Bruneck/Sand in Taufers - On Saturday evening, the Pustertal Valley experienced a running festival that will go down in history. The 26th edition of the South Tyrolean Erdäpfllauf exceeded all expectations and set a new record with over 1100 participants in the various competitions. In ideal external conditions of around 20 degrees Celsius, after a brief rain shower had cooled things down, the athletes showed outstanding performances on the 17.6 kilometer route from Bruneck to Sand in Taufers. The finish at the fairground in Sand in Taufers was an emotional highlight, as hundreds of spectators and children enthusiastically welcomed the runners.
Tactical victory for Clara in the men's competition
The men's race developed into a thrilling duel between Luca Clara (ASV Gherdeina Runners) and the two-time winner Markus Ploner (ASV Sterzing Volksbank). Ploner dictated the pace for a long time, but Clara cleverly kept in his rival's slipstream. In the final kilometers, the Klausner set the decisive attack and crossed the finish line in an impressive time of 57:36 minutes - his first victory in this classic. Ploner followed half a minute later. "I didn't expect to win, my goal was to finish in under an hour. I wouldn't have managed it without Markus' pace work," said the happy winner, paying tribute to his rival. The podium was completed by local hero Simon Stifter from the organizing running club Pustertal.
Eighth triumph for record winner Tschurtschenthaler
In the women's race, however, it was a familiar picture: Agnes Tschurtschenthaler from Atl. Club 2000 Toblach once again proved to be unbeatable. It was the eighth win for the Sesto native in her eighth participation, underlining her position as the undisputed queen of the Erdäpfllauf. She took the lead right from the start and celebrated a commanding start-to-finish victory in 1:06:33 hours. "I just love coming here, it's like my home race," said the beaming winner at the finish line. Second place went to Greta Haselrieder from Bruneck, followed by Severine Petersen from Freienfeld. The organizers were overwhelmed by the huge response and thanked all the helpers and sponsors who made this record-breaking event possible.
