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Top runners star in The Rut’s three races


Emelie Forsberg, 2014 50K winner and Ultra Series Champion. (c) Jordi Saragossa


One big weekend – three races. That’s what’s in store for the next Skyrunner® World Series events where The Rut will host a Sky, an Ultra and a VK in America’s rugged Montana mountains, September 4-6.


Two audacious Salomon ladies, Emelie Forsberg and Anna Frost, have signed up to take on all three!

Starting with Friday’s Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer®, add to the women’s talent above, World Champion of the discipline, Laura Orguè, together with team-mates Oihana Kortazar and new addition, Yngvild Pedersen from Norway. La Sportiva’s Maite Maiora will be running up front and, like the rest of the competition, will also be racing in Saturday’s 25K Sky distance. The Vertical Kilometer® does just what it says and climbs 1,000 vertical meters to the summit of Lone Peak (3,403m) on short, steep course just under 4.6 km long.


The Rut course. (c)Volkmar von Sehlen


The men’s field is topped by new Swiss talent Rémi Bonnet, currently ranked 2nd, with America’s own Max King and Italian Davide Magnani in the Salomon team as well as brothers Ferran and Xavier Teixidó from Andorra, ranked 8th and 22nd respectively.

Race director Mike Foote warns Saturday’s 25K with 2,286m vertical climb is “extremely steep and technical.” Just the way we like it!


After last year’s launch, this year’s edition presents a deeply stacked women’s field. Emelie Forsberg and Anna Frost will be up front with a super-strong Spanish line-up headed by Laura Orguè, Maite Maiora, Oihana Kortazar and Eva Maria Moreda. From the USA, reigning World Champion Stevie Kremer with Kasie Enman and Megan Kimmel joined by Norwegian Yngvild Pedersen.

Tom Owens. (c)iancorless.com


The men’s favourites from across the pond include: Tom Owens, currently 3rd equal in the Sky Ranking, aiming high; Italians Tadei Pivk (winner at Zegama and Dolomites) and Marco De Gasperi; Spain’s Sintu Vives (8th) and Jessed Hernandez; Andorrans Ferran and Xavier Teixidó. Americans competing in the Sky distance include Joe Gray and Rickey Gates, who will also race the VK.


Emelie and Anna are also aiming to be at the start of Sunday’s The Rut 50K. A brutal 6,080m vertical metres ascent and descent awaits them, with the highest point reaching the 3,403m summit of Lone Peak in Montana’s aptly named Big Sky resort.  Last year, Emelie took the Ultra Series title here with Kasie 2nd and Anna 3rd. The American field is led by Kristina Pattison (currently ranked 4th), Ashley Erba, 9th and Hillary Allen, 14th and 2014 US Skyrunner® Ultra Series Champion.

Leading the men’s 50K field is Italy’s Franco Collè 3rd on the Skyrunner® Ultra Ranking; Americans Josh Arthur (10th) and  Timothy Parr among others.


Franco Colle. (c) Fabio Menino


The records here will be hard to beat. As the 2014 Skyrunner® World Series finals, Kilian Jornet took his Ultra title here in a fast 5h09’33” and Emelie Forsberg will be aiming to beat her own record of 6h32’42”.

Back in 2013, The Rut races were designed and organised by world-class ultra runners Mike Foote and Mike Wolfe to fit skyrunning parameters and launch the true feel of the sport on American soil - with great success!

More than 1,800 runners will take part in the weekend’s events with the Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer®, The Rut 25K and 50K all valid for Skyrunner® World Series points.  The events also feature in the US Skyrunner® Series which follows the same formula and will conclude in Flagstaff, Arizona in October.



Anna Frost. (c) Droz Photo


Follow us on twitter and Facebook for news and updates as the weekend’s events unfold.

Race website

*updated September 3, 2015