The 8th edition of Red Bull X-Alps is only 6 weeks away and for many of the athletes, it will be the biggest race of their career. Starting July 2, 2017, 32 adventurers from 21 nations will hike and fly a straight-line distance of 1,138km across the Alps from Salzburg to Monaco. Traveling only by foot or paraglider, the exhausting journey will push even the most accomplished athletes and pilots to their very limits. Strategy and training are crucial, but are they prepared for the adventure that lies ahead?
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a rookie or a veteran; everybody prepares differently for Red Bull X-Alps. The new route down to Slovenia and the unpredictable weather conditions present an almost infinite number of possibilities during the race. For this reason alone, a single strategy simply won’t cut it. Taking the title requires physical strength, unbreakable spirit and above all, versatility. There’s no telling what will happen, but it will be a nail-biting adventure like no other.

Mitch Riley is one of the three USA athletes participating, and a rookie this year at Red Bull X-Alps. He says that he is feeling strong going into the last month before the competition. “I am becoming a paraglider carrying machine,” he says. “My training plan is paying off in a big way, and I am only going to get stronger and stronger!”To meet the athletes and learn more about the race, head over to redbullxalps.com and facebook.com/redbullxalps – or follow the action live from June 29 on redbullxalps.com/live-tracking.

NOTES TO THE EDITOR

A full list of the 32 athletes including individual profiles and further details can be found on redbullxalps.com/athletes. All athletes are available for interviews with the media upon requesFor editorial, image or interview requests please contact Ella Rosenfeld at ella.rosenfeld@us.redbullmediahouse.com or 424-341-8614.

ABOUT RED BULL X-ALPS

Red Bull X-Alps, the world’s toughest adventure race is returning July 2, 2017 for its eighth edition. Starting in Salzburg, 32 Athletes of 21 nationalities will race a straight-line distance of 1,138km across the Alps to Monaco via 7 turnpoints in 7 different countries.

Travelling only by foot or paraglider, their every move is monitored by advanced Live Tracking technology and broadcasted to an audience of millions. With constantly changing weather conditions, tactical planning is as important as the extreme endurance required to participate. For this reason, each athlete has a supporter to help with strategy, nutrition and everything in between.
the one-day Leatherman Prologue race takes place in Salzburgerland. The top three finishers will each win an additional Ledlenser Night Pass, allowing them to race through the mandatory rest period. On day two of the main race, the usual 5:00am start will be delayed for each athlete by the time in which they finished the Leatherman Prologue race behind the prologue winner.

However,

there’s only one question on everyone’s mind; could 2017 see athletes like Sebastian Huber or Paul Guschlbauer end Maurer’s reign as Red Bull X-Alps champion? Only one thing is certain – anything could happen!

Reference/Quelle   with thanks to www.redbullxalps.com