April
28
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SKYRUNNING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: POSTPONED DUE THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK TILL 2021
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The 2020 Skyrunning World Championships was going to be celebrated this July 10-12, 2020 at the BUFF® Mountain Festival in the Spanish Pyrenees, however and due the COVID-19 outbreak, the event has been postponed to the same venue in 2021. Because of this, runners such as Kilian Jornet or Jan Margarit will no longer be able to participate for their brand’s team, as it happened in 2018, but in order to compete they will must do it within the Spanish FEDME team.
Podio skyrace 2018. photo; ISF
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SKYRUNNING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: POSTPONED DUE THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK TILL 2021
The decision has been made by the International Skyrunning Federation together with the Spanish member, FEDME and local organisers Oci Sport, due to the ongoing government decrees on health and travel restrictions.
With differing situations in different countries, it has been impossible to confirm the hoped-for September date and a year-long postponement has been preferred. “We want to convey a positive perspective on the 2021 date of the 2020 Championships. Having more time available, means more time for our members to focus, to organise travel and support and for athletes to train – always with an eye on the 27 medals at stake,” said ISF president, Marino Giacometti.
Next year’s World Championships, the sixth edition, will be the first to be open only to Official National Teams. Athletes will confront each other in the three skyrunning disciplines: VERTICAL, SKY and SKYULTRA. World titles and 27 medals will be awarded to Individuals and Official Teams as well as a Combined title based on the best results of the Vertical and Sky races.
- Vertical – Buff Epic Trail Vertical Kilometer – 2.8 km long with 1,030 m of vertical ascent
- Sky – Buff Epic Trail 42K: 42 km long with a vertical rise of 3,300 m
- Ultra – Buff Epic Trail 65K: 65 km long with 5,000 m vertical ascent
A separate start will be arranged at a different time for the Championship to avoid overlap with open races. The distances and the vertical rise remain identical, although following the traditional model of athletics, the races of the elite and the popular ones become clearly separated. The AMA anti-doping tests will be carried out at the Championships managed by FEDME, the ISF member and for Spain, which will also sanction the events and supervise them with their referees.
The venue is located in the magnificent Vall de Boí, a spectacular natural arena and UNESCO World Heritage Site, surrounded by 3,000m peaks and 200 mountain lakes. The 2020 events are still programmed to take place on 4-6 September. In 2019 the BUFF® Mountain Festival attracted 3,000 athletes and 15,000 spectators.
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Info by Abel de Frutos for Trailrunningspain
