Two great novelties of the 2023 edition: the inaugural ceremony scheduled for Friday morning 19 May (11.00 am) which will mark the opening of the renewed EXPO with the presence of prestigious companies in the sector and the debut of the GTT Extra or the 150Km ultratrail with 10,000 meters in altitude. The fearless registered athletes will start from Arco at 12 on Friday to return between Saturday and Sunday after having touched (also) the peaks of over 2,000 meters that embrace Garda Trentino from the east side, Monte Stivo and Monte Altissimo to the west with the ascent of the Ponale, the long passage in Valle di Ledro and the return from the Pernici refuge. All in total self-sufficiency and three assistance points.
The days of Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 May provide for the traditional format and the same program as the last editions. Saturday space for the classic triptych formed by the flagship Garda Trentino Trail (departure and arrival in Arco, 62Km with approximately 3800 meters in altitude), the Ledro Trail (departure from Ledro, arrival in Arco after 44Km with approximately 2400 meters in altitude) and the Tenno Trail (departure and arrival in Arco with 30Km and 1600 meters of difference in altitude) while on Sunday morning the Garda Trentino Run will take place on the 11 km track designed around the city of Arco and a proposed difference in altitude of about 600 metres.
GTT EXTRA – A race of such mileage and to be tackled in complete autonomy is not for everyone, but among the fifty ultratrailers that have guaranteed themselves a starting bib for this first edition, names of absolute value stand out such as that of the South Tyrolean Alexander Rabensteiner (among others things in the past already winner of the Dolomites Ultra Trail, of the Tuscany Crossing Trail, and of the UtraTrail Via degli Dei) and above all of Petter Restorp, Swedish champion at home in Chamonix capable of climbing on the podium of the Tor des Geants in 2021, a cult race for the ultratrail specialists.
To welcome them, in a metaphorical sense, they will find the host Marco Gubert, winner of the TransGranCanaria 2021 as well as one of the creators and planners of the GTT Extra route.
Participants in GTT Extra will be able to count on their personal equipment during the race, on the route provided by the Organizing Committee and on the three life-bases located along the route in the center of Mori (after the climb on the Stivo and before facing Monte Altissimo), of Nago (after the descent from the Altissimo) and of Tiarno di Sopra, before tackling the ascent on the Ledro Alps. Here they will be able to take advantage of the hot meal and possibly rest on the specially prepared camp beds.
GTT – The proximity to the World Championships in mountain running and Trail in Innsbruck and the concomitance with the Italian short trial championships have led to a sort of dispersion of the big names on medium distances but among the members of Garda Trentino Trail the presence of some winners stands out of the recent past, as in the case of the Piedmontese Alessia Scaini, already Italian champion and in the blue tour, ready to repeat herself in the Garda Trentino Run after her success in 2022.
The turnout of foreign athletes was notable and clearly growing compared to the past, thanks to the partnership with the Swiss timing agency DataSport which allowed for a greater diffusion of the event in the rest of the European continent and beyond.
It should be remembered that the 2022 edition of Garda Trentino Trail hosted the Italian Long and Short Trail Championships, paving the way for the historic first round of the World Trial and Mountain Running Championships held in Thailand.