Mountain Running
9 challenging vertical races that will have you going uphill
Looking for a running challenge to push your heart beat to the limit? Then why not try vertical racing. We feature nine events that will test your skills when it comes to running uphill.
The premise of vertical racing events are simple – run uphill for a set distance as fast as possible. It may not be everyone's idea of fun but for mountain runners, ultra runners and for those running hobbyists who are looking for a running challenge it's another test of athletic capability.
Competitors at vertical races usually charge up mountains but racing isn't just confined to mountainsides. Vertical races can take place on ski jumps, ski hills and even in urban environments where there are staircases, such as tall buildings. Vertical racing doesn't have to be over a regulated set distance either. The length of the race can be anything.
Vertical by name, vertical by nature
© guillemcasanova.com
More and more events are being organised all around the world in different formats and distance lengths. For instance, the most popular form of the sport is vertical kilometre racing and it is based on reaching an elevation gain of one kilometre (1,000 metres) on a mountainside over a short distance. These distances that can vary depending on how steep the gradient is, but the distances can generally range from two to five kilometres in actual running length.
Another format, the Red Bull 400, will make you run 400 metres on a ski jump or up hills with an incline of up to 35 percent. And there's also the Vertical World Circuit, a series of events that sees competitors run to the top of a skyscraper via staircases.
When it comes to running uphill, Rémi Bonnet is one of the world's best
© Damien Rosso/Red Bull Content Pool
Along with Rémi Bonnet, one of the world’s best mountain runners and a regular racer at vertical racing events, we’ve put together some of the most amazing events and locations that you can find worldwide when it comes to running uphill.
In vertical races, the runners with the best engine wins. It’s a short but very intense effort
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1. Kilomètre Vertical de Fully
Competitors take on the Kilomètre Vertical de Fully
© Johann Conus/Wikimedia Media Commons
- Location: Fully, Valais Alps, Switzerland
- Length: 1,920m
- Elevation gain: 1,000m
- Base elevation: 500m
- Summit elevation: 1,500m
- Average grade: 52 percent
This mythical race is short with it being just under two kilometres in length but it makes up for that by being so very steep! What makes Fully stand out and seen as one of the most prestigious races on the vertical running calendar is that the race route follows a former funicular railway. The narrow race route means the racing format for Fully is time trial only.
"The rails are still there," says Bonnet. "I’ve done this race about six times. Every 100m, there is a flag telling you where the finish line is. The crowd is massive and it makes you fly. The last 300 metres, you have the feeling that you are competing in Tour de France. The pace you go is crazy.‘’
Getting a time under 30 minutes at Fully is considered a good achievement. The current record for the race is 28 minutes 53 seconds which was set by the Italian Philip Gotsch in 2017.
2. Verticale du Grand Serre
- Location: Cholonge, Rhone-Alpes, France
- Length: 1,811m
- Elevation gain: 1,000m
- Base elevation: 1,141m
- Summit elevation: 2,141m
- Average grade: 55 percent
Grand Serre is the world steepest vertical kilometre race with an average grade of 55 percent. Once you reach the summit you have a great view across the alps, though the runners will be more concerned about catching their breath again after their physical effort.
In 2018, Bonnet managed to set a new record in this race with a 30 minutes and 13 second run, beating the previous best time by legendary trail runner Kilian Jornet by 12 seconds.
"In Grand Serre, you run uphill on grass. The average grade is insane and with the grass this makes running even more difficult," says Bonnet.
3. Double Kilomètre de Chando
- Country: Chandolin, Valais, Switzerland
- Length: 7,700m
- Elevation gain: 1,916m
- Base elevation: 800m
- Summit elevation: 2,716m
- Average grade: 25 percent
This race gives you not just one but two vertical kilometres. With the gradient being not so steep running is spread over seven kilometres. The best runners manage to reach the top in about one hour and 15 minutes. The only man to dip under one hour and 10 minutes was Bonnet with a time of one hour and nine minutes in 2018. The course winds its way through classic alpine surroundings with participants running past farms, villages and towards the top, mountainous terrain.
Bonnet explains: "It’s not very steep at the beginning but the second part is way more difficult. You need to be a complete runner to perform."
4. BEI K3
Rémi Bonnet at the 2017 K3 race
© Mauro Puccini/Red Bull Content Pool
- Location: Susa, Piedmont, Italy
- Length: 9,700m
- Elevation gain: 3,036m
- Base elevation: 503m
- Summit elevation: 3,538m
- Average grade: 30 percent
There is only one triple vertical kilometre race in the world and that is the BEI K3 (the race was formerly known as the Red Bull K3). This Italian-based race sees competitors take in a 3,030 metre vertical climb that measures out at a distance of just under 10 kilometres.
Beginning in the town centre of Susa in Piedmont, competitors climb to the finish at the summit of Monte Rocciamelone, which is 3,538 metres above sea level. To get there, lying in wait are fluctuations of terrain from grass to loose debris. Not all runners who start the race finish due to the rules of K3. There are elimination points at each vertical kilometre where racers will be taken out of the race. The aim is to have only 20 percent of the start list numbers (400 in 2019) racing the last kilometre.
Switzerland’s Martin Anthamatten currently holds the current record for K3, which he set at one hour, 58 minutes and 53 seconds at the 2018 edition.
5. Limone Extreme Vertical
- Country: Limone sul Garda, Brescia, Italy
- Length: 3,700m
- Elevation gain: 1,080m
- Base elevation: 60m
- Summit elevation: 1,140m
- Average grade: 31 percent
The Limone Extreme Vertical is a side race to the Limone Extreme Skyrace but is just as challenging with racing taking part in late evening. Some participants finish under darkness.
The starting line for Limone is almost at seal level. It then shoots up along a specially 'cleaned' and marked trail to the top. The final part has two brief descents, though they do not really not give you a chance to lower your heartbeat. You'll also need to pass over rocky waterfalls with a lake lurking below.
Bonnet says: "You can enjoy an incredible sunset on top. When the winner arrives, there are fireworks. It’s quite impressive. The last part of the race is very technical and you'll need both feet and hands to finish."
6. Manitou Incline
The Manitou Incline
© Flickr CC/U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
- Country: Manitou Springs, Colorado, United States
- Length: 1,400m
- Elevation Gain: 615m
- Base elevation: 2,012m
- Summit elevation: 2,616m
- Average grade: 41 percent
Manitou is not an official event but is a mythical trail that is worth a try for any trail or mountain runners. The trail exists on old railroad tracks that were washed out during a rock slide in 1990. The rails were removed, but the railroad ties remained in the form of a massive staircase. Every year, thousands of tourists hike the 2,744 steps to enjoy incredible views over Colorado's Pike Peaks mountain.
"The steps are not always the same uniform size so it’s really hard to find a rhythm," says Bonnet.
The verifiable satellite-tracked record for the Incline was set by American athlete Joseph Gray in September 2015. Gray set a time of 17 minutes and 15 seconds, In 2019, Kilian Jornet completed the ascent in 18 minutes and 30 seconds.
7. Red Bull 400 Events
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- Length: 400m
- Elevation gain: 140m
- Average grade: 35 percent
Running 400 metres uphill sounds easy. But what if those 400 metres were up a ski jump or a hill? That is a challenge. Red Bull 400 is a competition that tests the strength and commitment of even the fiercest athletes. From the first event in Austria in 2011, Red Bull 400 has been taken to other parts of the world including the USA and Japan, and now has a regular series of races every year.
Pyeongchang was the location for the South Korean edition of Red Bull 400
© Daebong Kim/Red Bull Content Pool
Athletes who take part come from a huge variety of sporting backgrounds. Notable participants in recent Red Bull 400 events include cross-country skier Petter Northug from Norway, US swimmer Ryan Lochte and multiple mountain running world champion Andrea Mayr from Austria but hobbyists and amateur runners are encouraged to enter. For more details on Red Bull 400 go here.
8. The Zegama-Aizkorri Vertical Kilometre
The fans getting close to Kilian Jornet during the Zegama-Aizkorri race
© fotorunners.es/Félix Sánchez
- Location: Zegama and Aizkorri, Gipuzkoa, Basque Region, Spain
- Length: 3,000m
- Elevation gain: 1,015m
- Base elevation: 505m
- Summit elevation: 1,520m
- Average grade: 20 percent
The Zegama-Aizkorri race attracts the largest and most feverent crowd of all vertical racing events. As a competitor you get massive support from start to finish. Weather is a regular factor in this race with rain making course conditions slippery and the course muddy.
Bonnet explains: "The public is crazy here. It’s a big event for this region in Spain so you have so many people to push you all climb."
9. One World Trade Center Vertical Race
Vertical running in skyscrapers will have you running in circles!
© Ian Coreless
- Location: New York City, New York, United States
- Height: 546m
- Climb: 382m
- Race floors: 104
- Steps: 2,226
A skyscraper may be an unusual location for a vertical race but that hasn't stopped an organisation called the Vertical World Circuit set up a series to race up the stairs in some of the world's most iconic buildings including the One World Trade Center in New York, the Broadgate tower in London or Jumeiras Emirates in Dubai.
The One World Trade Center race generates quite a lot of publicity. The record for this building is held by Polish athlete Piotr Lobodzinski. He ran the 2,226 steps and 104 floors in an unbelievable 12 minutes and 5 seconds.