US Skyrunner series announces 19-race schedule

Ultra and trail runners in Canada got good news this week. The U.S. Skyrunning series will be expanding to 19 races during the 2015 season.

The series, an offshoot from the International Skyrunning Federation, is also putting up more prize money for the races in the coming year. A total of $50,000 has been set aside for prizes in the race series.

The races are a great opportunity for Canadians to try tough trail races with large changes in elevation. They are in addition to the nine-race skyrunning series here in Canada. the races in Canada are are held in B.C. and Quebec. Some of the U.S. races are held not far from major Canadian cities. Races in Washington state and upstate New York are within driving distance of Vancouver and Montreal.

“The events are some of the toughest around but leave runners wanting more, from the leaders to the back of the pack,” said Ian Sharman, the series director. “So I’m really excited and honored to bring the original Skyrunning concept to the US on a wider scale with some of the most exciting races around.”

Like in previous years, the race series will feature three categories of events: sky marathon, ultra skymarathon and vertical kilometre.