Monte Rosa Sky Marathon

The Monte Rosa SkyMarathon begins in Alagna Valsesia, on the Valsesian side of the Monte Rosa massif in northern Italy. This international skyrunning race ascends from the village at 1,192m to the summit of Monte Rosa at 4,554m and descends back to Alagna, establishing it as the highest race in Europe. Since its relaunch, participants must compete in pairs for safety, a necessary regulation for a course crossing serious high-altitude terrain beyond typical mountain trails. The inaugural event also commenced and concluded in Alagna, but it only reached Colle del Lys at 4,250m before adverse winds halted the competition. Fabio Meraldi holds the men's record at 4h24, and Gisella Bendotti holds the women's record at 5h34. Emelie Forsberg later achieved the fastest female time on the course, though her mixed pairing with Kilian Jornet placed the result in the men's category. A related high-mountain race, the Trofeo Stefano Degasparis, also used Alagna as its base, passing through the Walser villages of Val d'Otro, Passo Zube, Gabiet, Passo dei Salati, and near Col d'Olen within the Alta Val Sesia and Alta Val Strona natural park.