VERTICAL KILOMETER® - MT. ELBRUS
Azau Glade (2450 m) – «Mir» Station (3450 m)

The Vertical Kilometer is a classical discipline in Skyrunning. It is defined by an elevation gain of 1000 m over a distance, not exceeding 5000 m in length.

Participation in the Vertical Kilometer® is obligatory for qualification of competitors for the speed races up to the summit of Mt. Elbrus: SkyMarathon® - Mt. Elbrus and Skyrace® - Mt. Elbrus.

Vertical Kilometer® - Mt. Elbrus as part of the Red Fox Elbrus Race is the race in this discipline at the highest elevation in Europe! The strongest skyrunners from Russia and many other countries set new records year after year.

HISTORY

The Vertical Kilometer, one of the most popular disciplines in Skyrunning, was added to the program of the Red Fox Elbrus Race in the year 2010. It was then that for the first time in Russian Skyrunning history a Vertical Kilometer Race was hold, the Vertical Kilometer® - Mt. Elbrus (2450-3450 м).

The route leads from Azau Glade 2450 m to «Mir» Station at 3450 m, which makes the Vertical Kilometer® - Mt. Elbrus the Europe’s highest race in this discipline.

The Vertical Kilometer® - Mt. Elbrus was included in the Skyrunner® World Series Trials 2010 and, within the Red Fox Elbrus Race, enabled Russian athletes to achieve points in the international rating of Skyrunning competitions.

In the years 2012-2013 the Vertical Kilometer® - Mt. Elbrus is part of the Skyrunner® World Series.

Since 2014 the Vertical Kilometer® - Mt. Elbrus is a part of the Russian Skyrunning Championship.

And since 2016 it is also a a part of the international «Victory Cup», a competition of Skyrunning among the army.

FESTIVAL OF RECORDS

VITALY CHERNOV (RED FOX TEAM)

SPEED RECORD AT THE 2017 RED FOX ELBRUS RACE:
Vertical Kilometer® - Mt. Elbrus, 2450-3450 м
43 min 14,6 sec – record of festival!

ELENA KRAVCHENKO (RED FOX TEAM)

SPEED RECORD AT THE 2021 RED FOX ELBRUS RACE:
Vertical Kilometer® - Mt. Elbrus, 2450-3450 м
48 min 31 sec – record of festival and women's world record!

THE ROUTE

The route leads from Azau Glade 2450 m to «Mir» Station at 3450 m, which makes the Vertical Kilometer® - Mt. Elbrus the Europe’s highest race in this discipline.

3D view of the route of the Vertical Kilometer® - Mt. Elbrus

LIST OF MANDATORY EQUIPMENT:

1. Running shoes
2. Sun glasses or goggles
3. 3 clothing layers (including one storm layer)
4. Trekking poles
5. Sunblock cream

RECORDS OF THE FESTIVAL

Year / Discipline	Vertical Kilometer® - Mt. Elbrus
	Men	Women
2008
2009
2010	0.48,41 Dmitrij Ploskonosov (Russia)	0.59,07 Megan Kimmel (USA)
2011	The Festival was no held.
2012	0.44,39 Marco De Gasperi (Italy)	0.56,51 Larisa Sovoleva (Russia)
2013	0.44,48 Marco Facchinelli (Italy)	0.51,08 Larisa Sovoleva (Russia)
2014	0.47,22 Vitalij Chernov (Russia, Red Fox Team)	0.54,22 Elena Kravchenko (Russia, Red Fox Team)
2015	0.44,16:02 Vitalij Chernov (Russia, Red Fox Team)	0.52,24:09 Elena Kravchenko (Russia, Red Fox Team)
2016	0:45:43 Cardona Oriol (Catalonia)	0:54:37 Elena Kravchenko (Russia, Red Fox Team)
2017	0.43,14:6 Vitalij Chernov (Russia, Red Fox Team)	0:54,37 Elena Kravchenko (Russia, Red Fox Team)
2018	0.45, 31 Alexey Pagnuev (Russia)	0.56, 27 Elena Kravchenko (Russia, Red Fox Team)
2019	0:44:40 Alexey Pagnuev (Russia)	0:55:11 Natal'ya Rudenko (Russia)
2021	0:43:50 Vitalij Chernov (Russia, Red Fox Team)	0:48:31 Elena Kravchenko (Russia, Red Fox Team)
2022	0:46:08 Vitaly Chernov (Russia, Red Fox Team)	0:52:03 Elena Kravchenko (Russia, Red Fox Team)
2023	0:43:21 Vitaly Chernov (Russia, Red Fox Team)	0:50:11 Elena Kravchenko (Russia, Red Fox Team)