Eiger Ultra Trail, Harricana Ultra Trail, Salomon Cappadoccia Ultra Trail – UTWT 2018 Episode 9

Three great Ultra Trails for this 9th episode of our series of Ultra Trail World Tour Magazines : the spectacular Alpine experience of the Eiger Ultra Trail in Switzerland, the beautiful Canadian nature of the Harricana Ultra Trail and finally the volcanic scenery of the highlands of Anatolia, Turkey, with the Salomon Cappadoccia Ultra Trail.

Via Francigena Bike Tour

Maurizio Zanolla, known as Manolo is one of the pioneers of free climbing and very famous in Italy for his exploits. He began at a very young age and was the first one in Italy to climb free solo ascents. I interviewed him for HorizonSports in Bologna, Italy where he was the star guest, giving a talk at a fundraiser for Sportfund, a non profit motivating children with disabilities to be active in nature.

Manolo’s passion for the mountains started almost inexplicably. With no experience, discouraged by his family and as the world in the 1970s changed around him, he was drawn by a desire to change things in the climbing world. Manolo felt attracted by the surrounding mountains of the Dolomites. His curiosity drove him up the peaks with no rope or aid, all by himself, with a gymnasts agility and concentration. Doing what at the time no-body dared do.

Today after a career free solo climbing, mainly in the Dolomites, his eyes sparkle when he speaks about mountain climbing. He dedicated his life to climbing and took many “irresponsible” risks as a young man. He is happy to be alive. Manolo depicts very clearly and philosophically his spiritual connection with the mountains. He is not technical in describing his mountain climbing experiences and has a sense of humor as he downplays the risks while focusing on his emotions and feelings. You could listen to his adventures for hours. His newly published book “Eravamo Immortali”, (we were immortal), is a vivid depiction of his life. Even though he no longer climbs, he doesn’t miss anything about the mountains because that void for him will never be filled.

I discovered in the course of this interview that Manolo is a fearful person, even though solo free climbing is the riskiest of mountain sports and probably only for fearless people. He believes, that fear will always be confronted whether it is through climbing or not. When climbing, Manolo concentrates and focuses on his climbing objective and how he plans to reach it. This allows him to mentally confront all the possible challenges and risks along the way.

Manolo has always been humble about his accomplishments and most of his climbs have been by himself. He has always shunned publicity. There is very little video coverage of Manolo. He doesn’t indulge or seek fame but practiced his craft for his own personal benefit – a purist at heart. Compared to todays free climbing exploits, what he has achieved is still admirable.

BY: Elias Reyes

See full interview: https://jwp.io/s/TqomwGWz

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Xterra Pan American Championship 2018

Welcome to Utah for the 15th XTERRA Pan American Championships.  In the world of endurance sports, XTERRA is considered to be one of the most prestigious racing tours and is the ultimate test for off-road triathletes.  More than 500 athletes from 30 countries took part in the event, which was the culmination of a 12-stop series of off-road triathlons spanning South and Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Canada, and the U.S. From professional elite athletes to weekend warriors, the XTERRA is for everyone.  The main event combines a 1.5km swim, a 30km mountain bike, and a 10km trail run, whilst there are also shorter races for beginners.

Interview free solo climbing pioneer

Llanelli, Wales Triathlon 2018

The first event of the new Triathlon Super Series will take place in Llanelli on the South Coast of Wales. It is one of the UK’s most spectacular and popular Triathlon championships, challenging the nations best to take on the stunning and rugged trails that will test every bone, fibre and will in a triathletes mind and body. With junior and para-triathlon titles also on the line, a great weekend of competition and adventure lies in store.

A Colombian Mountain Jungle Adventure

OCR World Championships 2018

The 2018 Obstacle Course Racing World Championship that takes place in Essex will challenge professional and amateur competitors from over 65 nations. The UK’s Jon Albon, already a multiple world champion  will be the favourite in the men’s event, while Canada’s Lindsay Webster is out to defend her crown over the 15 kilometre course. Thousands of racers will face both natural and man-made obstacles, from dizzying heights to deep water and everything in between in a spectacular three days of premiere obstacle action.

Discovering South Korea By Bike

ASDA Foundation Yorkshire Marathon Festival 2018

The Yorkshire Marathon very quickly established itself as one of the highlights of the North’s sporting year. This popular and picturesque run, with fantastic PB potential, takes participants past some of the beautiful city of York’s splendid historic sites and along scenic country lanes, making it an attractive prospect for runners of all abilities. Described by the Daily Mirror as the Number 1 Alternative to the London Marathon and by the Guardian as a course on which to smash your PB, this race has written its own place in the UK running calendar. With a 10 mile event also taking place, this festival of running now attracts over 12,000 competitors.

Hard Trek – Val di Sole in Trentino

Discover Val di Sole in Trentino, one of the most beautiful areas of the Dolomites. It’s a paradise for nature sports and wellness with a national park that has many activities on offer – from mountain biking to hiking to rafting and more. In Folgarida there is the world cup mountainbike downhill, Under 23 Giro cycling race, a cheese festival and lots more. (Italian version with English subtitles).

TDS & CCC
Don’t miss the drama of the final two races of the UTMB series event. We will first follow the TDS race, on the tracks of the Dukes of Savoy, over 120km and 7300m of elevation gain from Courmayeur in Italy and then on to the CCC race, between Courmayeur, Champex and Chamonix, for a half loop around the Mont Blanc, 100km and 6000m of elevation gain

Kitefoil World Series – Weifang 2018
Welcome to Weifang on the Yellow Sea off Weifang Binhai, eastern China, for the 1st stop of the 2018 KiteFoil World Series where we cover five days of intense competitive racing between the top British, French and Monégasque champions as well as the top American and Russian women – all filmed in perfect conditions!

Dog Man Run 
Brenda and Stefano run together over a panoramic and hilly eleven km circuit with Brenda leading and tugging. We follow the duo up and down across all kinds of terrain with running conversations.  Stefano explains who is boss – he or Brenda? And then he tells us what he thinks of the hi-lite trail running system dog harness for dogs on the go by Ruff wear.

CFLD Beijing Marathon 2018
This spectacular marathon stretches across Peking, from the landmark Tian’anmen Square and ends outside the National Stadium, better known as the “Birds Nest”.  The top favorite should be Kenya’s Valary Jemeli Aiyabei but the field also includes two sub-2:22 runners and a handful of top Ethiopians. A must see!

Coming soon :

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Incredible Ladek !
Discover the wonders of the little known Polish town of Ladek where the premiere Polish mountain film festival takes place. Besides seeing the top mountaineering movies, you meet top Polish and international mountaineers, attend the award ceremony for the best Mountaineer expeditions of the year – les Piolets D’or –  and take a fabulous ride up to the surrounding mountains. This is an exciting tour of all that you didn’t know about the Ladek mountain film festival and  more….

Running In the Tor des Geants – The world’s Toughest Ultra Trail Race
We run for part of the race and bring you runner commentary from the trail alongside runners to give you unique and interesting coverage.Starting and ending in Courmayeur, at the foot of Mont Blanc, the Ultra Trail race covers 330 km with over 24,000 meters climb across some of the most spectacular terrain in the Aosta region of Italy.

Walks Around Britain – Stoney Middleton to Coombs Dale & Glenridding Dodd 
We take an interesting walk through one of the Peak District’s least known dales and discover some of the best views of the mighty Ullswater from the top of Glenridding Dodd. Put your boots on and lets go….

ÖtillÖ Swimrun Cannes 2018
The famous ÖtillÖ Swimrun series concludes the season with spectacular action in Cannes, France. The race winds its way across the magical Lérins Islands, with a long swim to the mainland. The run includes crossing the famous movie star Croisette in Cannes before climbing two high hills, La Croix de Gardes and California and finishing in Cannes.

Coming Soon :

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