The mountains have chained a person to themselves for a very long time. Someone goes there to go down the snow trail on skis, someone travels on hiking trails with a backpack, and there are people who come there to run.
And not for the sake of health jogging, which is what many do in our stadiums or squares, namely, they make a high-speed race to the top. This young sport is called skyrunning.
Skyrunning - what is it?
Skyrunning or high-altitude running involves the high-speed movement of an athlete in mountainous terrain.
Certain requirements are imposed on such tracks (according to the Competition Rules):
- it must be at an altitude of 2000m above sea level. In Russia, it is allowed to arrange tracks from 0 to 7000m;
- in terms of complexity, the route should not exceed the second category (according to the mountaineering classification of routes);
- the slope of the track should not be more than 40%;
- the distance does not provide for the organization of trails for runners. On the contrary, during its passage, athletes overcome glaciers and ice cracks, snowfields, talus of various types, water obstacles, etc. As a result, they may need climbing equipment to overcome them.
- skyrunners can help themselves with ski or trekking poles while moving, but this is negotiated by the organizers separately for each competition, as well as with their hands.
The history of skyrunning
In the 90s of the 20th century, a group of climbers led by Marino Giacometti held a race to the two highest points of the Alps and Western Europe - Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa. And already in 1995 the Federation of High Altitude Races was registered. Fila became its main sponsor. Since 1996 this sport has been called SkyRunning.
Since 2008, the International Skyrunning Federation has been leading the development of skyrunning, headed by Marino Giacometti, and Lauri van Houten - its executive director. Now the Federation operates under the motto “Less cloud. More Sky! ", Which means" Less clouds, more sky! "
In our time, the Federation works under the auspices of the International Union of Mountaineering Associations. In 2012, the Ministry of Sports officially recognizes and includes skyrunning in its register.
Is skyrunning mountaineering?
As already mentioned above, the International Union of Mountaineering Associations manages the work of the International Federation of Skyrunning, therefore, this sport belongs to mountaineering, however, there are a number of features, namely:
- For mountaineering ascents, the ascent time is not the most important, but the category of difficulty of the route is important.
- Skyrunners do not take equipment with them on the route (or take only a minimum of it, if the route requires it), and climbers use a large number of equipment in their arsenal, starting from tents and sleeping bags, ending with special devices with the help of which they overcome obstacles on the route.
- Runners are prohibited from using oxygen masks on the track.
- Each participant in the race has his own start number and overcomes the track alone. In mountaineering, the team mainly works on the route, so there are no personal start numbers.
- When driving, all checkpoints on the track must be passed, where the fact and time of passing the stage by each participant is recorded.
Varieties of skyrunning
Competitions, according to the Competition Rules in Russia, are held in the following disciplines:
- VERTICAL KILOMETER - the shortest distance up to 5 km. called the Vertical Kilometer. This distance is planned with a height difference of 1 km.
- VERTICAL SKYMARATHON - vertical high-altitude marathon. It is carried out at a distance located at an altitude of 3000m. It can be of any length, but the incline must be more than 30%. This class includes the Red Fox Elbrus Race.
- SKYMARATHON or A high-altitude marathon has a track 20-42 km long, and the climb must be at least 2000 m. If the distance exceeds the values of these parameters by more than 5%, then such a track goes into the Ultra high-altitude marathon class.
- SKYRACE translated as high-altitude race. In this discipline, athletes cover from 18 km to 30 km distance. The track for such competitions should not exceed 4000m in height.
- SKYSPEED in translation, it means a high-speed high-altitude race, in which skyrunners overcome a track with an incline of more than 33% and a vertical rise of 100m.
Next, according to the classifier, there are competitions that combine high-altitude races in combination with other sports. These include:
- SKYRAID or a short high-altitude race. Unlike other types, it is run by a team, while running is combined with cycling, rock climbing, skiing.
How to do skyrunning
Who can do this sport?
Persons who have reached the age of 18 are allowed to compete. But preparation for them can begin at a younger age. For classes, you need to choose a track in which the ascents would alternate with descents. Thus, it is possible to conduct training not only in mountainous areas. However, for the full training of an athlete, going to the mountains is mandatory.
Before starting a workout, a warm-up is carried out in order to warm up the muscles well. If the warm-up is not performed or performed correctly, then during training there is a high probability that you will get injured. When doing the warm-up, special attention is paid to the leg muscles.
The exercises that are performed at this stage are squats, lunges, stretching. For a start, experts recommend mastering uphill running and only after that start downhill training. And the main thing in any training is the regularity of the classes. If training is not carried out regularly, then they will not give much result.
What is needed for training
So you decided to take up this interesting extreme sport. What do you need in order to start training?
- A wish.
- Physical health. Before starting classes, it is advisable to go to the hospital and undergo a medical examination for the possibility of practicing this sport.
- Properly selected clothing, footwear and special equipment.
- It is advisable to have mountaineering or hiking training, which will allow you to properly overcome mountain slopes, snowfields and other obstacles.
And that's all. The rest you will achieve with regular training.
Skyrunner equipment
Skyrunner equipment can be divided into several groups.
Clothing:
- sports leotard;
- thermal underwear;
- gloves;
- windproof trigger;
- socks.
Footwear:
- boots;
- sneakers.
Equipment:
- Sunglasses;
- sunscreen;
- helmet;
- waist bag;
- ski or trekking poles with tip protection;
- to overcome natural obstacles - special mountaineering equipment (crampons, system, carabiners, self-belay mustache, etc.)
Skyrunning benefit or harm
If you practice skyrunning in moderation, however, like any other sport, then this will only benefit your health.
The beneficial effects of skyrunning on the body:
- Effects on the cardiovascular system. Small vessels are cleansed, blood circulation is accelerated, which leads to cleansing of the body.
- When jogging, there is an active effect on the intestines, gallbladder. Stagnant processes in the body are removed.
- In the process of training, the physical work of different muscle groups occurs, which allows you to maintain and maintain their normal functioning in the body.
- Classes in the high mountain zone, according to the doctor of medical sciences L.K. Romanova, increases the body's resistance to adverse factors: hypoxia, ionizing radiation, cooling.
The main problems for runners are diseases of joints and muscles, since during running there are constant impacts on the uneven surface of the track. Properly fitting footwear with good cushioning characteristics will help to minimize the negative impact of this.
Well, since skyrunning is an extreme sport, you need to be prepared for the fact that you can get injuries, bruises, sprains, etc. And improperly organized training can lead to heart disease, such as myocardial degeneration or hypertrophy of various types.
Skyrunner communities in Russia
Since it is an officially recognized sport in Russia, its development is managed by the Russian Skyrunning Association or ACP for short, which is subordinate in its work to the Russian Mountaineering Federation or FAR. On the FAR website you can view the competition calendar, protocols, etc.
If you have not settled on the kind of sport that you would like to do, try skyrunning classes, which will allow you to see the mountains, test yourself, overcoming various obstacles, and bring your body into excellent physical shape.
