Vender Celebrates Victory at Saslong - Austrian Muss Sets Record Time

7. Dolomites Saslong Half Marathon Goes to Alberto Vender and Amelie Muss

Runner from Trentino wins ahead of Felicetti from Val di Fiemme and Reiterer from South Tyrol

Austrian Muss sets record time ahead of local Grödnerin Falchetti

Joy for the organizing club ASV Gherdëina Runners over a sold-out race

On a morning with partly cloudy skies, a ray of sunshine broke through the clouds precisely at the start of the Dolomites Saslong Half Marathon. On the high plateau of Monte Pana, Amelie Muss from Austria and Alberto Vender from Trentino celebrated their victories at the end of the run through the Dolomites.

The majestic Sassolungo (Langkofel), even when shrouded in drifting clouds, enchanted the participants with its 3,181 meters of unmatched presence, postcard views, and dreamlike scenery included.

The 600 "chamois" of the Saslong race charged off from Monte Pana. After just a few hundred meters, the course already began with challenging ascents. Right from the start, Alberto Vender from Val di Chiese took the lead and opened a decisive gap at the Comici mountain hut. In the middle section, the runner from Pieve di Bono-Prezzo maintained his lead ahead of close chasers Daniele Felicetti and Andreas Reiterer. After descending into the finish area at Cendevaves, Vender was celebrated as the new winner, followed by Felicetti from Val di Fiemme (in second place for the fourth time!) and Reiterer from South Tyrol. Local hero Luca Clara from ASV Gherdëina Runners finished sixth.

The women’s race was a high-speed duel:
Amelie Muss and Martina Falchetti, both born in 2002, immediately pulled away from the rest of the field and tackled the trails and gravel paths at a fast pace. In the steeper sections, it was Falchetti’s explosiveness that made the difference, while in the more runnable segments and on the descent, Muss used her long stride to close the gap.

In the final stretch, it was the Austrian Muss who triumphed at the finish line, while the South Tyrolean Falchetti, on her 23rd birthday, was happy to take a well-earned second place.
“I had never taken part in this race before and I’m simply enchanted. It was beautiful to run here, and I can’t wait to come back,” said Muss at the finish.

The podium was completed by another Austrian: Katharina Esswein, who trailed significantly behind Muss's lightning-fast time. Muss set the fastest women’s time ever recorded on this course with 1:51:16, placing 12th overall (Falchetti was 13th).

After the race, a "Special Lunch" featuring a gourmet selection like something out of One Thousand and One Nights provided food for participants and volunteers in a festive atmosphere. The grand Dolomites Saslong celebration attracted hundreds of participants from 20 countries. There was widespread satisfaction and excitement from the organizing committee, which had to close registrations weeks before the event due to reaching the maximum number of participants and once again pulled off a high-quality event.

Countless radiant runner smiles were the well-deserved reward for the great work behind the scenes, coordinated by ASV Gherdëina Runners.
President Manuela Perathoner emphasized: “Everything went smoothly, even the weather cooperated. We couldn’t be happier. A heartfelt thank you, of course, to the entire committee, the volunteers, and the sponsors.”

The 8th edition of the Dolomites Saslong Half Marathon will take place in 2026. But before that, be sure to tune in: Rai Sport (Channel 58 on digital terrestrial TV) will broadcast a race recap.