Following last year’s sold-out, the eighth edition of the ultrarunning event (23-25 September) was presented in Franciacorta (Italy), with an increasingly international imprint. Confirmed the three routes through natural parks and traces of the Great War within the Pontedilegno-Tonale area
The weekend of 23-25 September is still almost three months away, but Adamello Ultra Trail has already returned to run. The international ultrarunning event on the Great War trails in the Pontedilegno-Tonale area, was presented on Thursday, June 30th in the charming setting of the Azienda Agricola Fratelli Berlucchi in Franciacorta (Brescia, Italy). For the race crossing Alta Val Camonica and Alta Val di Sole through the Adamello and Stelvio Natural Parks, on the border between Lombardy and Trentino, the 2022 edition will be the eighth.
The aim of the Adamello Ultra Trail A.S.D. organisation led by Paolo Gregorini is to consolidate and improve the rewarding outcomes of the 2021 edition, when more than a thousand people between athletes and volunteers crowded the three trails, with an over 50% increase on registrations compared to the previous edition. For this reason, too, the organisers will once again commit to the successful formula that has won the praise of the athletes at the start.
This year, the OC has chosen to raise the number of admitted athletes from 650 to 800, with 250 places each for the 35 and 170 km, and 300 spots for the intermediate distance of 90 km.
As per tradition, three routes will be waiting for the ultrarunners to join the trails between Val Camonica and Val di Sole: in addition to the classic 170 km (11,500 m elevation gain) and 90 km (6,050 m elevation gain), the shortest distance of 35 km (1,700 m elevation gain), first introduced in 2021, will also be confirmed. The two longer routes will again feature the passage through the underground tunnels in the Cima Rovaia area, an evocative stretch and a novelty of the last edition that was particularly appreciated by the athletes.
The races’ starting order remains the classic one, as do the start and finish locations. On Sunday, September 18th, the Adamello Trail Junior will kick off the program in Vione, then from Friday, September 23rd, Adamello Ultra Trail will get into its core. The 90 km race will open the weekend’s program at 7.00 a.m. CEST from Vezza d’Oglio. Shortly after, at 9.00 a.m. CEST the queen distance of 170 km will follow. The next day, Saturday, September 24th, the 35 km short trail will start at 2.00 p.m. CEST from Monno. The awards ceremony for all the three races is scheduled for Sunday, September 25th, in Vezza d’Oglio.
The last edition brought participants from 15 Countries, four of which were represented by the winners: Roberto Mastrotto (Italy, 27 hours, 13 minutes and 27 seconds) and Denise Zimmermann (Switzerland, 35:55:57) for the 170 km, Walter Manser (Switzerland, 11:50:57) and Eva Maria Sperger (Germany, 14:38:51) for the 90 km, while the first ever winners of the newly born 35 km were Hugo Ralet (Belgium, 3:30:54) and Raffaella Rossi (Italy, 4:11:29). This year, the international approach of the event has also been confirmed through its increasing promotion activities that aim to enhance the outdoor offer of the area.
The tradition of the Adamello Trail Junior also continues. The event dedicated to children and teenagers up to 19 years old will propose different routes according to the different age groups: last year’s edition saw almost 100 participants, who competed on the trails from Vione to Conca di Premia, always in the Pontedilegno-Tonale area. With this initiative, the OC aims to allows even the youngest to test themselves by imitating the most experienced athletes and, above all, to get to know and respect the mountains since an early age, which is very important for the organization.
AREA AND PARTNERS
For the fifth consecutive year, MICO Sport will be the main sponsor of the event: the Brescia-based technical sportswear company is now a historical partner of Adamello Ultra Trail, sharing with it geographical roots, sports vision and passion for the mountains. Alongside the event, once again patronised by Regione Lombardia and supported by the Unione dei Comuni dell’Alta Valle Camonica and the Comunità Montana di Valle Camonica, important sponsors have been confirmed, such as Edison – leading company in the energy sector and also a long-lasting partner of the race – and SCARPA, the Italian world-famous brand for mountain sports footwear, which joined the Adamello Ultra Trail family in 2021. Together with these partners, there is the key support of the Pontedilegno-Tonale Consortium, certifying year after year the event’s mission: not only a sport race but also a mean of promoting the area and its tourism, even more so as Adamello Ultra Trail is scheduled between the end of the summer and start of the winter season.
Adamello Ultra Trail boasts a unique feature in the international trailrunning panorama: that of retracing paths, mule tracks and military roads home of the alpine clashes during WWI, whose evidences are still clearly visible along the route. An itinerary that, in addition to two nature parks (Adamello and Stelvio), crosses eight municipalities between the provinces of Brescia and Trento: seven are in Lombardy (Edolo, Monno, Incudine, Vezza d’Oglio, Vione, Temù and Ponte di Legno) and one, Vermiglio, in Trentino, reached after crossing the regional border at Passo del Tonale.
PROGRAM OF THE EVENT
Sunday, September 18th (12 p.m. CEST): Adamello Trail Junior
Friday, September 23rd (7 a.m. CEST): Adamello Trail (90 km)
Friday, September 23rd (9 a.m. CEST): Adamello Ultra Trail (170 km)
Saturday, September 24th (2 p.m. CEST): Adamello Short Trail (35 km)
Sunday, September 25th (1 p.m. CEST): Awarding Ceremony
Corte Franca (Italy), June 30th, 2022
