WINNERS OF THE 2017 RED BULL X-Alps RACE
1st – Christian Maurer (10 days 23 hours)
2nd – Benoit Outters (11 days 1 hour)
3rd – Paul Guschlbauer (5km from goal)
Red Bull X-Alps is a biannual race in the Alps that brings together the best athletes to either paraglide or walk.
This year, 31 athletes have taken the challenge with athletes from Italy, New Zealand, America, France, and many other countries. Each athlete has a LedLenser Night Pass that allows them to travel once during the required sleeping hours. Athletes can also gain another pass if they come in top three of the Leatherman Prologue, a one day race before the main event, Red Bull X-Alps. This race also determines your start time.
The start time for each day is 5:00 am local time. However, on the second day, depending on you time behind first place in the Leatherman Prologue, that time is added onto the original starting time. So for example, if Joe finished 5 minutes after 1st place, he would start 5:05 am.
There are 7 checkpoints in the race. Starting in Salzburg, Austria and ending in Monaco, a country surrounded by France; athletes have a GPS to help them guide them to the next checkpoint and to the end of the course. The whole event also is being tracked by GPS that has been planted on each individual athlete.
All athletes do have a support team that makes sure that their athlete has a strategy of how to win and get to the end. Each team is hand-picked by the committee for the Red Bull X-Alps race.
Athlete Bios:
Christian Maurer (1st)– Christian Maurer is a 4 time winner of the Red Bull X-Alps race. He won in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 so he is currently the reigning king of the event. He is 35 (as of this piece) being born on July, 27, 1982 in Switzerland. He started paragliding in 1998 and first entered the Red Bull X-Alps race in 2009 (yes, he’s won every year he’s entered). He first heard of the event when his friend, Kasper Henry when he was preparing for the 2003 edition of the event.
Gavin McClurg (14th 308km from goal)– Gavin McClurg is a professional paragliding pilot and is the Owner and CEO of Offshore Odysseys, a sailing company that describes itself as an “worldwide adventure business.” He was born April 21, 1972 and is 45 years old as of July, 2017. He started paragliding in 2006 “after avoiding it for a decade.” He’s also won 1st place in the US Nationals in 2015 in Owens Valley, and 2nd in Pre-Worlds in Columbia in 2014. This isn’t his first rodeo with the Red Bull X-Alps though; he placed 8th in 2015.
Jesse Williams (18th 474km from goal)– Jesse Williams is an American paraglider at age 37, Williams has only 16 years of paragliding under his belt but he did well in the race placing in 18th. This isn’t his first time at the Red Bull X-Alps though. He was a supporter for Honza Rejmanek in 2013 and 2015. He’s also the champion of the 2016 X-pyr.
Mitch Riley (22nd eliminated – 530km from goal)– Mitch Riley is 33 years old American who officially started paragliding in 2007 but he first flew on a tandem flight in 1992 when he was 8. This is his first time doing the Red Bull X-Alps. However, despite being a rookie, he’s won 2 US national championships and other competitions.
The full results are:
1. Christian Maurer (SUI1) – 10 days 23 hours
2. Benoit Outters (FRA4) – 11 days 1 hour
3. Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1) – 5km from goal
4. Ferdinand van Schelven (NLD) – 49km from goal
5. Simon Oberrauner (AUT4) – 51km from goal
6. Pascal Purin (AUT3) – 86km from goal
7. Pal Takats (HUN) – 89km from goal
8. Sebastian Huber (GER1) – 95km from goal
9. Nick Neynens (NZL) – 130km from goal
10. Stanislav Mayer (CZE) – 172km from goal
11. Toma Coconea (ROU) – 271km from goal
12. Nelson de Freyman (FRA3) – 275km from goal
13. Tobias Grossrubatscher (ITA2) – 275 from goal
14. Gavin McClurg (USA1) – 308km from goal
15. Richard Brezina (CAN) – 319km from goal
16. Michal Gierlach (POL) – 378km from goal
17. Evgenii Griaznov (RUS) – 457km from goal
18. Jessie Williams (USA2) – 474km from goal
19. Tom de Dorlodot (BEL) – 510km from goal
20. Manuel Nübel (GER2) – withdrawn – 209km from goal
21. Gaspard Petiot (FRA2) – withdrew – 383km from goal
22. Mitch Riley (USA3) – eliminated – 530km from goal
23. Krischa Berlinger (SUI2) – withdrew – 551km from goal
24. Jose Arevalo Guede (ESP) – eliminated – 745km from goal
25. Che Golus (AUS) – withdrew – 773km from goal
26. Aaron Durogati (ITA1) – withdrew – 776km from goal
27. Duncan Kotze (RSA) – eliminated – 832km from goal
28. Claudio Heidel Schemberger (ARG) – eliminated – 967km from goal
29. Sebastian Gruber (AUT2) – withdrew – 984km from goal
30. Antoine Girard (FRA1) – withdrew – 1048km from goal
31. David Liano Gonzalez (MEX) – eliminated – 1059km from goal
CHECK IT OUT- RED BULL X-ALPS OFFICIAL WEBSITE
