The Dolomitenmann is an

extreme sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk of injury or death. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extre ...

relay race A relay race is a racing competition where members of a team take turns completing parts of racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in running, oriente ...

held in September in the East Tyrolean, or so-called Dolomite Mountains of

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, near the city of

Lienz Lienz (; Southern Bavarian: ''Lianz'') is a medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality also includes the cadastral subdivision of ''Pat ...

. The founder and organiser is

Werner Grissmann Werner Grissmann (born 21 January 1952) is a retired Austrian alpine skier. He had his best achievements in the downhill event, winning a bronze medal at the 1978 World Championships and placing seventh at the 1980 Winter Olympics. He competed ...

, a former World Cup skier. The Dolomitenmann relay race has been run annually since 1988. In recent years the race has been sponsored by the manufacturers of

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...

energy drink and is now known as ''Red Bull Dolomitenmann''. The race is billed by its organizers as "the world's toughest team relay race". The competition is only open to male athletes. Race organizer Werner Grissmann justifies this with the statement that he wishes to protect women, since the competition is only meant for the "hardest athletes", he does not want "to see women suffer" and that it would be "incompatible with their aesthetics". In 2017 for the first time there was a side competition that was also open to female athletes.

Disciplines

mountain running Mountain running is a sports discipline which takes place mainly off-road in mountainous terrain, but if there is significant elevation gain on the route, surfaced roads may be used. In this it differs from fell running; its courses are more ...

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or in a cocoon-like 'pod' suspended be ...

mountainbiking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

whitewater kayaking Whitewater kayaking is an outdoor adventure sport where paddlers navigate a river in a specially designed kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles: river running, creeking, slalom, playboating, and squirt boating. Each style offers ...

Course

The race is started by the ''mountain runner'' on the town square of Lienz at above sea level. who then runs a distance of around up to ''Kühbodentörl'' at . When the runner makes the hand-off to the team's ''paraglider'', he must also run, this time with his whole equipment to the first take-off point. After descending by air to Moosalm, the paraglider runs to a second take-off point, descending to Leisach where the ''mountain biker'' is ready and waiting. The ''mountain biker'' typically climbs or more, over a distance of about . After the climb, the mountain biker must ride a downhill track to the finish. The teams ''kayaker'' swims across the river

Drau The Drava or Drave (, ; ; ; ; ), historically known as the Dravis or Dravus, is a river in southern Central Europe.

where his boat is stationed. His first maneuver is an "alpine-start", or a drop off a ramp into the river. After the jump the ''kayaker'' must navigate a difficult white water track on the river Isel before a last sprint back to the main square of Lienz.

Winning teams and tracks

The fastest athlete of each discipline receives a trophy and the title ''Dolomitenmann''. Until 2019 the trophies were designed by Jos Pirkner.

Dolomitenmen

As of September 2020, there are 58 Dolomitenmen from 10 nations.

Top 10 Dolomitenmen (as of September 2021)

References

External links

Dolomitenmann official website
{{Red Bull Endurance games Red Bull sports events Relay races Sport in Tyrol (federal state)