WAY TO TORX® 23
Our athletes are ready for the TORX® 23! Watch how they are training for their challenges on the trails of the the world's toughest endurance trail race:
KARPOS AND TOR DES GÉANTS®
Experiencing the TOR330 – Tor des Géants®, the queen race of the event, covering 330 kilometers and with 24,000 meters of elevation gain, means cultivating a dream — the dream of anyone who runs in the mountains. The Tor is an undertaking, an adventure, a challenge against oneself. The top runners challenge the podium times, but all aim to become giants, to cross the finish line within the time limit, experiencing powerful emotions and enjoying one of the most spectacular environments in the world, along the two Alte Vie della Valle d’Aosta that take the participants to the foot of iconic mountains such as Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso, and the Matterhorn.
The Tor is the event that has upended the world of trail running in just ten years, modernizing and offering a new face to the ultra-trail universe. So much so that today it’s almost hard to remember what the realm of long distances was like before the Tor. New distances, uncommon elevation gains, and then that matter of sleep deprivation. Hours and hours of running, eight minutes of sleep, and off again for more hours on the trails. The result is frequently race hallucinations, which today embellish the passionate stories of those who have experienced those 330 kilometers but which at the time sounded like madness!
Would it make sense to organize an event like this? Who would sign up for such a hard race? Questions and uncertainties that pushed the organizers toward an “edition zero,” a test to understand how many giants would be able to complete the Tor’s 330 kilometers with 24,000 meters of elevation gain. Not professional athletes, but ordinary people, with jobs and families, who from that day on would spend a large share of their free time pursuing their ambition of becoming giants, of completing the Tor and putting on the finisher’s jersey.
A year later, the first real edition would take place. The rest is history.
The event has grown over the years, and the tenth anniversary saw the creation of the TORX®, which comprises a series of races that run through the mountains of Valle d’Aosta in September.
A FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN GIANTS
September 2021. The headlights of Franco Collé and Jonas Russi pierce the Aosta Valley night.
Their moods are opposite. But both want to get their hands on the Tor des Géants®, the toughest ultra trail in the world.
Here is the beginning of a sincere friendship between two athletes who don’t even speak the same language, but destined to remain in the Tor des Géants® archives for a long time. The story of a friendship between two Giants.
TORX® RACES
TOR330 - TOR DES GÉANTS®
330 km
24,000 m elevation gain
150 hours maximum time
Start and finish in Courmayeur
The TOR330 is one of the most demanding mountain running races in the world. The route circumnavigates Valle d’Aosta following the Alte Vie 1 and 2, passing along the foot of some of the major four-thousanders in the Alps and through Gran Paradiso National Park and Mont Avic Regional Park.
TOR 450 - TOR DES GLACIERS
450 km
32,000 m elevation gain
190 hours maximum time
Start and finish in Courmayeur
The TOR450, created to celebrate the tenth edition of the TOR330, is a one-of-a-kind endurance test. Two hundred runners compete on trails and ridges in Valle d’Aosta that are still little known, combining the competitive spirit with the desire for exploration. Much of the route follows the Alte Vie 3 and 4, skirting ancient glaciers far from the classic tourist routes. Places that are frequented only by those who know these environments and their history well.
TOR 130 - TOT DRET
130 km
12,000 m elevation gain
44 hours maximum time
Start in Gressoney-Saint-Jean, finish in Courmayeur
The TOR130 is a demanding race that passes along the base of Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn, and Mont Blanc, offering runners a consistent taste of the essence of the Tor des Géants® with its magical environments and inimitable atmosphere. A first approach on a challenging and unique route, it is suitable for fit and well-prepared trail runners.
TOR 30 - PASSAGE AU MALATRÀ
30 km
2,300 m elevation gain
8 hours maximum time
Start in Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, finish in Courmayeur
The TOR30 follows technical trails and is designed for specialists but also for those who want to experience the most coveted stretch of the TOR330, the Col de Malatrà. Here’s where the greatest thrill of the race begins — the descent through wide valleys and woods toward the finish line in Courmayeur. A short race, but one that requires preparation and awareness, both because of the elevation gain and because of the altitude at which the race takes place. An effort that’s rewarded with one of the most spectacular panoramas in the entire Valle d’Aosta.
DON'T LEAVE AT HOME
“Clothing plays a critical role in a race like the Tor. It must be lightweight but high-performance. It must ensure protection from the elements, even in the most extreme conditions, and it must be comfortable. On the trails it will be my second skin for kilometers and kilometers; I have to forget I’m wearing it to be able to concentrate solely on my performance.”
Franco Collè’s routine on the eve of the Tor des Géants is almost a superstitious ritual. A way to say, “OK, everything is fine. Now I can start without worrying.” He has only the essentials with him, because on a run like the Tor everything needs to be taken into account. Forgetting one small thing or choosing the wrong gear could be enough to compromise the result of the Tor, the hardest ultra trail race in the world.
You too can wear the favorite garments of the Tor des Géants record holder and three-time winner, Franco Collè. Join the TORX family and take it with you on all your runs to experience the thrill of the toughest race throughout the year!
