Salzburg's Trail Running Festival: A weekend full of sport and community

Salzburg's Trail Running Festival: A weekend full of sport and community

The upcoming trail running festival in Salzburg is more than just a sporting event, it will transform the city into a true mecca for runners from Friday, October 11th to Sunday, October 13th. The 13th edition of this festival opens with an exciting night run on Friday evening, followed by various competitions for all levels. The festival offers participants a wealth of new challenges and experiences.

At this special time of year, passionate trail runners know that events such as the Nightrun over 5.5 kilometers, the challenging Fortress Trail with 13 kilometers and 480 meters in altitude, the Gaisbergrace over 9.1 kilometers and 1,060 meters in altitude, and the main event, the Gaisbergtrail, over 23.8 kilometers and 1,344 meters in altitude, are waiting for them. “Participants can look forward to enjoyable running routes over the city mountains “I’m looking forward to it,” emphasizes Josef Gruber, who organized and brought the event to life.

Diverse supporting program

Over the years, the Trail Running Festival has developed into an indispensable part of Salzburg's sports calendar. The organizers, led by Wolfgang Aigner, have set themselves the mission of not just organizing a sporting event, but of creating a real festival experience. “Right from the start, we wanted to encourage the trail and running scene in Salzburg to come together,” explains Aigner. The event attracts a diverse target group who are also interested in various side events.

A highlight is the Trail Night, which takes place on Wednesday, October 9th, in the Oval in Europark. At this event, guests can enjoy informative lectures about mental strength and exciting conversations with the trail running stars of the scene such as Hannes Namberger and Isabell Speer. This is an excellent opportunity for participants to find out about the latest developments in the trail running world.

In addition, the Austria Trail Award will be presented for the second time, honoring outstanding achievements in trail running. At a separate event at the JUFA Hotel on Saturday morning, October 12th, the rising star and the trail runner of the year will be chosen. These honors illustrate the growing popularity and importance of trail running in Austria.

The organizers are extremely satisfied with the positive development of the festival. “We see our goals of getting the broad masses excited about trail sports fulfilled every year, evidenced by the number of participants,” says Aigner. Last year participants from 23 different European nations took part, and even runners from America found their way to Salzburg to take part in these competitions.

For the future, the organizers have plans to further develop the content of the festival and are thinking about establishing a trail marathon. “These are experiences of a lifetime,” said an enthusiastic organizer.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the situation the report on www.meinkreis.at.