Clear winner at the World Championships

Monte Lussari: endurance ace reveals running data

Christof Hochenwarter crossed the finish line first under floodlights in front of numerous spectators on Monte Lussari.(Bild: zVg)

Endurance athlete Christof Hochenwarter (26) blew away the entire international competition at the World Snow Running Championships in Italy by 1:17 minutes. The man from Gailtal ran the 967 meters of altitude difference at a strong pace of 9:48 minutes per kilometer. Nevertheless, he did not win the world championship title. 

Monte Lussari in Italy - a popular excursion destination for many Carinthians. From the valley station (817 m above sea level) to the highest point (1784 m) at the summit cross, there are 967 meters in altitude.

While many a hobby hiker on the Pilgrims' Trail struggles with the ascent (and takes up to 2 hours!), Gailtal's endurance ace Christof Hochenwarter has just completed the route to the summit in 34:47 minutes - running on the ski slope in the (sometimes deep!) snow!

The snow was still deep at the start. You ran two steps forward - and then three steps back.

Christof HOCHENWARTER, Ausdauersportler aus Kärnten

"Only went full throttle at the end!"
At the Snow Running World Championships, the 26-year-old was the first of over 200 participants to reach the summit cross, was a strong 1:17 minutes ahead of second place with a pace of 9.48 min/km and was greeted by a crowd of fans. "It was tough at the bottom. But for the most part I ran easily. At the end I went full throttle so that people could see what we can do."

Hochenwarter recently finished a strong fourth in the vertical at the World Cup in Schladmin.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Christof's run up Monte Lussari

The course at the snow running world championships

• Start: 817 m
• Finish: 1784 m
• Difference in altitude: 967 m
• Distance: 3.56 km

Performance data of Christof Hochenwarter (26)

• Time: 34.47 minutes
• Average pace: 9:48 min/km
• Best pace: 4:16 min/km
• Average heart rate: 182 bpm
• Maximum heart rate: 197 bpm
  

No World Championship title, no anthem
The only bitter thing was that the World Championship title went to the second-placed Italian, Pivk. Because Christof decided to take part at short notice and therefore did not appear in the official World Championship rankings without a license.

"It's just a shame that they didn't play the Austrian anthem - that would have been emotional," says Hochenwarter, who is one of the best vertical athletes in the Ski Mountaineering World Cup.