UTMB World Series. Wildstrubel by UTMB. RESULTS

Posted by Corriendo la Vida on September 19, 2023 in trail running spain, utmb world series 2023 | Leave a comment

UTMB World Series. Wildstrubel by UTMB. RESULTS . Our UTMB WORLD SERIES  bring us the Wildstrubel by UTMB, than confirmed its status as a premier trail running Event in the Swiss Alps.

4,000 runners registered to participate in one of the four main races offered during the weekend, with over 350 volunteers supporting the event along the trails. The Event lived up to its promise of “an extraordinary experience in breathtaking scenery.“

©UTMB

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UTMB World Series. Wildstrubel by UTMB.

The Wildstrubel by UTMB is a concentration of the best Switzerland has to offer: Mountains over 4,000m, bisses, lakes, high Alpine passes, sheer cliffs, lush green pastures, dams… The Wildstrubel is not one atmosphere, but several very different atmospheres that guaranteed an extraordinary journey for the 4,000 runners of 72 different nationalities, 53% of whom came from abroad. They visited two cantons and 5 internationally renowned tourist destinations. The Wildstrubel by UTMB is a link between several regions, several communities, several languages and several cultures, as race director Ryan Baumann sums up so well: “even the cows are not the same colour on either side of the mountain…“.

After a successful debut in 2022, the organizers of Wildstrubel by UTMB continued to grow the event, keeping the same promise of turning around the Wildstrubel massive and crossing 5 world-famous destinations, while adding new features this year: an extended main race format to elevate it to the 100M category, offering Finishers 4 Running Stones, that are used in the lottery to participate in the UTMB World Series Finals. They also added a 70km format starting from Kandersteg, as well as a wheelchair racing event in collaboration with the Sport Handicap association in Sierre, and various activities in Crans-Montana and along the course for a sporty and festive Swiss weekend.

©UTMB

Once again, the Swiss magic reigned. Runners experienced a unique adventure on the Valais and Bernese trails, discovering their limits and the soaking in the pleasure and joy that this sport can bring, regardless of their level or goals.

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UTMB World Series. Wildstrubel by UTMB.

RESULTS

For some, it was a quest for podium finishes and qualifications for the 2024 UTMB World Series Finals, like for the winners Andy SYMONDS (GB) and Sara ESCOBAR-CARRON (CH) who secured their spots in the UTMB by winning the Wild110. The UTMB World Series circuit’s sports system grants the top 3 finishers in each race their direct qualification for the corresponding finals category. Aurélien DUNAND-PALLAZ (FR) and Anne-Lise ROUSSET (FR), winners of the Wild70, as well as Benedikt HOFFMANN (GER) and Clovis CHAVEROT (FR), respectively 1st and 2nd in the Wild50, and César COSTA (CH) and Franziska ALTHAUS (GER), all expressed their desire to join the Dacia UTMB Mont-Blanc adventure next year.

©UTMB

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UTMB World Series. Wildstrubel by UTMB.

INCREDIBLE SCENERY

But more than just a race for qualification, it was, above all, a wild, authentic journey close to nature that both elite and amateur runners sought. Incredible scenery amidst an exceptional backdrop was on offer, from lush alpine meadows and rocky mountain terrain to some of Europe’s largest glaciers, dizzying peaks, and azure mountain lakes. Their focus was not on the stopwatch but on the 360-degree panoramic views that greeted them with every stride, both on the trails and at the heart of the five iconic destinations they traversed.

From the first to the last, from the youngest to the oldest, runners experienced a weekend filled with thrills: the apprehensive excitement at the start, facing the adventure ahead, the exhaustion in their legs during the ascent to the Wildstrubel hut, and the long-awaited ecstatic emotion as they crossed the finish line, finally realizing the path they had traveled.

For two individuals in a joëlette, a wheelchair adapted to take on mountain conditions, accompanied by a team of relayers throughout the Wild25 course on Sunday morning, this sentiment must have been immeasurable—a project undertaken in collaboration with the Sport Handicap association in Sierre to allow runners of all abilities to discover this trail running adventure.