Adventures, passion and podiums
Tessa Hill
Arc’teryx team athletes competing in the 2013 Skyrunner® World Series have tasted adventure and success at such iconic races as Transvulcania, Zegama, the Mont Blanc Marathon and KM Vertical and the Matterhorn Ultraks…
It’s not just about the podium however. It’s about passion. From Germany, Florian Reichert who just joined the team earlier this year was completely new to skyrunning after a history of successful road racing.
Florian Reichert
He states:
“It’s been a long and exciting year for me, and I’m grateful for the experiences I made, people I met and challenges I faced. I was introduced to a new world of running, and I enjoyed it immensely! Just being out there in the mountains and pushing myself to the limit in these fantastic sceneries gave me a satisfaction I never experienced in road racing or track & field.”
“Just for completeness-sake, I placed 18th in the ISF Sky ranking and 16th in the VK. However, these cold figures will never transmit the emotions I experienced, lessons I learned and friendships I built!”
Passion and podiums go happily hand in hand for Tessa Hill from Great Britain who took home an excellent third position in the Vertical Series. She came fourth in both the Vertical and Sky events at the finals, which took place in Limone on Lake Garda in Italy. Set in the most spectacular scenery, the races were among the toughest on the circuit.
Here, Tessa pulled it all together with two stunning performances. The icing on the cake came with her third position podium spot on the Vertical Series ranking. She excitedly exclaimed, “You see, given the time and the correct preparation, I can do this!” Nobody ever doubted Tessa’s ability and, with her excellent performance in the SkyRace® she can look forward to a very bright 2014 on the Skyrunner® World Series.
Running long and hard can take its toll and Arc’teryx ambassadors Italian Nicola Gollinelli and Frenchman Didier Zago were among them.
Super-strong Nicola Golinelli perfomed at top level both in the Mont-Blanc Marathon where he placed fourth and at Ultraks in Zermatt – right behind super-star champions Kilian Jornet and Luis Alberto Hernando. Hindered by early and late season injuries, he closed tenth in the Sky Series and tenth overall in the European Skyrunning Championships’ Dolomites SkyRace®.
Frenchman Didier Zago has also had to face injury throughout the season, although the end of June found him on top form with a sixth place at the Mont-Blanc Marathon. He took eleventh overall in the Vertical Series.
Summing up a season of adventures, passion and podiums, the Arc’teryx athletes have proven they are ranked among the world’s top ten skyrunners. Their achievements are not just numbers. Each and every one has a story to tell – of challenges and courage, of glory and disappointment, of friendship and camaraderie. 2014 promises no less.
