THE TOP RUNNERS OF THE XXIX EDITION OF THE GIIR DI MONT
Among the top runners were six Italians Cristian Minoggio, Mattia Gianola, Luca del Pero, and Andrea Rota, along with Kenyans Lengen Lolkurraru, Japhet Mwenda, and Elvis Kipkoech. But also Dakota Jones, Spaniard Ait Malek Zaid and French mountain running ace Julien Rancon.
For the women in the race were champion Elisa Desco, Martina Valmassoi Lucy Murigi, Francesca Rusconi, Martina Bilora and Romania’s Ingrid Mutter.
Nearly six hundred participants in Sunday’s races will run together with the best international athletes, while a hundred participants distributed in the various categories of the “Young” race are expected.
The XXIX edition of the Giir di Mont is approaching and registrations are growing by the day! The event, to be held on the weekend of July 29 and 30, 2023, under the auspices of FIDAL, has become an established landmark in the Italian and world mountain running scene. Running alongside top international mountain running athletes through the spectacular landscapes of the Orobian Alps and the Preman Alps is an experience not to be missed. With nearly seven hundred participants ready to sprint to the starting line among several route options, including the 32-kilometer classic, the 18-kilometer and the Mont Young’s Gir, the thrill of feeling like a protagonist is guaranteed!
Excellent level in the race parterre: Dinamo Running Team challenges for the podium. Cristian Minoggio and Mattia Gianola, second and third respectively at Giir di Mont 2022, compete within the team. Minoggio returns from the Mountain and Trail Running World Championships in Innsbruck with a silver medal for the team short trail and a 15th-place finish overall. Gianola, winner of the recent Resegup and Stralivigno, is also world champion in the team short trail. Also present were blue athletes who medaled in Innsbruck, including Luca del Pero, individual rainbow bronze medalist, and Andrea Rota, winner of the Ventoux Trail. Not to be forgotten is young champion Mattia Tanara, a three-time under-23 Winter Triathlon world champion. Competition is high, and anticipation for the Giir di Mont 2023 is through the roof.
Dominant Kenyans: Lengen Lolkurraru, back from a back injury, lands in Italy to win after shattering the Val Brevettola Skyrace record. Along with him, Japhet Mwenda and Elvis Kipkoech of team Run2gether join to strengthen the twinning with the Giir di Mont, ready to challenge the big boys in their first participation. Dakota Jones, just gold medalist at the Transvulcania Ultramarathon, Moroccan naturalized Spaniard Ait Malek Zaid, a World Cup veteran, and French mountain running ace Julien Rancon, already third in Premana, make the competition even more heated. Not only that, young Lorenzo Rota Martir and multi-talented skialper William Boffelli will also be present.
Great women’s battle at Giir di Mont 2023
Elisa Desco, reigning world champion and gold holder in the 2022 edition, will be one of the stars. Martina Valmassoi, winner of the Transvulcanica Ultramarathon and placed well in several competitions, will join the challenge along with multiple world champion Lucy Murigi, who finished second last year. But watch out, other powerful athletes are aiming for the podium: Francesca Rusconi, winner of Resegup 2023, Martina Bilora, improved after her ninth place in 2022, and Romanian Ingrid Mutter, former winner of the 2016 Giir di Mont. It is not easy to make predictions in this high-level competition. Premana prepares for an unmissable running spectacle.
Giir di Mont – 32 km route
The Giir di Mont course, an epic 32-kilometer challenge with 2400 meters of positive elevation gain, offers a breathtaking experience for athletes. With three challenging climbs followed by as many technical descents, the course is a mix of excitement. The highlight is the spectacular Bocchetta di Larecc at 2063 m above sea level, reached via a climb of nearly 950 m in less than 6 km.
Departure is from Church Square in Premana, then down to the valley floor to Lavinol. From here, the first of three climbs leads athletes to Alpe Chiarino at an altitude of 1558 m. Continuing through larch forests, the huts of Alpe Barconcelli are reached, followed by a descent to the Alpine pastures of Casarsa and Forni.
After a short climb, you arrive at Alpe Vegessa with the second intermediate. The Valvarrone is traveled on an old military road to the Varrone refuge, from where the more challenging climb begins, culminating in the Bocchetta di Larecc.
The descent to Alpe Fraina is equally challenging, with scree and a steep trail. The race continues through Alpe Caprecolo and Alpe Rasga, where the fourth intermediate is located and the last long climb begins.
The ascent to Alpe Deleguaggio features several stages, including Alpe Premaniga and Alpe Solino. Finally, a final and technical descent brings the athletes to the finish line in Premana’s Piazza.
If you love spectacular views and adrenaline-pumping trails, the Giir di Mont is the place for you.
