Zugspitz Ultratrail 100K in June 2011

Zugspitz Ultratrail is a new running event on Saturday, June 25, 2011.

There will actually be two races:

• Ultratrail: 101 km with 6054 meters of climbing, start 7:00 AM, time limit 26h, fee 100€,
• Supertrail: 64 km with 3622 meters of climbing, start 8:00 AM, time limit 16h, fee 65€.

Both routes start and finish in the town of Grainau located close to the Austrian border, and go around Zugspitze (2,962 m), the highest mountain in Germany.

I've been there and can say that the Wetterstein range is a fabulous mountain region. Just watch the trailer below!



I don't think it will be an easy race by any means, as the Conditions of Participation state that:

• Each participant must be aware of the distance of the course and the physical challenge it poses and enter the competition prepared for such a challenge
• Each participant must provide a medical certificate attesting full physical fitness (this medical certificate must not be older than 3 months at the time of registration!)
• Each participant has to have an appropriate level of alpine running experience
• Each participant has to be sure-footed and have the ability to move safely on alpine mountain trails, across what would seem to be trail-less terrain and in steep terrain with exposure. This ability must not be compromised by any possible fear of heights
• Each participant has to be experienced in hiking difficult alpine trails passages such as short cliffsides secured by ropes
• Each participant has to possess a good sense of direction in mountain terrain, even when weather and visibility turn for the worse. This also means being able to follow a path by topographical maps or by maps and course information contained in the Trail Book
• Each participant has to be familiar with emergency procedures in alpine mountain terrain
• Each participant has to be able, physically as well as psychologically, to cope with extremely long runs in a high mountain area at altitudes of up to 2,600 meters above sea level
• Each participant must have sufficient physical fitness to cope with a difference in altitude of 400 meters per hour and a distance of 6 kilometers per hour, even if the running environment is in high alpine territory and includes technically demanding portions (e.g. short portions secured by rope or exposed trails) and if conditions are difficult (due to e.g., rain, snow or ice)

Mandatory equipment includes:

• Functional clothing as well as trail running shoes with tread suitable for high alpine territory (running shoes for the road with little or no tread are unsuitable)
• Foul-weather gear for protection from the elements (as a minimum water-proof rain coat)
• Warm clothing (long-sleeved shirt and running pants) as insulating layers underneath the rain gear (in case of bad weather conditions which may set in suddenly in high mountain territory)
• Gloves and a warm hat
• Functioning headlamp and replacement batteries
• Water tank containing at least 1.5 liters
• Emergency gear (i.e. first aid kit, rescue blanket)
• Trail Book with outline and detail maps, and altitude profile of the whole course
• Back pack
• Mobile phone with rescue phone number saved in its address book to be able to make emergency calls (it must be made sure that the phone can make calls from within Austria as well)
• Identification card and race pass
• Also recommended: GPS device, trekking poles, sun screen, fatty cream against chafing, additional supply of food and beverages

There weren't any course maps or check point/aid station information available either at this point. Perhaps that's why these events are not yet listed among UTMB Qualifying Races, but they probably will be in due course.