May 7th, 2021
This year it was a pleasure to return Elbrus after the necessary COVID break in 2020. More than 500 athletes competed this year. International competitors were sadly not able to join this year due travel restrictions. Hopefully, it will be an international sporting event next year.
Check out the photos from this year's event.
May 7th, 2018
And again the Azau Meadow was filled with the athletes and their boiling energy of pre-start excitement. Perhaps there was no such a mass start at any of the previous festivals. Anniversary Red Fox Elbrus Race gathered about five hundreds participants of different starts and about another hundred organizers, volunteers, referees, journalists, guests and spectators. This morning all these people went to the Azau Meadow. 420 athletes lined up at the start of the Vertical Kilometer in front of the starting line. The chain of athletes, starting from the Azau meadow, stretched almost to the Krugozor station. Ahead, as usual, was the four leaders. Three Russian athletes and behind them the Austrian Dominik Salher, who eventually came to finish third, ahead of Vitaly Chernov, who became the fourth this year.
Author: Andrey Chepakin
Alexei Pagnuev from Sverdlovsk Oblast won Vertical Kilometer® - Mt Elbrus, 2450-3450 m. this year.
Author: Andrey Chepakin
Elena Kravtchenko (Red Fox team) from Irkutsk won the race among women for the fifth consecutive year.
Author: Roman Barabonov
The sunny weather created a joyous festive mood. But the state of the track was not easy - the snow that this year lays from the very Azau Meadow has already managed to become dehydrated under the rays of the active sun, which has illuminated the slopes since the morning. Some athletes tried to move away from the walking column, to the places where grassy slopes opened, which probably took away even more strength. Therefore, most of the people went one after another, waiting for the moment when you can outrun ahead of the going.
It was very difficult to maintain a calm, steady pace in this energy flow. Going ahead and behind hundreds of people, created such powerful emanations of fighting enthusiasm, than encouraged to move faster and faster.
Therefore, even those who started in a quiet rhythm, trying at first to save their strength, gradually accelerated in the middle of the race and put themselves at the limit of their strength and even more than that limit. Many athletes said at the finish that they did not expect such a result from themselves that they ran even faster than their capabilities.
“Excellent race”, “very cool”, “next time we will definitely come” - that's what was heard from all sides when more and more people crossed the finish gate and gathered in a small glade under the "Mir" station.
There were famous athletes and those who first came to try their hand at the races on Elbrus, young skyrunners and veterans of mountaineering, representatives of outdoor and cyclical sports, and the management of Red Fox Company and representatives of administrative structures.
Author: Roman Barabonov
The director of Red Fox Company Vlad Moroz was among the participants the master of sports in mountaineering, who went all the distance hand by hand with Abu Elmezov, the legend of Kabardino-Balkaria, who climbed Mount Everest, the winner of one of the first races on Elbrus in 1990-91. At the finish, they stood in an embrace, friendly patting each other on the shoulder, and sharing emotions with each other and with others.
As however, and all the people gathered here today smiled at each other, clapped on the shoulder, congratulated, shook hands.
Author: Roman Barabonov
Author: Andrey Chepakin
Author: Andrey Chepakin
You may see detailed results here.