Swiss athlete Rémi Bonnet charged to a new world record at the Fully Vertical Kilometre in Valais, Switzerland, covering the 1.92-kilometre course, which climbs 1,000 metres, in 27 minutes and 21 seconds. The race is considered one of the steepest in the world, with gradients averaging more than 50 per cent.
Bonnet was competing among hundreds of runners on the famous mountain course, aiming to beat the previous best time of 28 minutes 53 seconds, set by Italy’s Philip Götsch in 2017. His time was more than a minute quicker—a huge margin in an event of this kind.
The course
The Fully Vertical Kilometre begins in the village of La Belle-Usine at 500 metres elevation, and ends at Les Garettes, at 1,500 metres. The route follows a disused railway line that runs straight up the mountainside through vineyards, meadows and forest. Runners start individually in a time-trial format, with checkpoints every 100 metres marking their progress. Helmets are required, and most competitors use poles to help manage the steep incline. Bonnet has described the slope as so steep “that if you try to stand up straight on it, you fall over backwards.”
“Maybe today is going to be special”
“I didn’t think it was possible,” Bonnet said post-race, as reported by Red Bull. He explained that he worried he had started too quickly but realized partway through that his pacing felt right. “So, I told myself that maybe today is going to be special and I’ll be able to hold on all the way to the top.” The 29-year-old knows the course better than most, having run it more than 50 times over his remarkable mountain running career.
“It’s crazy how something so brief can carry so much emotion. All the pain, the focus, the sacrifice for one unforgettable moment. Vertical KM World Record, but more than that… a dream realized,” Bonnet posted on Instagram post-race.
