Vertical kilometer
Mountain running race
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In skyrunning, a vertical kilometer is an uphill mountain running race with an elevation gain of 1,000 metres. The Vertical Kilometer World Circuit also defines it as covering less than 5 km.[1] Trekking poles, which are allowed as optional accessories, are often used in vertical kilometer races.
Philip Götsch 28:53 (2017)
Christel Dewalle 34:44 (2014)
| Athletics Vertical kilometer | |
|---|---|
Christel Dewalle at the 2019 Fully Vertical Kilometer | |
| World records | |
| Men | Philip Götsch 28:53 (2017) |
| Women | Christel Dewalle 34:44 (2014)
|
Related events include the Double Vertical Kilometer and Triple Vertical Kilometer.
Records
The official vertical km record belongs to Rémi Bonnet, who in 2025 won the Kilomètre vertical de Fully with a time of 27:21.
The women's world record is 33:00, set in September 2025 at Nantau-Montriond, France by French runner Axelle Mollaret[2]
Races
The Vertical Kilometer World Circuit is an annual international circuit. It was started in 2017 as a spin-off of Skyrunner World Series.[3] The circuit consists of 17 races that are held annually from May to October.[4][5][6]
The Kilomètre vertical de Fully (Fully Vertical Kilometer) is one of the best-known vertical kilometer competitions.