January 18th, 2013

La Sportiva partners with the Ultra Race of Champions

January 18th, Vail, CO and Boulder, CO- The Ultra Race of Champions (UROC) and La Sportiva have entered into a partnership for 2013. By signing on as a major sponsor, La Sportiva will support the Ultra Race of Champions’ mission as The Ultra Running Championship and bring together the best of the best, on one course, on one day. The Ultra Race of Champions is presented by Competitor Magazine.

The Ultra Race of Champions was recently selected as the 2013 Skyrunner® World Series Ultra Final: this is the first time that any Skyrunner® World Series Ultra Final has been held in the USA. “It’s a match made in heaven” says J. Russell Gill III, UROC’s Event Director and CEO of Bad to the Bone Endurance Sports. “With the Ultra Race of Champions as the Skyrunner® World Series Ultra Final, La Sportiva’s mountain heritage is a perfect fit for the race”.

“La Sportiva is headquartered in the Dolomites, Italy which is also where the International Skyrunning® Federation was born ” says Dr. Francesca Conte, Bad to the Bone Endurance Sports’ President and native of northern Italy. “La Sportiva’s history and experience with mountain running and World championship events makes it the perfect partner for UROC”.

The race, which includes three events, the Ultra Race of Champions 100K, the Über Rock 50Kand Cruxy Half Marathon, will take place in Vail, Colorado on September 28th, 2013. The courses for all three events are perfectly suited for the La Sportiva brand, and the three distances will challenge runners of all backgrounds. The Ultra Race of Champions course will start on Main Street in Breckenridge, Colorado and finish in Vail Village, crossing several high mountain passes. The 50K and Half Marathon courses will take place on and around Vail Mountain.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the 2013 Ultra Race of Champions and Skyrunner® World Series Ultra Final! We have a great history of working with Francesca and Gill and know they will put together a fantastic event. This is going to generate excellent exposure for the elite field of athletes here in the States as they’re pitted against the toughest of the international competitors and is a huge success for the Mountain Running community as a whole” says Ian Achey, Events and Promotions Manager for La Sportiva. La Sportiva will be an exhibitor at the Champions Village, the UROC Expo in Vail.

About the Ultra Race of Champions

The Ultra Race of Champions is the Championship Event for the sport of Ultra Distance Running. Elite runners are invited based on the recommendation of the Ultra Race of Champions Elite Advisory Council and their performances at key events in the sport all over the world. The UROC Elite Advisory Council includes some of the best ultra runners from around the World: Geoff Roes, Dave Mackey, Ellie Greenwood, Michael Wardian, Devon Yanko and Ian Sharman. www.ultraroc.com

 

About La Sportiva

La Sportiva's mission is to bring you the best technical footwear to explore the outdoors. For 80 years La Sportiva has produced innovative footwear. Produced and designed in a small mountain town at the foot of the Dolomites, La Sportiva supports 140 families in a unique and enviable environment. Everyday the mountains surround the people who handcraft La Sportiva's shoes. Being mountain based and family run allows La Sportiva to draw on eight decades of experience handed down through the generations. With this heritage, La Sportiva can focus on the future and meld new technologies, ideas and innovation with their rich knowledge of shoe making to produce the most amazing products on the market. Products that let you go where you dream to go, do what you dream to do and live how you want to live.

About Bad to the Bone Endurance Sports

By directing premiere road and trail events all over the United States, Bad to the Bone Endurance Sports strives to motivate runners of all backgrounds to challenge themselves. For over 11 years, Bad to the Bone Endurance Sports events have reflected owners Gill and Francesca’s decades-long knowledge and passion for running. www.badtothebone.biz

About the International Skyrunning Federation

Skyrunning, or high altitude running, is defined as the discipline of mountain running up to or exceeding 2,000m where the incline exceeds 30% and the climbing difficulty does not exceed II° grade. The governing body is the International Skyrunning Federation. The sport comprises a number of different disciplines from the short, steep Vertical Kilometer® to the more popular SkyRace® and Ultra SkyMarathon®.

The idea of creating a sports discipline was the brainchild of Italian mountaineer Marino Giacometti. Thanks to Giacometti, skyrunning races have taken place across the world’s mountain ranges reaching from the Alps to the Himalayas and to Mount Kenya to the Rocky Mountains. The principal aims of the International Skyrunning Federation are the direction, regulation, promotion, development and furtherance of skyrunning and similar multisport activities on a worldwide basis. The International Skyrunning Federation is also the organizer of the Skyrunner® World Series. www.skyrunning.com

About Competitor Magazine

Celebrating 25 years, Competitor magazine is the world’s leading voice of endurance athletics. Competitor engages active people from runners to cyclists and outdoors adventurers to fulfill one simple mission: to inspire a healthy, active lifestyle. Competitor empowers readers across the country, with world-class journalism and photography, to become community leaders through their adventurous lifestyle and courageous spirit. For more information about Competitor, including advertising rate cards and editorial calendar, visit CompetitorMediaKit.com. For the latest running news, training advice and more, visit Competitor.com.