Monte Rosa Skymarathon

From Alagna Valsesia, runners ascend from the village at 1,192m to the 4,554m summit of Monte Rosa, returning to the start line. This route establishes the summit version as Europe’s highest race. The Monte Rosa SkyMarathon is an international skyrunning event in the Italian Alps, with origins in the sport’s early years. It is not a standard mountain marathon with an added high pass; the full course reaches significant alpine elevation, requiring modern participants to race in teams of two for safety. The race has evolved its route over time. Its first edition concluded at Colle del Lys (4,250m) due to strong winds, while another shortened high route concluded at the Gnifetti Hut (3,647m). For an extended period, it followed a lower Alagna-to-Passo dei Salati course at 2,980m, known as the Trofeo Stefano Degasparis, which also qualified for the Skyrunner World Series. The original Alagna-Monte Rosa-Alagna course attracted prominent mountain athletes: Fabio Meraldi and Gisella Bendotti hold the classic-course records, Bendotti achieved multiple victories across different eras, and Emelie Forsberg’s mixed-team effort with Kilian Jornet represents the fastest female performance on the course.