{{short description|Extreme sport of mountain running above 2,000 metres}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}} thumb|220 px|A sky runner.

'''Skyrunning''' is a sport of mountain running above {{convert|2000|m|ft}} where the minimum average incline is 6% over the total distance and at least 5% has an incline of 30% or more.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dwyer |first=Olivia |date=25 July 2019 |title=What in the World is Skyrunning? |url=https://www.rei.com/blog/run/what-in-the-world-is-skyrunning |access-date=28 June 2023}}</ref> The climbing difficulty does not exceed II grade UIAA.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-23 |title=What Is Skyrunning? A Guide To Racing The Mountains |url=https://marathonhandbook.com/what-is-skyrunning/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |language=en-US}}</ref> Poles, crampons, and hands may be used to aid progress. 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 SkyMarathon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gastautor |date=2019-02-06 |title=What is skyrunning? |url=https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/blog/what-is-skyrunning/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=Alpinetrek |language=en-US}}</ref> Ultra SkyMarathons are becoming increasingly popular as are short vertical SkySpeed races which include skyscraper racing.

== History == The idea of skyrunning came from Italian mountaineer Marino Giacometti and a handful of fellow climbers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023-10-17 |title=A beginners' guide to skyrunning – everything you need to know to get started |url=https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/a45555666/skyrunning/ |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=Runner's World |language=en-GB}}</ref> They pioneered races on Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa in the early 1990s.<ref name="history">{{cite web| url=https://www.skyrunning.com/history/ | title=History| publisher=International Skyrunning Federation| access-date=25 May 2021}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> In 1993, with the support of the Fila sportswear company, skyrunning took off across the world's mountain ranges reaching from the Alps to the Himalayas, to Mount Kenya and the Mexican volcanoes.

In 1995, the Federation for Sport at Altitude (FSA) was founded to address the need for rules to govern the sport and generally manage this fast-growing discipline, which today counts some 200 races worldwide with around 50,000 participants from 65 countries.<ref name="history" />

The first 10 years of skyrunning history was spent studying the limits of human performance at high altitudes. This was done through the Peak Performance Project, coordinated by Dr. Giulio Sergio Roi, which involved several researchers and has led to the publication of numerous scientific articles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.skyrunningitalia.it/pages/Storia|title=Federazione Italiana Skyrunning| access-date=25 May 2021}}</ref>

==International Skyrunning Federation== {{Main|International Skyrunning Federation}} Today, the sport is managed by the International Skyrunning Federation, formed in 2008<ref name=":0" /> by the board and members of the FSA and founding nations. The principal aims of the ISF are the direction, regulation, promotion, development, and furtherance of skyrunning and similar multisport activities on a worldwide basis. ISF sanctions the Skyrunner World Series.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.skyrunnerworldseries.com/about/| title=About the Series| publisher=SkyRunner World Series| access-date=25 May 2021}}</ref>

==Skyrunning disciplines== The three main disciplines are Sky, SkyUltra, and Vertical.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.skyrunning.com/rules/|title=International Skyrunning Federation Rules|publisher=skyrunning.com|access-date=25 May 2021}}</ref> Those are the disciplines contested at the Skyrunning World Championships and Skyrunning Continental Championships. More disciplines are under the ISF regulations: {| class="wikitable" width=50% style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;" |- !Discipline!!Distance!!Vertical climb (minimum) !!Extra info |- |Sky || 20&ndash;49 km || 1,200 m || - |- |SkyUltra || 50&ndash;99 km || 3,000 m || under 16 hours finishing time |- |Vertical || max 5 km || 1,000 m || minimum average incline must be 20% and 5% of the total distance must be over 33%; double or triple Vertical are also considered |- |SkySpeed || max 500 m || 100 m || minimum of 33% incline |- |Stair Climbing || - || 100 m || races with an incline of over 45% on stairs indoors or outdoors |}

==Skyrunning competitions== {{See also|Skyrunning World Championships|Skyrunning European Championships|Skyrunner World Series}}

;* Skyrunning World Championships Annual world championship.

* Skyrunning European Championships Annual European championship.

;* Skyrunner World Series Annual world cup, launched in 2004, has grown to represent the peak of outdoor running defined by a vertical climb, altitude, and technical difficulty.

* VK Open Championships Annual cup to promote the Vertical discipline and highlight the Vertical Kilometer® skyrunning discipline.

==See also== * Mountain running * Mountaineering * Trail running * Ultramarathon

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.skyrunning.com/ International Skyrunning Federation website]

{{Running}} {{Extreme Sports}}

Category:Skyrunning Category:Running by type Category:Types of mountaineering Category:Long-distance running