South African Skyrunning Association

07/08/2018

11 countries get medals at Youth Skyrunning World Champs

(photo shows Claudia Sabata (ESP), SkyRace gold medalist for the second year in a row. ©Luca Cironi)

For the third year running Spaincame out on top at the Youth Skyrunning World Championshipsheld in L’Aquila, Italy between August 3-5. Eleven countries out of the 18 participating took home medals.
The future of skyrunning unfolded as 128 runners aged between 16 to 23 ran two races for the individual age categories and the combined title. The Gran Sasso Vertical Kilometer® and Gran Sasso SkyRace® hosted the events for the second year since the Championships began here in 2016.
Spain again took the lion’s share with 12 medals – eight gold andfour silver, but Switzerland andItaly battled fiercely conquering eight and 11 medals respectively.
The competition was tougher than ever with six countries winning at least one gold medal, underlining the growing success of this initiative.

03/08/2018

Youth Skyrunning World Championships raring to go!

Aspiring skyrunners from across the world are gathering in L’Aquila, nearRome, Italy for the third edition of the Youth Skyrunning World Championships. Since its inception in 2016, the Championships have proven a great success, counting increasing numbers of participants and countries.
Eighteen countries are represented this year with the participation of 128 athletes aged between 16 and 23.
The young athletes will compete in the Gran Sasso Vertical Kilometer®and in the Gran Sasso Skyrace, aiming to take home some of the 54 medals at stake. The categories represented are: Youth A (16-17 years), Youth B (18-20 years) and U23 (21-23 years).
The countries represented this year, which count an extra five with respect to last year, are: Andorra, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Japan, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.

17/05/2018

Calling all young and aspiring skyrunners!

The South African Skyrunning Association (SASA) is scouting SA’s trail youth for two of its very BEST – one gal, one guy – to represent South Africa at the 2018 Youth Skyrunning World Championships, which will be held on 3-5 August, at Fonte Cerreto, L’Aquila, in Italy.
This will be the third consecutive year that SASA will have representation at the Youth Skyrunning World Champs – in 2016 Hayley Preen and Chris Strydom competed at the 21.6km Gran Sasso Skyrace® in Italy, and in 2017 Hayley raced at the 15km Skyrace® Arinsal in Andorra.
To take part in the Youth Skyrunning World Champs, participants need to be selected by their national skyrunning association.
Applicants must fit one of the three age categories:
- Youth A (16-17 years): born between 31 Dec 2001 and 1 Jan 2002
- Youth B (18, 18, 20 years): born between 31 Dec 1998 and 1 Jan 2000
- U23 (21, 22, 23 years): born between 31 Dec 1995 and 1 Jan 1997
Selection criteria are simple: applicants need to email their best 5 official results (with respective race websites) from the 2018 races in which they’ve competed so far.
*Flight and travel costs are for the participants’ own accounts, but accommodation and all meals for the entire race weekend (four nights) will be covered.

Submissions should be emailed to [email protected] by latest 2 July 2018, and include the following information:
Full name
ID number
Email address
Contact number
Full name and contact details of guardian (if you are younger than 18)

2018 YOUTH SKYRUNNING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS August 3-5, 2018 – Fonte Cerreto, L’Aquila, ITALY Regulations All the participants to the YWC races must be selected by their National teams according to the Olympic rules Every National Federation can select a maximum of four participants for every cate...

28/03/2018

Announcement to all South African skyrunners!
The South African Skyrunning Association will not be holding a Skyrunner Series this year, or for the foreseeable future.
This is not a decision we've taken lightly. It's cost-related - the International Skyrunning Federation requires an annual fee for the staging of ISF-accredited national series, and with that fee being in euros, and increasing annually, the cost became prohibitive.
Please note however that all the races that were involved in the Skyrunner Series, apart from the Ingeli Trail, are most definitely still very much alive and happening in their own right, as they always have and always will be! They are:
- Drakensberg Northern Trail (DNT) (which rocked its 2018 event this past Saturday as successfully as ever!);
- Clemengold Wolkberg Trail Run (11-12 Aug);
- Uitsoek Trail (13 Oct); and
- Lesotho Ultra (24 Nov).
KZN Trail Running Sven Musica Wolkberg Trail Run

29/11/2017

Johardt van Heerden, Nicolette Griffioen victorious at 2017 finale | Lesotho Ultra Trail

The five-race South African 2017 Skyrunner® Series drew to a high-class conclusion on Saturday with the setting of a new course record at the Lesotho Ultra Trail Ultra SkyMarathon®. Drakensberg Nor…

27/11/2017

Some beautifuls scenes from the finale at the Lesotho Ultra Trail this past weekend. Event wrap up and series winner announcements coming soon...

It has been quite a day in the Maulti Mountains - from sunshine to rain and SNOW! We really have seen all seasons here in the Mountain Kingdom.

There were big smiles at the start line as runners prepared to take on the mighty Maluti Mountains surrounding them. It's just 50km/38km between them and the finish line.

After enduring some tough and extreme weather conditions out on the course, there were some emotional finishers back at Maliba Lodge having conquered Africa's First Ultra Skymarathon.

Congratulations to all athletes for taking on this epic event, you were absolute trail warriors out there.

A big thank you to our sponsors, Raidlight South Africa and Metropolitan Lesotho for all your support and contribution to the vent, As well as to Maliba Lodge for hosting our event for the 5th time.

What a weekend!

Image credit: Terence Vrugtman - Photographer, Adventure Life

KZN Trail Running
Love Africa Marketing
VisitLesotho
South African Skyrunning Association

23/11/2017

finale once again heads back to the Tsehlanyane National Park for the Lesotho Ultra Trail this weekend!

The fifth and final race in the 2017 Skyrunner® Series, the Lesotho Ultra Trail (LUT), promises to be even bigger and better than previous years, with stiff local and international competition amon…

23/10/2017

With the final race of this year's Skyrunner Series at the Lesotho Ultra Trail fast approaching, here are the current men's and women's category standings (top 10) 📸 Sven Musica

With just one race on the 2017 Skyrunner® Series to go, here are the current series points standings after the recent Uitsoek SkyMarathon®: MEN RACES POINTS Toit Honiball DNT (62) + Ingeli (66) + W…

20/10/2017

Attention now shifting towards this year's finale at the Lesotho Ultra Trail. Who's running?

Happy Friday!

With 2017 in just over ONE MONTH, have our athletes had a look at the full 50km route outline and profile?

Here's your chance... Are you ready for this?

Find out more: http://www.lesothoultratrail.com/routes/50km-ultra-skymarathon/

KZN Trail Running
Love Africa Marketing
Raidlight South Africa
Metropolitan Lesotho
South African Skyrunning Association
Maliba Lodge
VisitLesotho

18/10/2017

Saturday's Uitsoek SkyMarathon® certainly proved that even though there may be mist below, there's sky at the top of mountains... but you need to run up them to find it!
Congrats to race winners Werner Bosman and Cheryl Coetzee!
Read up about the race here:

Any experienced skyrunner from Mpumalanga can tell you the lowveld highlands can be as tough to race as any skyrunning profile, and this was proven once again on Saturday at the Uitsoek SkyMarathon…

12/10/2017

The 4th race in the 2017 Skyrunner® Series takes place on Saturday with the Uitsoek Skymarathon®. Read all about it here:

Saturday sees the staging of the fourth and penultimate event in the 2017 Skyrunner® Series, the 38km Uitsoek Skymarathon near Nelspruit in Mpumalanga. Seventy-six runners will be braving the route…

21/09/2017

Well done to South Africa's Meg Levinson who finished 8th at the Salomon Glen Coe Skyline, part of this year's Skyrunning Skyrunner World Series, this past weekend! Photo - Philipp Reiter