The twelfth edition of the Skyrunning European Championships will be held at the iconic – and historic – SkyMarathon or “Maratona del Cielo”, in Italy on July 3-5, 2025.
Back on the international stage after hosting numerous skyrunning calendar events, including the Skyrunner® World Series, it’s also an occasion to celebrate 30 years since the first race in 1995.
The Skyrunning European Championships will represent a chance for a new generation to discover this stunning venue in the Eastern Orobic Alps where the VERTICAL, SKY and SKYULTRA disciplines will be contested. Now, the challenge is on with many world-class athletes preparing to battle for the 27 medals at stake.
The SKYULTRA is over the classic course, “just” 42 km long, but the gruelling challenge along the 2,000m mountain crests summiting Monte Sellero at 2,770m will remind athletes that this is true skyrunning. The overall ascent and descent amount to a massive 5,470m elevation gain, classified as a 2+ Technical Level on the ISF Certified Course list.
The men’s record, 4h03′01″ was set by Italian Nadir Maguet in 2023. Note the long-standing women’s record of 5h10’43” was set by seven-time winner, Italian Emanuela Brizio – 19 years ago back in 2005 – a stimulating challenge for the 2025 female contestants.
The SKY discipline will be held on the Half Marathon course – 23 km long with a total 3,050m ascent and descent, in part, over the SkyMarathon course reaching the Salina Pass at 2,433m with the same start and finish.
The VERTICAL will move up the valley to the well-known Aprica-Corteno ski resort where Europe’s longest illuminated ski run is located. Details of the Vertical Kilometer® course will be announced shortly.
The SkyMarathon venue location is also birthplace of Marino Giacometti, skyrunning inventor and President of the International Skyrunning Federation.
“To say ‘I’m very proud that the SkyMarathon will hold the European Skyrunning Championships’ seems banal, the usual diplomatic statement,” commented Giacometti.
“This was the first skyrunning race outside the Fila Skyrunner Trophy at the time, designed by our athlete, Adriano Salvadori. The course goes through my native home, the tiny village of Sant ‘Antonio, the alps where I grazed the cows, along the paths where I ran as a child and the mountains where I went with my grandfather who had only ever seen goats and chamois, never a helicopter.
“That’s why I can’t find the right words to say how I really feel about the SkyMarathon returning to the international stage with these Championships.”
The last edition of the biennial Skyrunning European Championships held in Montenegro in 2023, saw 21 countries participate with Spain, Italy and the Czechia coming out on top and also saw strong competition from countries such as Sweden, which placed fourth in the country ranking.
The door is wide open to welcome official national teams from the far reaches of European countries outside of Italy, where the race has a long-standing history and a strong reputation among top skyrunners.
Francesca Taddei, President of the Race Organising Committee, stated, “The motivation and enthusiasm of the board led us to immerse ourselves in this European challenge to bring this historic race back to the fore, since 1995 on skyrunning calendars and part of the Skyrunner World Series that saw the best skyrunners of the time triumph.
“The European Championships will also allow us to promote our territory at an international level, spectacular and full of potential like the Sant’Antonio Nature Reserve, the Aprica-Corteno ski resort and the mountains that surround us.”
Celebrating 30 years and hosting the Skyrunning European Championships will bring the SkyMarathon once more to the top of the bucket-list of athletes looking for a true skyrunning experience.
All medallists qualify for the SkyMasters, the final of the 2025 Skyrunner® World Series and participants will automatically be included in the ISF Ranking.
More info
Certified Course list
ISF Ranking
Race website (updating)
