Zermatt, Switzerland. The 10th edition of the trail running event Matterhorn Ultraks in Zermatt was a special one for the SCOTT team. The weekend started already on Friday morning with the "Extreme" race (25km, 2876m D+), and it was exactly that... extreme! Due to heavy rain and wind, the race started with one hour delay and the course had to be redirected, as it was too dangerous for the runners to go up to the mountain ridges. SCOTT athlete Iris Pessey, coming in 3rd last year, pushed hard and did not let the rain, wind or technical terrain throw her off her game. She reached the finish after 3 hours and 8 minutes in 2nd place.

After an afternoon of rest, Iris also participated in the "Vertinight" on Friday evening. A vertical race (6.3km, 1000m D+) by night from Zermatt to Schwarzsee, where she finished again in 2nd place. In the men's race, SCOTT athletes Fred Tranchand and Stephan Wenk added to the count of podiums with a 2nd and 3rd place respectively.

Saturday morning started with a clear view onto the Matterhorn, beautifully lit by the sun. At 7:00am it was time for Jo Meek, Kristina Madsen, Alex Nichols and Cody Lind to tackle the "Sky" race (49km, 3600m D+). Alex had the strongest legs to finish hard and was rewarded with 1st place in 5 hours and 18 minutes.

Cody Lind finished 3rd in 5 hours and 40 minutes. In the women's race, Jo Meek and Kristina Madsen managed fantastic performances with a 6th and 21st place overall respectively. 

Braveheart Runners take top spots at Ultraks

For some of the Braveheart Runners it was not only their first trail race, but also their first time in Europe. Three members of the team made the trip to Switzerland from Kenya and close finishes made for some exciting racing.

On Saturday, Enock Kipkemboi and Sarah Jerop took on the "Mountain" race (32km, 2000M D+). After a fast start, Enock took the lead ahead of fellow SCOTT athlete, Stephan Wenk. He held his lead until the 4th checkpoint and highest point of the course (Schwarzsee) where he began to tire. Enock made it to the finish line just 19 seconds behind second place after 2 hours 55 minutes and 58 seconds of running. Sarah similarly started hard and took an early lead. After a tough climb at Schwarzsee and coming into Stafelalp she was 2 minutes down on the leader. However, she descended the mountain well but couldn't quite catch first place, finishing in 2nd place, 22 seconds behind in 3 hours 48 minutes and 10 seconds. 

Sunday was the day of the "Active" race (19.5km, 1150m D+). Daisy Jepkosgei started strong and stayed in a podium spot until a moment where she took a wrong turn and 4th place passed her and went into 3rd. Daisy did her best to close the gap but unfortunately couldn't and finished 18 seconds behind in 1:44:44.