Towards the sun: Exciting neck-and-neck race with imperial weather at the 53rd Ebbs Koasamarsch
On 17 June, the time had come again: More than 600 sports enthusiasts from 22 nations crossed the starting line in summery imperial weather and answered the call of the "Koasa". The victory went to the neighbouring country: the Germans Hannah Kirchhübel and Yannick Gladow took the gold medals at the KOASA Marathon 2023.
In front of the breathtaking landscape of the Kaiser Mountains, the starting signal was given for over 600 athletes from all over the world on 17 June 2023. The weather was on their side: with cloudless skies and bright sunshine, the athletes took on the challenge of conquering the Tyrolean mountain landscape around Ebbs. Three trail running distances and four hiking routes led the participants through the nature reserve of the Kaiser Mountains. Metre by metre, they conquered the imposing mountain paths that led them from the Zahmen Kaiser to the Wilder Kaiser, and strove side by side for best times.
The Ebbs Winter Sports Club, which organises the annual event, welcomed the trail runners and hikers to the centre of Ebbs at an early hour. The participants then ran and marched off at different starting times. Especially the Koasamarsch trail runs challenged starters from the national and international trail running scene to top sporting performances. The KOASA marathon was the top trail running discipline: after the starting signal at 8:00 a.m., 44 kilometres and 2,100 metres of altitude had to be conquered. No less demanding was the KOASA Classic Run, which awaited the participants after the start at 9:00 a.m. with 33 kilometres and 1,730 metres of altitude. The KOASA Hell Ride, which started at 10:00 a.m., was also a challenge, as the 20-kilometre route and 1,000 metres of altitude required stamina. At the Koasamarsch mountain hikes, there was a suitable route for hiking enthusiasts and families of all levels: a total of four hiking routes from 4.2 to 32.2 kilometres were available for participants to choose from. The first mountain enthusiasts set off at 6:00 a.m. for the 20- and 40-kilometre hike.
Under the motto "Zach, owa geil!" it was steep uphill right from the start, as Georg Ritzer, President of the Ebbs Winter Sports Association, describes: "Most of the altitude metres were covered right after the start on a large part of the routes. Those first five kilometres were definitely challenging. Only the KOASA Marathon went over the Aschinger Alm before the route climbed steeply towards Stripsenkopf."
Austrian Klaus Steiner and German Yannick Gladow had an exciting head-to-head race from the start: Klaus Steiner was ahead until the Vorderkaiserfeldenhütte. But Yannick Gladow was close on his competitor's heels and overtook him in the further course. With a lead of almost 7 minutes, Gladow crossed the finish line as the winner after 4 hours and 48 minutes. Klaus Steiner crossed the finish line after 4 hours and 55 minutes and came in second. 13 minutes later, his compatriot Matthäus Fischbacher took third place. In the women's race, Hannah Kirchhübel secured the gold medal, closely followed by Kerstin Brandes, who crossed the finish line in second place. Third place on the podium went to Helga Brandstetter.
Also at the front was Dominik Matt, who secured first place in the KOASA hell ride with an 8-minute lead and thus defended his victory in this very discipline at the Ebbs Koasamarsch 2022. Already last week, the Tyrolean trail runner finished as the fastest Austrian in 29th place at the Trail Running and Mountain Running World Championships 2023 in Innsbruck/Stubai.
More than 50 years of existence have given the Ebbs Koasamarsch an internationally recognised cult status. Originally launched as a pure hiking event, trail running brought a breath of fresh air to the Tyrolean sporting event a few years ago and ensured notoriety beyond the country's borders. This is also reflected in this year's registrations: In addition to mountain enthusiasts from Austria and the neighbouring countries of Germany, Switzerland and Italy, participants from countries such as Finland, Macedonia and Denmark also took to the starting line.
Mathias Chazarreta from Argentina and Daniel Londono from Colombia travelled from overseas to conquer the "Koasa". Chazarreta even finished 5th in the KOASA Marathon. "Not only the sensational scenery, but also the perfectly signposted running and hiking routes attract top international candidates to the Kaisergebirge year after year," explains Georg Hörhager, chairman of the Kufsteinerland Tourism Association. In addition to the exciting competition, the organisers also provided a varied supporting programme and musical entertainment in the start and finish areas.
KOASA Marathon (44 km, 2,100 hm)
Men:
Gladow Yannick, GER, 4:48:30
Steiner Klaus, AUT, MOSS Racing, 4:55:12
Fischbacher Matthäus, AUT, LC Niederwies Kössen, 5:08:03
Ladies:
Kirchhübel Hannah, GER, #teambergnarrisch, 6:58:23
Brandes Kerstin, GER, Trampelpfadlauf, 7:13:14
Brandstetter Helga, AUT, TSV St. Georgen, 7:19:04
KOASA-Classic-Run (33 km, 1,730 hm).
Men:
Schwaiger Hubert, GER, 3:42:20
Partl Lukas, AUT, SCOTT Sport Austria / Sport H & N, 3:44:12
Novický Viliam, SVK, Maras Team, 3:48:11
Ladies:
Ritzer Verena, AUT, Sport Kapfinger, 4:43:56
Kazdova Adela, CZE, 5:13:50
Bierschneider Susanne, GER, 5:22:41
KOASA Hell Ride (20 km, 1,000 hm).
Men:
Matt Dominik, AUT, Team Salomon, 1:41:32
Lindorfer Thomas, AUT, SCLT Breitenbach, 1:49:56
Hiermer Stefan, AUT, SC Haag, 1:55:20
Ladies:
Bachmayer Verena, GER, SC Haag, 2:09:28
Schollerer Kristina, GER, PTSV Rosenheim, 2:14:39
Dietzinger Manuela, GER. Adidas Runners Munich, 2:19:47
All other results can be found on the website my.raceresult.com.