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Skyrunner World Series 2019: These Mountain Races Will Blow Your Mind!

? Featured Image Photo Credit: Yann Audouin

The Skyrunner World Series 2019 season is made up of 15 races in 11 countries and one SkyMasters concluding the season. From snow covered ridges in Japan to volcanic terrain in La Palma and exposed, rocky summits in Norway, the 2019 Skyrunner World Series visits the most beautiful and unique locations all over the world. Runners participating in the series will experience breathtaking views and a variety of very technical terrains.

What is Skyrunning?

Skyrunning stands apart from other mountain running activities. The criteria of a SWS Sky Race are:

  • Race Duration: Day-long races with a time limit of 16 hours.Race
  • Distance: Sky Races feature distances from 22 km to 66 km to enable full intensity performance throughout the race.
  • Race Values: Races are characterised by their technicality, speed, intensity and extreme terrain.
  • Altitude (average and maximum reached), peak reach, running on snow/glacier, grade II climbing difficulty and increased elevation percentage are other factors also taken into account when defining a Sky Race.

Piqued your interest and now you want to run a skyrace? Read on to learn more about the race circuit and follow the links at the end of this article for information about each of the individual races that will happen throughout the year. If you think skyrunning is too extreme for you at the moment, check out all the other awesome trail races we have written about instead. You’ll definitely find an event report there that will get you inspired to run the race. You can sort the trail races by distance, location, technical difficulty, and even climate.

RELATED: The Best Trail Running Shoes (The Ultimate Buyers Guide!)

The 2019 season kicked off in Japan last weekend for the Mt. Awa Skyrace. Although it’s the first time this race has been in the World Series, the field was packed with the best skyrunners from around the world. The winners were Ruy Ueda of Japan for the men’s lineup and Elisa Desco of Italy for the women’s.
The series now moves on to China for the Yading Skyrace and after this, continues in countries such as Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Bulgaria and Greece.
Maderia Skyrace ©MRSWS Paulo Abreu web
Maderia Skyrace ©MRSWS Paulo Abreu web
What’s interesting about the 2019 season is that there will no longer be multiple rankings or categories of races. The aim of the Skyrunner World Series this year is to crown the best overall skyrunner in the world; a skyrunner being someone who is able to face any type of mountain with technicality, speed and intensity. This means there will be 1 single ranking system based on the best 4 point results of the season with an end of season bonus pool of 75,000€ split equally amongst the top 10 male and female athletes.
To be eligible for the end of season bonus pool, runners must take part in at least 4 races, at least 2 of these must be Supersky Races, and start at the SkyMasters race. The SkyMasters will be held in Limone on an exclusive course designed specially for the event. It is the grand finale of the season, open only to those who qualify. In order to qualify for the SkyMasters, athletes must meet one of the following criteria:
  • Be in the Top 30 Men/Women of the Season General Ranking (standing before the Masters)
  • Be in the Top 30 Men/Women of the 52-Week Ranking two weeks prior to the Sky Masters
  • Be a Top-10 Man/Woman of a SuperSky Race
  • Be a Top-5 Man/Woman of a Sky Race
  • Be a winner (man and woman) of a nominated race in each SNS Country
  • Be the winner (man and woman) of the final ranking of a Skyrunner® National Series
Livigno SkyMarathon ©MRSWS Ian Corless
Livigno SkyMarathon ©MRSWS Ian Corless
There are 4 Supersky Races in the calendar:

RELATED: Best GPS Watches for Ultrarunning & Trail Running

These races have been specially selected and are worth double points. It’s guaranteed to be a very exciting and competitive circuit and we’re expecting an unforgettable end of season event in Limone!

Skyrace des Matheysins © Skyrace des Matheysins Rainer Ost web
Skyrace des Matheysins © Skyrace des Matheysins Rainer Ost web
Skyrunner World Series 2019 Race Calendar

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

Alastair
Alastairhttps://www.trailandkale.com
As the founder of Trail & Kale, and seasoned marathoner & ultrarunner, Alastair loves bringing our readers independent running shoe reviews and gear insights to help you run your best. Learn more about Trail & Kale here.

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? Featured Image Photo Credit: Yann Audouin The Skyrunner World Series 2019 season is made up of 15 races in 11 countries and one SkyMasters concluding the season. From snow covered ridges in Japan to volcanic terrain in La Palma and exposed, rocky summits in...Skyrunner World Series 2019: These Mountain Races Will Blow Your Mind!