The Rosengarten Schlern Skymarathon was on the program for the eighth time on Saturday. And Andreas Reiterer and Cristina Salton celebrated under the world-famous mountain massif of the Dolomites: they won the longer of the two distances, which led from Tiers 45 kilometers through the UNESCO World Heritage Site and back again. The “short” distance of 36 kilometers, on the other hand, went to Luca Clara and Severine Petersen.

It was clear even before the start of the race that there would be no way around Andreas Reiterer. His curriculum as multiple trail Italian champion and trail vice world champion is too impressive. And he has long since made the Rosengarten Schlern Skymarathon his specialty, as Saturday's victory is his fourth in the eighth edition. However, he did not come close to his record time of 4:35.33.9 hours from 2018: his chip stopped the time after 4:49.48.3 hours when he crossed the finish line in the village center of Tiers and was greeted first and foremost by his partner and their son. The Haflinger's brilliant performance could not be topped by the two Germans, who finished in second and third place. Toni Seewald, the brother of marathon mountain biker extraordinaire Andreas Seewald, arrived just under a quarter of an hour after Reiterer (5:04.21.1 hours), while Stefan Lämmle was almost half an hour behind the South Tyrolean (5:26.39.3 hours).

There was a similar picture in the women's race, where Cristina Salton, also from Italy, won the long distance. The trained physiotherapist, who comes from Val Badia but has her practice in Val Pusteria, crossed the finish line in Tiers in 6:36.12.7 hours after 45 kilometers and around 3000 meters of altitude, where she was also celebrated by her three sons. And she also had two Germans behind her: Jessica Koch came second with a time of 7:01.17.9 hours, Christina Erdbrink took third place in 7:02.44.8 hours.

Repeat offenders cheer on the 36 kilometers

The winner of the shorter course, which is 36 kilometers long and just under 2000 meters, but not significantly less tough, is also a familiar face at the Rosengarten Schlern Skymarathon, but also in the trail country of South Tyrol in general. Luca Clara from Klausen is a truly exceptional athlete. He actually wanted to take part in the longer distance, but decided during the race to switch to the shorter distance. His decision proved to be the right one, as he took the day's victory over the 36 kilometers: with a time of 3:36.28.4 hours, he relegated the German Simon Eisele to second place (3:45.43.8 hours) and the Italian Enrico Bonati to third place (3:57.10.5 hours). This is Clara's second victory in his fifth participation in the trail classic under the Rosengarten - so the ski marathon suits him.

So did the German Severine Petersen, who has lived in Gossensaß for several years. She even went into the race as the defending champion, having already won the 36 km distance the previous year. 2025 was also her year, as she was almost ten minutes faster than when she won in 2024. She crossed the finish line in 4:22.40.2 hours with a huge grin on her face and was also dominant. Her compatriot Clara Carste from Germany was more than a quarter of an hour behind Petersen (4:38.24.5 hours) and third place, Italy's Nora Corazza, also came nowhere near the South Tyrolean by choice with a time of 4:41.43.6 hours.

The OC team is satisfied

In addition to the many happy faces of the almost 400 participants, the organizers were also in a happy mood: "Everything went well, no one was seriously injured and the weather was ideal for running - the temperatures were not too high this year. Our thanks go to all our loyal sponsors, first and foremost our main sponsor Dynafit, without whom none of this would have been possible, but also to all the volunteers who lent us a helping hand. It was another great Rosengarten Schlern Skymarathon and we are already looking forward to the next one on July 11, 2026."

Rosengarten Schlern Skymarathon - Voices of the winners:

Andreas Reiterer (winner 45km men): "Once again it was wonderful to run here. The weather was perfect, not too warm, not too cold. I really like this course. Luca (Clara, editor's note) was with me at the start and pushed me a little. But then he switched to the short distance and I was able to slow down a bit. I still have a lot of running ahead of me this summer, so that's good."

Cristina Salton (winner 45km women): "It went well for me, the race is beautiful. The weather and the temperature were just right. I suffered in the last few kilometers, but I thought to myself: Today is my day off, I have to take advantage of it."

Luca Clara (winner 36km men): "The race was great, the temperature was perfect for running - last year it was extremely hot. Today I stuck with Andreas (Reiterern, editor's note), ran with him for a long time, but then thought to myself: I'd rather do the short one today, I'll win. And that worked out well!"

Severine Petersen (winner 36km women): "The race is simply beautiful, from start to finish. I'm on the road to recovery after my injury from almost two months ago, I felt really good today. Let's see if it continues like this in the next races. Now it's time to cool off in the village fountain in Tiers!"

Rosengarten Sky Marathon - Results:

45km, top 3 men:
1st Andreas Reiterer (ITA) La Sportiva Mountain Running Team 4.49.48,3 hours
2nd Toni Seewald (GER) Lenggries 5:04.21,1
3. Stefan Lämmle (GER) Wiggensbach 5:26.39,3

45km, top 3 women:
1st Cristina Salton (ITA) 6:36.12,7 hours
2. Jessica Koch (GER) 7:01.17,9
3. Christina Erdbringk (GER) 7:02.44,8

36km, top 3 men:
1st Luca Clara (ITA) Martini Speed Team 3:36.28,4 hours
2nd Simon Eisele (GER) SpVgg Auerbach/Streitheim 3:45.43,8
3. Enrico Bonati (ITA) Mud and Snow-Salomon 3:57.10,5

36km, top 3 women:
1st Severine Petersen (GER) Team Mammut 4:22.40,2 hours
2. Clara Carste (GER) Dynafit Trailhero 4:38.24,5
3. Nora Corazza (ITA) Magredi Mountain Trail 4:41.43,6

The complete result lists: https://crej.short.gy/4fyBEB

First pictures are available: 

https://www.franzspiess.net/p184941463

https://1drv.ms/f/c/8424fb6457b908ca/EpGFUa3HWUJOuksX3il4WdkBDJRy-ytI2LWRQQ-rT-Nr-A?e=BNQVw2