photo: Andrey Chepakin
This year, the Red Fox Elbrus Race again broke the record for the number of participants, bringing together more than 400 athletes from 22 countries: Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Britain, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Latvia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Slovenia, Belgium, Andorra, Finland, Mongolia, the USA.

More than 388 athletes participated in Vertical Kilometer (Vertical Kilometer® - Mt Elbrus, 2450-3450 m.) It is still the most massive race of the festival.

260 athletes got off the mark yesterday in the ascent to the Western peak of Elbrus: 173 persons in “Classic” distance (Skyrace® - Mt Elbrus, 3780-5350 m.) and 87 ones raced from Azau Meadow in the class “Sport” (SkyMarathon® - Mt Elbrus, 2350-5350 m.)

Austrian Dominik Salcher, 26-years old won the SkyMarathon® - Mt Elbrus, 2350-5350 m. He sized the lead from the very start and kept it to the finish line.


photo: Andrey Chepakin
Because of the weather conditions, the distance was changed. The race was not to the Western peak of Elbrus, but to the “Saddle”, followed by descent and finish at the "Barrels".


photo: Andrey Chepakin

photo: Andrey Chepakin

photo: Andrey Chepakin
The decision to change the distance is taken by the high-altitude referees who rise to the top early in the morning and can assess how safe the conditions on the mountain for the race participants are. After it was decided to run the race only to the "Saddle", this information came to the rest of the control points of referees. But Dominik ran so fast that only 100 meters before the "Saddle" he learned that instead of the top he had to run down. Such a change in the distance did not discourage the athlete, since according to him, it is not a problem to run downwards.

Although, as Dominik said in his interview after the race, he always seemed to catch up with him, it did not let him relax and slow down, and even almost finishing, he constantly turned around. As a result, he overcame the distance: Azau Meadow (2350 m.) – “Mir” station (3450 m.) – “Barrels” (3780 m.) - Pastukhov Rocks (4800 m.) - Saddle (5350 m.) – “Barrels” (3,780 m.) - he overcame for 3 hours 29 minutes 36 seconds.


photo: Andrey Chepakin
The athlete from Kazakhstan Shyngys Baikashev (Red Fox Kazakhstan Team) took the second place: 3 hours, 38 minutes, 50 seconds. Vitaly Shkel lost him 10 secondsan became the third (3 hours 39 minutes).


photo: Andrey Chepakin

photo: Andrey Chepakin
Maxim Kotchergin won the “Classic” distance (start from the “Barrels”) with the result 2 hours 53 minutes 44 seconds.

Ivan Sadovin took the second place; Otgonkhuu Dorjsurenkhor from Mongolia is the third.


photo: Andrey Chepakin
Oksans Stefanishina (inov8 Team Russia) won the “Sport” distance. She ran it for 4 hours 35 minutes 25 seconds. Elena Rukhlyada (inov8 Team Russia) is the second (4:41:16); Nadezhda Ermakova (4:51:31) took the third place.


photo: Andrey Chepakin
In the “Classic” route (start from the “Barrels”) Nadezhda Korolyatina finished the first (3:30:41), Anna Korobko (4:02:18) and Polina Nikitina (4:16:25) came after her.

In spite of the difficult weather conditions, 53 athletes, including 10 women finished in the class “Sport”. 92 runners (including 16 women) came to the finish line in the “Classic” distance.


photo: Andrey Chepakin
***
The International Victory Cup, dedicated to the victory in the Great Patriotic War, was held for the sixth time within the 10-th Anniversary Red Fox Elbrus Race. These competitions, where the servicemen compete for awards in skyranning and ski mountaineering, have become a good tradition of the festival. Vitaly Shkel (3:39:00) became the winner of the VI Victory Cup in the SkyMarathon discipline. Evgeny Markov (3:47:13) took the second place and Ilyas Achabaev (4:09:14) is the third.


photo: Roman Barabonov
***
The final event of the Red Fox Elbrus Race 2018 was the snowshoeing race - the Red Fox TSL Challenge, which took place today. In contrast to the high-speed climbing on Elbrus, snowfall is only a plus for participants of the snowshoe race. The more snow falls, the better for this discipline. But this day the athletes ran in the rain.


photo: Roman Barabonov
Preliminary results:

Vitaly Chernov from Irkutsk (Red Fox team) won this race. Then Evgeny Markov and Dmitry Golikov crossed the finish line.


photo: Andrey Chepakin
Elena Kravtchenko (Red Fox team) took the first place among women. Varvara Shikanova (Red Fox team) and Elena Rukhlyada (inov8 Team Russia) have won the second and the third places respectively.


photo: Andrey Chepakin
Thanks to all participants of Red Fox Elbrus Race! See you next year!


photo: Roman Barabonov