Outstanding home victory at the Matterhorn Ultraks by Martin Anthamatten: "I came to win" |
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Zermatt, 23 August 2024 – An impressive start to the 12th Matterhorn Ultraks in Zermatt, held from 23 to 25 August 2024, with the challenging EXTREME race, which is part of the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series. Martin Anthamatten (39) won his home race for the first time, creating an excellent atmosphere at the Zermatt finish area. Last year’s winner, Anastasia Rubtsova (32), also put on a great performance, dominating the women’s race with the 11th best time overall.
The Matterhorn Ultraks weekend began in perfect conditions with a highlight: the EXTREME race featuring 3,175 meters of elevation gain over 27 kilometers. This race is part of the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series. The EXTREME is one of the most demanding races in the series, requiring extreme skills from the runners. Due to the challenges in the alpine terrain and safety reasons, the number of bibs for the EXTREME race is limited. For the elite runners, this race was also an opportunity to collect crucial points for the overall ranking in the second half of the season.
However, the Matterhorn Ultraks attracts not only elite runners but also participants of all performance levels within the trail running community. A total of 4,254 participants have registered for all races over the weekend – a record number.
Course designer Anthamatten: Victory at the season’s peak
Zermatt native Martin Anthamatten (adidas TERREX) wrote the most impressive story of the race, fulfilling a long-held dream: he won in 3:44:16 hours, ahead of Luca del Pero (28) from Team Scarpa (+4:03 minutes) and 24-year-old Gianluca Ghiano from the Brooks Trail Runners (+5:16 minutes). Both Italians pursued Anthamatten tenaciously, making the race thrilling for a long time.
"Local hero" Martin Anthamatten not only knows every stone on the trails right outside his door, but he is also the course designer of the EXTREME race – and with his first win at home, he was finally able to take advantage of his home turf. He almost apologized for this in the winner’s interview, but then firmly stated that he was very happy: "This course suits me. The Matterhorn Ultraks is the highlight of my season, and I’ve geared everything towards it. I didn’t come just to participate; I came to win."
Anastasia Rubtsova dominates with start-to-finish victory
The women’s race astonished the spectators. Anastasia Rubtsova flew through the alpine terrain as if there were no obstacles. She dominated from start to finish. The Matterhorn Ultraks – EXTREME is her favorite race, as she celebrated her first major victory here last year. "I’m very happy with this win because, in my view, the race in Zermatt is the most difficult in the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series. I specifically trained for it and increased my training volume," said the delighted winner at the finish line. Rubtsova finished more than half an hour (!) ahead of Olivia Magnone (France) and placed 11th overall!
On Saturday, the races will continue with the SKY, MOUNTAIN, and RELAY categories. On Sunday, the ACTIVE race will take place.
Matterhorn Ultraks, EXTREME, 27 km, 3,175 meters of elevation gain
Results, Men:
- Martin Anthamatten (Switzerland) 3:44:16
- Luca del Pero (Italy) 3:48:19
- Gianluca Ghiano (Italy) 3:49:32
- Jackson Cole (New Zealand) 3:51:53
- Joseph Mamani Palomino (Peru) 3:53:30
Women:
- Anastasia Rubtsova 4:20:29
- Olivia Magnone (France) 4:54:44
- Lide Urrestarazu (Spain) 4:59:20
- Myrielle Weingand (Switzerland) 5:10:16
- Iris Pessey (France) 5:12:41
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Please contact for more information:
Carole Dossetto-Julen
Project Leader & PR Matterhorn Ultraks
cd@humansports.ch
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Matterhorn Ultraks – Facts & Figures
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History:
The Matterhorn Ultraks, established in 2013, captivates participants every summer with its breathtaking scenery at the foot of the Matterhorn, the most photographed mountain in the world. Since its inception, the event has been part of the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series, attracting the global Skyrunning elite and solidifying its reputation as one of the most important races in the Skyrunning scene. The Matterhorn Ultraks has become a classic, beloved by both elite athletes and amateurs who appreciate the variety of routes and top-notch organization. Each year, over 3,500 runners participate in one of the Matterhorn Ultraks races.
Date: 23 – 25 August 2024
Races:
- EXTREME: 27km, 3275 meter of altitude
- VERTINIGHT:4.9km, 691 meter of altitude
- WOLLI: 900m, 17 meter of altitude
- SUPERWOLLI: 2.6km, 151 meter of altitude
- SKY: 49km, 3600 meter of altitude
- MOUNTAIN: 32km, 2000 meter of altitude
- RELAY: 32km, 2000 meter of altitude
- ACTIVE: 19km, 1150 meter of altitude
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About Human Sports Management AG
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HSM is a leading agency in the DACH region for the marketing and organisation of high-quality mass sports events. HSM develops regional events focussing on the sports of running, cycling and trail running into nationally and internationally unique, successful and centrally managed mass sports platforms. Founded in 2015, the agency aims to inspire as many people as possible for sport with top-organised events (#wemoveyou).
HSM is owned by founder and CEO Armin Meier and PHIDA Groupe SA, which also includes the market leader in French-speaking Switzerland, Grand Chelem Event SA. HSM maintains close and constructive cooperation with the latter at various levels.
HSM organises the Swiss Bike Cup, the Cyclotour du Léman, the Sarnersee Lauf, the Aargau Half Marathon, the OCHSNER SPORT Zurich Marathon and the Matterhorn Ultraks, among others.
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