The crew behind the Minotaur SkyRace, in Crowsnest Move, Alta., got down to create a race that elevated athletes to a novel expertise on terrain not like some other. With their race turning into the one North American cease within the World Skyrunning Sequence, they’ve been profitable. Minotaur SkyRace has over 2,900 metres of climbing and 33 km on rocks and path, and can be part of ten different races within the Skyrunner World Sequence. The race makes its debut this Saturday, June 25. The occasion additionally boasts the toughest 10K race in Canada, known as the Mini-Taur, with 1,000 m of elevation acquire.
In 2017, race administrators Erin and Andrew Fairhurst and Ian and Susan Lowe-Wylde launched Meet the Minotaur, an occasion the place runners traversed a secret course that was not accessible to them till 24 hours earlier than the beginning. “Racers liked it, nevertheless it grew to become tremendous arduous on the administrators to maintain,” says Erin. The race administrators wished to maintain the difficult and spectacular terrain, however create a course that may very well be used yearly. After consulting with Canadian elite and former skyrunner Adam Campbell, they approached the Worldwide Federation of Skyrunning to see what a qualifying race required. Minotaur SkyRace emerged, and its inaugural operating has been extremely anticipated.
Canada, we’re coming for you!! 🇨🇦
Prepare for #MinotaurSkyrace – it’s gonna be a tough and rocky one this Saturday.↔️ 33km
↗️ 2,900m
📍 Crowsnest Move, Canada #skyrunnerworldseries22 #skyrace #skyrunning pic.twitter.com/5clupIPIo2— Skyrunning (@Skyrunning_com) June 21, 2022
Joanna Ford, an ultrarunner with appreciable mountain expertise, from Calgary, Alta., describes the course as “rugged, steep, relentless and thrilling.” She says she’s thrilled to have a race like this in Canada. “This can be a true mountain operating course, and there’s no different occasion prefer it in North America.”
The Skyrunner World Sequence consists of 10 races, and was launched in 2004 by Marino Giacometti, president of the Worldwide Skyrunning Federation. The World Sequence web site attests that it has “grown to characterize the height of out of doors operating outlined by altitude and technical issue.” Extremely technical races, held in among the most breath-taking locations on earth, put elite athletes to the check.
“As a part of the collection, this race has attracted world class mountain runners from around the globe. It has additionally enticed most of the native mountain crushers to check themselves out towards among the world’s greatest. It’s tremendous thrilling to see these athletes have a venue to showcase their abilities,” Ford provides.
You possibly can study extra concerning the Minotaur SkyRace, see outcomes, and join subsequent 12 months’s occasion, at their web site right here.