Exciting atmosphere: The Zugspitz Ultratrail inspires the trail running community

The Zugspitz Ultratrail 2024 thrilled the trail running community and established a new German hotspot for this fascinating sport.

Words: Sven Rudolph
Photos: Milos Jakobi

At the Zugspitz Ultratrail 2024, spectators and participants witnessed a spectacular weekend full of top sporting performances and a thrilling atmosphere. Over 3,700 runners faced the challenging routes around Germany's highest mountain and offered thrilling sport.

The event began on Friday, June 14th, with the first race, part of the Golden Trail National Series. In perfect weather conditions - dry and cloudy with pleasant temperatures - the athletes achieved fast times on the varied course. A special highlight was the first-ever worldwide live broadcast of the entire GTNS race, moderated by Ida-Sophie Hegemann and Denis Wieschniewski, who brought the racing action closer to the viewers on YouTube.

A special feature of the ZUT is the family atmosphere. Many familiar faces, excellent organization and motivated helpers contributed to the good atmosphere. Another highlight was the cheering zone at Kreuzeck. Cheering has a long tradition in trail running, but has so far been more firmly established in Spain, France and Italy. Under the motto “If you don't run, you cheer!” the running community " Nomads " called for a permanent cheering zone at ZUT for the first time. Starting with around 20 participants at Ellmau Castle, the 2023 zone at Kreuzeck established itself as the perfect location.

At Kreuzeck, the runners have to overcome a steep climb of 500 meters from the Laubhütte. The valley cut into the ground allows fans to cheer on the participants well in advance with horns, music and shouts. In addition, all runners pass through the cheering zone twice, which provides additional motivation. The term "Zegapa" (Zegama + Garmisch-Partenkirchen) was coined in reference to the famous trail race in Zegama. For the first time this year, T-shirts were also available for purchase. Drinks, raincoats and pavilions were provided, so nothing stood in the way of the great spectacle.

The cheering zone continues to be organized by Sascha and René, together with their running crew Nomads, which they founded in Garmisch. This year, over 200 people came to cheer at Kreuzeck. The feedback from the runners, whether newbies, amateurs or professionals, was great. Trail running has a new German hotspot!

For next year, the race management has announced the introduction of a 100-mile race, meaning that Germany will once again have an alpine ultra-trail race in its program in 2025. Nothing will change in the existing races, and the response to the new 100-mile race is already great.