Daniel Pattis from Tires and Regina Spiess from Val Sarentino won the long-distance race at the 9th Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon on Saturday in glorious weather. Luca Clara from Chiusa and Clara Carste, who now lives in Innsbruck, were victorious in the 36 km Sky Trail. The newly introduced Sky Run (16 km) was won by Damian Nussbaumer from Val Sarentino and Anna Santini from Trentino. A total of 500 athletes from 30 different nations took part.  

This victory and the accompanying course record came as no surprise. Local hero Daniel Pattis had set himself no less a goal than to beat the current record of 4:48.24 hours. And the 28-year-old from Tires achieved this in his home race. Pattis celebrated a start-to-finish victory that was never in doubt. After the start at 7 am at the Cyprianerhof, the European Trail Running silver medallist ran alone at the front. At the Tierser Alpl, after 3:06 hours of racing, Pattis already had a lead of over 22 minutes over his closest rival, Thomas Oberrauch from Soprabolzano. 

Pattis went on to extend this lead further. After covering 46 kilometres, with 2,980 metres of ascent and 3,083 metres of descent, the Brooks Trail Runners Team athlete crossed the finish line in 4:43.07 hours, beating the previous record by more than five minutes. Pattis, who was delighted with his second home victory, was also the only runner to break the magic five-hour barrier, as Oberrauch completed the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon in 5:24.31 hours. The podium was completed by another South Tyrolean: Ludwig Andres from the Rennerclub Vinschgau finished third in 5:46.24 hours, edging out the Spaniard Hugo Zapata and the Slovak Tomas Repka from the Dynafit Team in the battle for third place. Former ski racer Florian Eisath (Carezza Dolomites) crossed the finish line in 26th place after 6:41.05 hours. 


Regina Spiess with a beastly finish

Whilst the outcome of the men’s race was a foregone conclusion, the women’s race proved to be extremely thrilling. At the Tierser Alpl, it looked as though Susanna Lell Reichert was set for victory. The 39-year-old from Allgäu, representing the XC Running Team, had built up a lead of a good minute over Regina Spiess from Val Sarentino after 4 hours and 20 minutes of running. However, Spiess subsequently closed in on the German runner, overtook her in the final 1,500 metres, and ultimately prevailed with a time of 6:34.40 hours and a razor-thin lead of 31 seconds. 

For Spiess (born in 1973), this was her second victory at the prestigious trail event below the Rosengarten, following her triumph in 2021. Lell Reichert, meanwhile, was competing for the fifth time and stood on the podium for the fifth time. In 2018, she won the 36-km course.

Local hero Marion Rieder crossed the finish line in a brilliant third place on Saturday – complete with a champagne shower. The 33-year-old from Tires finished 2.30 minutes behind Spiess. That was roughly the same gap Rieder had been trailing the eventual winner by at the Tierser Alpl. Former ski racer Karoline Pichler (Carezza Dolomites) also achieved a respectable result, finishing eighth with a time of 7:14.49 to secure a place in the top ten.


Clara repeats his victory from last year

As in the 2021 and 2025 editions, Luca Clara, who had originally entered the Sky Marathon, won the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Trail (36 km/1,908 metres of ascent). The Chiusa native clocked a time of 3:41.53 hours to secure his third victory in the heart of the Dolomites. Second place went to Patrick Gross (Merano), who crossed the finish line in 3:44.34 hours. Maximilian Franceschini from Trentino came third, with a finishing time of 4:02.48 hours. 

In the women’s race too, the favourite claimed victory on the ‘shorter’ route. Clara Carste, who finished second last year, was the first to cross the finish line on the village square in Tires this year. The Munich native, who currently lives in Innsbruck, finished the race in 4:35.02 hours, more than 16 minutes ahead of the runner-up, Sara Toloni from Limbiate in Lombardy. Barbara Spiess from Val Sarentino finished the Sky Trail in third place, with a time of 4:52.01 hours. Laura Neulichedl from Fiè came fourth, also finishing under the 5-hour mark (4:55.29).


Nussbaumer and Santini shine at the Sky-Run-premiere

This year, for the first time as part of the South Tyrolean Trail Classic, the 16 km Sky Run (770 metres of elevation gain) took place. The inaugural victory in the men’s race went to Damian Nussbaumer from Val Sarentino, who finished in 1:17.44 hours. Florian Weissensteiner from Collepietra (1:23.15) and Ole Seeberg from Hamburg, who lives in Zurich (1:25.03), finished in second and third place respectively.  

In the women’s race, the day’s victory went to the Val di Fiemme. Anna Santini from Cavalese won with a time of 1:30.07 hours. Anna Riegler from Bolzano came second, 6.35 minutes behind, whilst Pamela D’Incà from Pedavena was called up as third at the prize-giving ceremony (1:42.34). A total of 500 athletes from 30 different nations were registered for the three routes of the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon – proof that this popular running event attracts participants from all corners of the globe and is a truly international sporting festival.

This is a development that has delighted the organisers. “We are very pleased with how our event went, particularly as there were no major incidents. Special thanks go to our entire team, all the volunteers – including those from the various emergency services – and our loyal sponsors. They all make this event possible and are the heart of the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon. We are already looking forward to our milestone anniversary next year. The 10th edition is expected to take place on 10 July 2027.


The winner’s statements

Daniel Pattis (winner of the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon): “It’s always something special to run here at home. I get to travel a lot, but for me this race remains one of the most beautiful in the world. Today (on Saturday, editor’s note), Luca Clara kept up with my pace at the start, but in the end, he ran the shorter route and won that one. However, being on my own for much of the race wasn’t a disadvantage at all, as it meant I could run at my own pace. My aim was to break the course record, but so much can happen over this distance. So I’m all the more delighted that it worked out.”

Regina Spiess (winner of the Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon): “I went into the race with absolutely no expectations. But I felt good right from the start, found my rhythm and was consistently in second or third place. Over the last one and a half kilometres, I caught up with the leader and secured the win. I’m over the moon – it’s my second victory here after a few years!”


Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon 2026 – The Top3 at a glance

Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon (46 km)
Men: 
1. Daniel Pattis ITA/Brooks Trail Runners 4:43.07
2. Thomas Oberrauch ITA 5:24.31
3. Ludwig Andres ITA/ASV Rennerclub Vinschgau 5:46.24

Women: 
1. Regina Spiess ITA/ASC Sarntal 6:34.40
2. Susanna Lell Reichert GER/XC-Running Team 6:35.11
3. Marion Rieder ITA/ASV Tiers 6:37.10


Rosengarten Schlern Sky Trail (36km)
Men: 
1. Luca Clara ITA/Martini Speed Team 3:41.53
2. Patrick Gross ITA/Telmekom Team Südtirol 3:44.34
3. Maximilian Franceschini ITA/S.A. Valchiese 4:02.48

Women:
1. Clara Carste GER/Dynafit 4:35.02
2. Sara Toloni ITA 4:51.08
3. Barbara Spiess ITA/Lauffreunde Sarntal 4:52.01


Rosengarten Schlern Sky Run (16 km)
Men: 
1. Damian Nussbaumer ITA 1:17.44
2. Florian Weissensteiner ITA/ASV Steinegg 1:23.15
3. Ole Seeberg SUI 1:25.03

Women: 
1. Anna Santini ITA/US Cermis 1:30.07
2. Anna Riegler ITA 1:36.42
3. Pamela D'Incà ITA 1:42.34



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