Announcement from US Skyrunning. US Skyrunning is a member of the International Skyrunning Federation (ISF). Above: SkyRace® Comapedrosa – site of the 2017 and 2022 Youth Skyrunning World Championships. © @jsaragossa
On July 31, 2023, Baxter Harrington of Ripton, Vermont is set to join thirteen other runners from across the United States to compete in the 2023 Youth Skyrunning World Championships. The championships will take place in Fonte Cerreto, L’Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy on August 4th and August 6, 2023.
“I’ve always loved the challenge of running up the mountain in my backyard. While the high peaks of Italy are a bit daunting in comparison to the green hills of Vermont, I’m super excited to be a part of this team and push myself as an athlete.” Baxter said about joining the team.
Baxter will run alongside two fellow Vermont runners, Heidi Haraldsen from Harwood and James Underwood from Woodstock. Moreover, several Vermont runners with dual citizenship will compete for the Canadian Skyrunning Team. The first-ever Canadian Skyrunning team will include Naia Tower-Pierce as Coach, as well as, Evvi Tower-Pierce in the Youth A girls category and Finn Tower-Pierce in the Youth B boys category, all hailing from East Burke, Vermont.
Ryan Kerrigan of Ripton is the coach of the USA Youth Skyrunning Team. Since 2018, he has led the team to the Youth Skyrunning Championships, which initially included 7 Vermont athletes. Among them was Sam Hodges of Cornwall, who is now a Nordic skier for Middlebury College. Kerrigan was a Nordic skiing High School State Champion in his Freshman year at Harwood Union High School and a standout Nordic skier for Coach Pat Weaver at the University of Vermont. Currently, Kerrigan is coaching both the Frost Mountain Youth program and the USA Skyrunning team. He is also a voting member on the Executive Board of the International Skyrunning Federation.
2023 Youth Skyrunning World Championships Schedule
04 August – Vertical – 3.8K with 1,033m vertical climb
06 August – Sky – 23K with 2,226m vertical climb
06 August – Sky Youth A & B – 13K with 1,300m vertical climb
2023 Youth Skyrunning World Championships Categories
Youth A (15-16 years): born from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008
Youth B (17-18 years): born from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2006
Youth C (19-20 years): born from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2004
U23 (21-23 years): born from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2002
Note from the editor: If you’re interested in skyrunning, be sure to check out more articles in our Trail News section.
