1,250 participants in the anniversary year - the 50th Ebbs Koasamarsch
For the 50th time, on 15 June, 2019, the Ebbs Koasamarsch once again attracted mountain lovers from near and far to the Kaiser Mountains. 1,250 hikers and trail runners from 24 countries started in the anniversary races. The German Moritz Auf der Heide and Tyrolean Marie-Luise Mühlhuber were the beaming winners.
There were a lot of special things about the 50th Ebbs Koasamarsch on Saturday, 15 June, 2019: The unique KOASA Anniversary Ultra Race, picture perfect weather fit for a Kaiser, a sensational number of participants and last but not least the 50th birthday of the cult event. “We were really overwhelmed that so many athletes answered our invitation in the anniversary year, and let us crack the 1,000 participant mark,” says organiser Jürgen Sevignani from the winter sports club Ebbs happily. Depending on their performance level, the 729 hikers and 518 trail runners could choose from a total of seven different distances, which all offered unique views of the distinctive Kaiser Mountains. The starting shot for the four hiking routes was at 6:00 am, while that for this year’s prestigious event, the 52.4 km Ultra Race was at 7:00 am. The KOASA Classic Run, with a length of 33 km, started at 9:00 am and the KOASA Half Marathon, with a length of 21.1 km, started at 11:00 am. The sense of community amongst hikers and trail runners encouraging each other along the route has for years been a special feature of the Ebbs Koasamarsch.
Unique, challenging anniversary race
52.4 kilometres and 3,450 meters of altitude. Some facts from the KOASA Anniversary Ultra Race, which this year took the place of the KOASA Marathon. On Saturday, around 130 extremely tough mountain runners tackled the route, undaunted by tough sections that went over high-Alpine passes or the merciless heat, and rose to the challenge. Moritz Auf der Heide from Germany, no stranger on the scene, was a frontrunner from the very beginning. After the Kaindlhütte, he and Benjamin Bublak, winner of the KOASA Marathon in 2017, set themselves apart from the other runners in the race and then continued to expand their lead. The winner was decided in the last section: Auf der Heide finished first with an impressive time of six hours and 19 minutes. Kufstein resident Bublak crossed the finish line five minutes later for second place. Third place was won by Marian Staller - another Koasamarsch returnee. He won the KOASA Classic Run in 2017. Amongst the women, Tyrolean Marie-Luise Mühlhuber came in first. After more than eight hours she was received by the many spectators in the finishing area. The second fastest was Esther Fellhofer from Tyrol, with Julia Slowik from Poland coming in third.
A successful event
There was also plenty on offer away from the trails for the many visitors in the starting and finishing areas in Ebbs. As they did 50 years ago, the Ebbs band provided musical entertainment with a public concert. The organisers also inspired visitors with all sorts of culinary delicacies from the grill. The organisational team from the winter sports club Ebbs and TVB Kufsteinerland were very happy with the event. “Extreme weather conditions meant that the trails looked very different two weeks ago. It was only due to smooth cooperation between all the people involved that we were able to create excellent conditions for all our participants. In particular we would like to thank the trail maintenance teams,” says Vanessa Stitz from TVB Kufsteinerland.
Trail running results
KOASA Anniversary Ultra Race
Men's
1. Moritz Auf der Heide, GER, LAZ Puma Rhein Sieg, 6:19:25
2. Benjamin Bublak, AUT, Adidas Terrex, 6:24:03
3. Marian Staller, AUT, LC Sport Ossi, 6:46:51
Women's
1. Marie-Luise Mühlhuber, AUT, TEAM BRANDSTORE.TIROL, 8:07:35
2. Esther Fellhofer, AUT, SC LT Breitenbach, 8:41:08
3. Julia Slowik, PL, POLski, 9:14:13
KOASA-Classic Run
Men's
1. Adrian Niski, GER, Adidas Terrex, 3:30:24
2. Felix Pförtner, GER, 3:31:19
3. Manuel Zorn, AUT, Team Serles, 3:36:40
Women's
1. Kordula Mairhofer, AUT, LC Basecamp Wipptal, 4:42:59
2. Aleksandra Golicz, PL, LC Niederwiess Kössen, 4:43:11
3. Jurga Ralyte, LTU, 4:47:16
KOASA half marathon
Men's
1. Dominik Matt, AUT, Matt Gruppe, 1:50:09
2. Andreas Dürr, AUT, 1:53:17
3. Matthias Pernicka, GER, Triathlon Karlsfeld / 1 Gazelle, 1:55:41
Women's
1. Amelie Gugglberger, GER, PTSV Rosenheim, 1:59:09
2. Stefanie Antony, AUT, 2:06:56
3. Meg Lane, GER, 2:08:46