Watch: Tromsø Skyrace Highlights
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Started in 2014 by Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg, the Tromsø Skyrace offers a unique and challenging Skyrunning experience above the Arctic Circle.
At 69 degrees North, Tromsø, Norway offers rugged terrain and breathtaking views. The series consists of four races taking place during the first weekend in August, with the Hamperokken Skyrace a 57km course with 4,700 meters of vertical gain serving as the main event.
The Hamperokken Skyrace is the eleventh race of the 2019 Migu Run Skyrunner® World Series and is best suited for experienced competitors who are familiar with technical terrain on ridges and snow fields. The 57K course has runners scrambling the ridge of Hamperokken and summiting Tromsdalstinden.
For the fourth year now, Jonathan Albon, of Great Britain, won in a time of 6:54.30. Albon won the 2019 Trail World Championships, and he continues to dominate the Skyrunning scene. He was followed close behind by Manuel Anguita and Zaid Ait Malek, both of Spain, who summited the two peaks alongside Albon and finished in second and fourth, respectively.
The top female-finisher Johanna Åström, of Sweden, beat the course record by 14 minutes and finished in a time of 8:0.49. Åström is relatively new to Skyrunning and is an athlete to look out for in future competitions. Holly Page, of Great Britain, finished second with Hillary Gerardi, of the USA, finishing in third, and Brittany Peterson, of the USA, finishing in fourth.
It was also a triumphal day for Hillary Allen who returned to the Tromsø Skyrace after having a near-death incident where she fell 150 feet on the Hamperokken Ridge at the race in 2017. She returned and finished the race with Manu Par, the man who helped save her life.
They didn’t win @TromsoSkyrace today, but they are winners. Two years after her fatal accident Hillary Allen and Manu Par, the guy who saved her life, finished the race together 🙌 #respect
📷 @albertjorquera pic.twitter.com/Qp0v8TS1GC
— Skyrunning (@Skyrunning_com) August 3, 2019
Other notable events from the weekend in the Arctic Circle included fun pre-race festivities like running with huskies, as well as two shorter Skyraces and a Vertical Kilometer.
Fast dogs and fast people…the perfect match! Brittany Peterson warming up for @TromsoSkyrace tomorrow! 🐶🏃🏼♀️🚀#tromsovillmarkssenter #husky #dogrunning #tromsoskyrace pic.twitter.com/WVyvyd1xKA
— Skyrunning (@Skyrunning_com) August 2, 2019
As compared to the foggy conditions of prior years, the warmer weather this past weekend provided the perfect opportunity for competitors to soak up the spectacular views from a top the ridges and summits.
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