The 2025 Adamello Ultra Trail got off to a spectacular start yesterday, Sunday 14 September, with the Adamello Vertical Kilometer in Vione (Brescia). In the men’s race, local favourite Davide Magnini repeated his 2024 victory, while rising star Martina Pozzi, recently crowned Youth World VK Champion, claimed the women’s title with a new course record. Pagnuev remains leader in the men’s VK Open Championships ranking, while Corinna Ghirardi steps up to number one ahead of the final in Bulgaria
The curtain has officially lifted on Adamello Ultra Trail 2025, as athletes and mountain-running fans of all ages gathered in Alta Val Camonica for the opening events: the Adamello Vertical Kilometer and the Adamello Trail Junior.
The Vertical featured its usual three formats — Competitive, Slow and Junior — and delivered top-level performances. Trentino’s Davide Magnini, winner at the Marathon du Mont Blanc and Giir di Mont earlier this season, was a last-minute starter after a muscle injury forced him to skip the UTMB. His last moment decision to race left no room for doubt once on the trails, claiming an undisputed win.
On the demanding 3.7 km course with 1,000 m of vertical gain, from the centre of Vione to the Tor dei Pagà archaeological site at 2,250 m a.s.l., Magnini stopped the clock at 37:19, just a touch slower than last year’s 37:04. He finished over a minute ahead of Ireland’s Hanna Zak (38:27) and fellow Italian Pietro Pellegrini (38:36). VK Open Championships leader Aleksei Pagnuev placed seventh (40:21) and reinforced its leadership ahead of competitors, like Japan’s Suguru Inui (eighth, 40:56) who moves up to the fourth place overall.
In the women’s race, Martina Pozzi confirmed her status as one of mountain running’s brightest young talents. The 21-year-old from Lecco, racing for Team GS Mario Corti, recently won the Youth Skyrunning World Championship title, enhanced by a bronze in the Skyrace category and a silver in the combined classification. In Vione she became the third different winner in as many editions, as well as the youngest, setting a new course record of 45:09, more than 30 seconds faster than Benedetta Broggi’s previous mark. Local star and first ever AVK winner Corinna Ghirardi was second in 49:45, ahead of Slovenia’s Dominika Zupancic Valant (51:09). With this second place, Ghirardi climbs the ladder and takes the provisional first place overall ahead of the Series finale in October in Bulgaria.
The Adamello Vertical Junior—3 km with 700 m of elevation gain—also drew an excellent field, including many athletes from the Italian Skyrunning Federation (FISKY). Victories went to Filippo Piumarta (born 2007) in 28:28 and local runner Alessandra Sandrini (born 2009) in 39:33.
In the afternoon, a lively crowd cheered on around a hundred children in the Adamello Trail Junior, a fun introduction to mountain running for the next generation.“The event has once again been a great success,” said the organisers of Adamello Ultra Trail ASD. “We received excellent feedback not only from Italian athletes but also from an increasing number of international competitors, a key highlight of this year’s edition. Now we shift our focus to the main event: in about ten days’ time the Adamello Ultra Trail itself will take centre stage.”
