Mountain marathon
A mountain marathon is a mountain run that leads over the marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers and overcomes many meters in altitude on long mountain climbs .
The most famous mountain marathons such as the Jungfrau Marathon in the Alps take place in Europe . Mountain marathons either conquer mountains and passes, or, as in the Zermatt marathon, there is a mountain finish at the finish.
Definition of a mountain marathon
There is no official definition of what exactly is a mountain marathon and what is not. In a real mountain marathon, however, according to extensive opinions such as B. by the multiple German mountain running champion and mountain running specialist Helmut Reitmeir go uphill at least 1000 meters over the course of the route. These vertical meters should then be achieved in longer climbs if possible and not in countless small climbs on hills. Such marathons have to be described as hill marathons despite the possible large number of meters in altitude . As such a borderline case between hill marathon and mountain marathon you can z. B. perform the Kempten pre-alpine marathon, as there is an accumulation of 1300 meters in altitude on its route, but the route is very hilly and there is no very long ascent.
There are a number of mountain races that are called mountain marathons, the length of which is either significantly less such as B. in the Dreizinnen-Alpin-Marathon or significantly more than 42.195 km. Such runs are therefore not real mountain marathons. Mountain runs over 42.195 km are called ultra mountain running (mountain ultramarathon). Mountain runs below the marathon distance, on the other hand, are just mountain runs, even if some of them are as strenuous as a marathon with a flat profile.
There are also alpine marathons such as the Tirol Speed Marathon , which are almost exclusively downhill. Such runs are marathons in the mountains, but not mountain marathons.
List of mountain marathons (excerpt)
Germany
- Brocken marathon (Harz mountain run), over 1000 meters in altitude
- Alpin-Marathon Oberstaufen, 1700 meters uphill
- Mountain marathon , Immenstadt , 2500 meters uphill over the Nagelfluhkette
- Voralpenmarathon , Kempten (Allgäu) , 1300 meters uphill on a hilly course
France
- Mont-Blanc-Marathon, 2240 meters uphill
Italy
- Brixen Dolomites Marathon , 2340 meters uphill
- Stilfserjoch Stelvio Marathon , 2500 meters uphill
Liechtenstein
- Alpine marathon Liechtenstein , 1800 meters uphill
Austria
- Schoberstein mountain marathon , 3650 meters uphill
- Kainacher mountain marathon , 2000 meters uphill
- Montafon-Arlberg-Marathon , 1300 meters uphill, point-to-point route
- Silvretta-Ferwall-Marsch , 1550 meters uphill, circular route
- Kaisermarathon (part of the Tour de Tirol ), approx. 2200 vertical meters uphill, mountain arrival on the Hohe Salve
- Linz mountain marathon , Linz, 52 km, approx. 2000 meters in altitude
- Mountain marathon "Around the Traunsee" , Gmunden, 70 km, 4500 meters uphill
- Pitztal-Gletscher Trail-Maniak , Pitztal, 95 km, 6500 vertical meters uphill
- Hochkönigman , Maria Alm , 84 km, 4900 meters uphill
- Kitz Alps Trail , Fieberbrunn , 169 km, 9800 vertical meters uphill
Switzerland
- Alpine marathon Crans-Montana , approx. 1600 meters uphill, point-to-point route
- Graubünden marathon , 2680 meters uphill, uphill stretch with mountain arrival
- Jungfrau Marathon , 1820 meters uphill, uphill stretch
- Napf Marathon , 1250 meters uphill, circular course
- Swiss Alpine Marathon , variants: K42, 1890 vertical meters uphill, point-to-point route; K78, 78 km, circular route
- Zermatt marathon , 1944 vertical meters uphill, uphill stretch with mountain arrival, variant: ultra marathon with 45,595 km and 2458 vertical meters uphill