude has with the Birnlücke (2,665m) the highest point of the GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN 2012. A unique route regarding the landscape and a magnificent perspective await the participants from Austria to South Tyrol.
Always providing a view of the mountain chain of the Zillertaler Alps in the North, the 5th stage with over 1,821m difference in altitude and a distance of 32.8 kms leads into the heart of the Rieserferner group in the South of Ahrntal to Sand in Taufers. This stage of the route is also on high alpine ground and hard to beat when it comes to the beauty of the landscape.
On the next day, the 38.5 kms long 6th stage with brutal 2,289m difference in altitude leads until the finishing line in St. Vigil along the East slope of the Tauferer Tal to the town center of Bruneck. What follows is the seemingly endless ascent to the Kronplatz that offers a perspective on the Dolomites in the South only at its peak.
The 7th stage to Niederdorf has plenty of highlights to offer. The first kilometres through the Tamerstal are the ideal start for the runners but then the route leads in short extremely steep turns to the Sennes-plateau, one of the most beautiful peaks of the Dolomites. In the end, the route is almost 2,000 difference in altitude and ca. 42 kilometers long.
The finishing stage of the GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN 2012 leads to the lovely situated town Sexten in the Dolomites. But before the finishing line can be crossed there are almost 34 kilometers left to cover. The panorama of this stage could not be more breathtaking and more beautiful. After all, the participants finish in front of the really spectacular settings of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the symbol of the Dolomites.
Further news via the TAR website, with a preview on the chances of the British pairing Billy Burn and Morgan Donnelly soon on MST.
