Between the evening of Friday 9 and Saturday 10 June, the Val di Zoldo event proposed the first races of the tenth edition, i.e. the longest and hardest races of the five tracks, the 103 K (with 7,150 meters of positive difference in height and the same number of negative difference in height), the 72 K (5,550 meters of difference in altitude) and the 55 K (3,800 meters of difference in altitude).
The queen race, which started at 10 pm on Saturday 9, saw the German Tobias Friz prevail with a time of 14h2”53”. The Bavarian athlete first competed head-on with a small group of athletes (including the favourite, Franco Collè from the Aosta Valley, who was later forced to retire due to physical problems), then in perfect solitude. On the podium with Friz were also the Austrian Gerald Fister (14h46’10”, third last year) and the host Tullio “Ronnie” Corazza (15h26’47”).
«I had come to Val di Zoldo on holiday and when I found out that there was a trail I wanted to participate in it» says Tobias Fritz. «It’s my first victory in an ultratrail, I’m really happy».
«Finally on the podium of the home race, I would never have said it because there were top athletes at the start» underlined Tullio “Ronnie” Corazza, third. «Someone retired, some others I managed to go faster. And I also managed to overcome the crisis between Monte Rite and Forcella Cibiana. Training up and down Monte Punta paid off»!
Among women, dominance for Federica Boifava from Vicenza, a fan of Dxt, already won in the past (in 2015, also beating men, and in 2021). Boifava, seventh overall with a time of 17h22’46”, preceded the Russian Tatiana Mitkina (18h26’55”) and the Lombard Lisa Borzani (18h50’32”).
«Dolomiti Extreme Trail is for me the race, fascinating, demanding, extreme precisely» underlined Federica Boifava at the end of her effort. «Here I won and here I returned to racing after a break. I consider Val di Zoldo the capital of the Dolomites: running here is fantastic».
The two winners of the 103 K Thanks to Saucony, they will have a complete package available to compete in the Saucony El Cruce, the challenge that will be staged in December in the Andes between Chile and Argentina, a worldwide project to fully experience the trail spirit in the fascinating South American nature.
In the 72 K the Tuscan Matteo Anselmi (10h10’24”) won from the Island of Elba ahead of the Swiss Serge Lattion (11h18’14”) and the French Nicolas Cerisier (11h19’10”). Among the women, hurray for Ornella Bona from Belluno (13h59’33”), with Erika Cecchel from Treviso second (14h18’46”) and Austrian Julia Wuerzinger third (16h19’29”).
Success for the Piedmontese Davide Rivero (6h50’15”) in the 55K, with the Polish Jaroslaw Zbonien (7h08’54”) and the Slovak Martin Blahusiak (7h12’41”) in second and third place respectively.
In the 55 K in pink, Slovakia in front of all thanks and Radka Litvajova (9h02’51”). Two Norwegian athletes in second and third position: Elizaveta Ershova (9h05’21”) and Emilie Eliseussen Odegaard (9h06’48”).