2015 U.S. Skyrunner Series Announced

The expanded U.S. series will feature races in the Northeast and Southeast and a $50,000-plus prize purse

Runners cresting the top of Angels Staircase 60K/35K, outside of Carlton, Washington. Photo by Yitka Winn

The 2015 U.S. Skyrunner Series was announced Monday, adding races in the northeastern and southeastern United States, and a $50,000-plus prize purse.

In order to increase the appeal and accessibility of skyrunning in the U.S., the 2015 U.S. series includes the Whiteface Sky Marathon in New York, the Georgia Death Race 68-miler, and the Quest for the Crest 50K and Vertical Kilometer (VK) in North Carolina. Skyrunning races feature more elevation and exposure than standard trail races and have typically been the domain of mountainous regions like the Alps or the Mountain West.

19 total races across three categories (Sky, Ultra and Vertical Kilometer) comprise the second iteration of the U.S. Skyrunner Series, which debuted in 2014. Many races in the series were created or adjusted specifically to fit the series.

“[Skyrunning] events are some of the toughest around but leave runners wanting more, from the leaders to the back of the pack,” says U.S. series Director Ian Sharman, who also organized the inaugural series for 2014. “So I’m really excited and honored to bring the original skyrunning concept to the U.S. on a wider scale with some of the most exciting races around.”

The U.S. series is one of roughly 30 Skyrunner National Series around the world and three of its races – the VK, 50K, and newly-added Sky Race at The Rut in Big Sky, Montana—will be part of the 2015 Skyrunner World Series (SWS). Additionally, 2015 will include a Skyrunning Continental Championship (SCC) in North America which allows runners to score points in the SWS. The SCC will include Arizona’s Flagstaff Sky Race 39K and VK and the Audi Power of 4 50K in Aspen, Colorado.

The U.S. Skyrunner Series, like the SWS, features competition in three separate categories of skyrunning races: Sky, for races near the marathon distance; Ultra, for races 50K and longer; and VK, for races that feature at least one kilometer of ascent over a distance of five kilometers or less.

See below for the full schedule.

2015 Race Schedule

SKY

1. NEW YORK: Whiteface Sky Marathon – 26 miles, 9,000 feet elevation gain – Wilmington – June 28

2. COLORADO: Kendall Mt Run – 12 miles, 3,750 feet elevation gain – Silverton – July 18

3. UTAH: Tushar Sky Race – 39 kilometers, 6,800 feet elevation gain – Tushar Mountains – August 1

4. WASHINGTON: Angels Staircase – 35 kilometers, 6,000 feet elevation gain – Carlton – August 9

5. MONTANA: The Rut – 25K, 7,000 feet elevation gain – Big Sky – September 5

6. WASHINGTON: Crystal Mountain Sky Marathon – 26 miles, 8,000 feet elevation gain – Crystal Mountain Resort – September 19

7. ARIZONA: Flagstaff Sky Race – 39 kilometers, 8,000 feet elevation gain – Flagstaff – October 3

ULTRA
1. GEORGIA: Georgia Death Race – 68 miles, 20,000 feet elevation gain – Vogel State Park – March 14

2. NORTH CAROLINA: Quest for the Crest – 50 kilometers, 11,000 feet elevation gain – Burnsville – May 30

3. COLORADO: Audi Power of 4 – 50 kilometers, 7,900 feet elevation gain – Aspen Snowmass – July 19

4. UTAH: Tushar Sky Race – 93 kilometers, 16,800 feet elevation gain – Tushar Mountains – August 1

5. WASHINGTON: Angels Staircase – 60 kilometers, 11,000 feet elevation gain – Carlton – August 8

6. MONTANA: The Rut – 50 kilometers, 10,000 feet elevation gain – Big Sky – September 5

7. ARIZONA: Flagstaff Sky Race – 55 kilometers, 10,000 feet elevation gain – Flagstaff – October 3

VERTICAL
1. NORTH CAROLINA: Quest for the Crest VK – Burnsville – May 30

2. NEW YORK: Whiteface VK – Wilmington – June 27

3. COLORADO: Audi Power of 4 VK – Aspen Snowmass – July 18

4. MONTANA: Lone Peak VK – Big Sky – September 4

5. ARIZONA: Flagstaff Sky Race VK – Flagstaff – October 4

Learn more at the U.S. Skyrunning website.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

• America’s Foray into Skyrunning, by Alex Kurt
  
• A Marathon in the Sky, by Dakota Jones
  
• What a Skyrunning Race Looks Like (Video), by Duct Tape TV

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