Super Strong Elite Group in UltraVasan 2015
UltraVasan on August 22, 2015 will have an elite group at least as strong as in the very successful premiere last year. Many world-class runners, including world champion Max King, have already signed up to come to Dalarna this summer! It remains to be seen if local favourite and defending champion Jonas Buud will be able to return to last year’s level, after the stress fracture that prevented him from running for almost four months this winter.
Set your alarm clocks for 05:00 on Saturday August 22 when the second UltraVasan in history will be run between Sälen and Mora. Today a total of 1657 participants have registered, broken into 1313 in UltraVasan 90 (of which 84 % are gents and 16 % ladies) and 344 in UltraVasan 45 (of which 64 % are gents and 36 % ladies). For those who wish to participate, there are still spots available in both UltraVasan 90 and UltraVasan 45.
A world-class event like UltraVasan should of course have world-class runners. One of them is Max King who was voted the world’s best ultrarunner in 2014!
Here is a list of some highly qualified elite runners registered for UltraVasan 90 2015.
Gents
Max King, USA (photo above) – won the world championship 100 km in Doha, Qatar, last autumn, and was selected as the world’s best ultrarunner 2014 by the IAU (International Association of Ultrarunners). In March 2015 he was ninth in the Los Angeles marathon with a finishing time of 2.17.31. Four-time Xterra world champion and world champion in mountain running.
Jonas Buud, SWE – defending champion in UltraVasan 90 with a course record of 6.02.03. Jonas has won the legendary race Swiss Alpine Marathon eight years in a row (2007-2014) and got second place in the world’s most prestigious ultra trail race, Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) in Chamonix. He also holds the Swedish 100 km record with a time of 6.28.59 (from 2012) and is the most accomplished Swedish ultrarunner of all time, for example placing second (2013) and fourth (2011) in Comrades in South Africa, and winning the world championship silver medal for 100 km on road several times.
Matt Flaherty, USA – races all distances and terrains, though 50 miles (80.4 km) is his forte. Flaherty is the 2013 U.S. 50 mile road national champion and came in third in the USA 50 miles trail championships in 2014.
Emmanuel Gault, FRA – has won the 80 km EcoTrail Paris in 2009, 2014 and 2015. This Frenchman is an enthusiast for flat trails but also has good results in mountain races, coming in seventh in the big French race Grand Trail des Templiers in 2014. “Manu” is a true ambassador for ultrarunning and has participated in a wide range of races, representing Team Asics Trail.
Arnaud Perrignon, FRA – seventh place in the french ultra trail championship in 2014, as well as several other outstanding placements.
Marcin Swierc, POL – the Polish champion who will wrestle for one of the top spots in UltraVasan 90. Last year he won eighth place in the world championship of Skyrunning in Chamonix, and also eighth place in the prestigious Templiers. Won the Trans Gran Canaria Marathon in 2013.
Jarle Risa, NOR – third place in UltraVasan 90 2014. Eighth in the european championship and fourteenth in the world championship 100 km in 2012.
Didrik Hermansen, NOR – fourth in UltraVasan 90, 2014. Second place in Trans Gran Canaria 2015, tenth in the ultra trail world championship 2013.
John Henry Strupstad, NOR – fifth place in UltraVasan 90, 2014. Norwegian marathon champion 2013. Has represented Norway at the world championship 100 km over the past six years.
Ladies
Holly Rush, GBR – defending champion of UltraVasan with a course record of 7.09.04. European championship silver medalist (team) and seventh in the South African Comrades Marathon 2013. Her personal best on the marathon distance is 2.37.35. Will she be the first person to win UltraVasan twice?
Jo Meek, GBR – fifth place in Comrades 2014 and fourth in the world championship 100 km 2014, where she also won the world championship with her team.
Helen Cospolich, USA – originally competed in rowing, but is now an extremely qualified runner, having participated in ultramarathons all over the world since 2003. This year she suffered a broken foot but her training will resume in May and she sees UltraVasan as the highlight of her season. Her track record is endless. Here are some examples: First place in Leadville Trail 100 Mile Run 2008, TNF Endurance Challenge Costa Rica 50 miles 2013, first place in TNF Endurance Challenge Ecuador 50 miles 2012 and 2013, third place in Miwok 100 km Trail Race 2012 and 2013, sixth place in Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 166 km 2011, sixth place in UROC (Ultra Race of Champions) 100 km 2013…
Jasmin Nunige, SUI – former cross-country skier who among other achievements participated in the Olympics in Lillehammer 1994. After putting her skis aside, Jasmin has focused on running, and especially ultrarunning, leading her to win the Swiss Alpine Marathon five times (latest in 2013). Her personal best for a marathon is 2.39.
Mimmi Kotka, SWE – the newcomer who long held the lead in the first UltraVasan, but was overtaken with twenty kilometres to go and ended up in second place. Mimmi has been selected to represent Sweden at the IAU UltraTrail world championships in French Annecy in the end of May. She started training to run just five years ago.
Footnote:
Ultra is the name of races longer than the marathon distance of 42,195 metres and “trail” or “terrain” means that the main part of the race is not on asphalt. Hosting UltraVasan is the Japanese sports company ASICS.
Here are some other international ultra competitions to keep an eye on up until UltraVasan:
IAU Trail World Championship, Annecy, France, May 30–31, 2015
Comrades Marathon, 89 km, South Africa, May 31, 2015
Swiss Alpine Marathon, Davos, Switzerland, July 25, 2015
Swedish Championship:
The Swedish 100 km championship will be held in connection with Stockholm Ultra, August 8, 2015.
Upcoming events in the Vasalopps Arena:
Vasaloppet Summer Week 2015
Fri 14 Aug: CykelVasan 30. 30 km. Start Oxberg.
Fri 14 Aug: UngdomsCykelVasan. 30 km. Start Oxberg.
Fri 14 Aug: CykelVasan 45. 45 km. Start Oxberg.
Fri 14 Aug: CykelVasan Öppet Spår. 95 km. Start Sälen.
Sat 15 Aug: CykelVasan 90. 95 km. Start Sälen. (12,000 entries. FULL 1/10/2014)
Sat 22 Aug: UltraVasan 45. 45 km. Start Oxberg.
Sat 22 Aug: UltraVasan 90. 90 km. Start Sälen.
Sat 22 Aug: VasaStafetten. 4.5–15 km. Running relay race for ten-person teams. Start Sälen.
Vasaloppet Winter Week 2016
Fri 26 Feb: KortVasan. 30 km. Start Oxberg.
Sat 27 Feb: TjejVasan. 30 km. Start Oxberg.
Sun 28 Feb: UngdomsVasan. 3, 5, 7 or 9 km. Start Mora Ski Stadium.
Sun 28 Feb: Öppet Spår söndag. 90 km. Start Sälen.
Mon 29 Feb: Öppet Spår måndag. 90 km. Start Sälen.
Tue 1 Mar: HalvVasan. 45 km. Start Oxberg.
Fri 4 Mar: StafettVasan. 9–24 km. Relay race for five-person teams. Start Sälen. (8,000 entries. FULL 22/3/2015.)
Sun 6 Mar: Vasaloppet. 90 km. Start Sälen. (15,800 entries. FULL 22/3/2015.)
