Innes and Wild round out Skimo season with strong performance at Trofeo Mezzalama

In their first time racing together, the British duo covered the 40 km high-altitude course, featuring over 3,000 metres of vertical gain and two summits above 4,000 metres - in a time of 5 hours 39 minutes and 25 seconds.

Their effort placed them just over 1 hour and 10 minutes behind the winning Italian team composed of Michele Boscacci and Robert Antoniolo, who crossed the finish line in 4 hours 29 minutes and 19 seconds.

This year’s Trofeo Mezzalama also served as the ISMF Team Long Distance World Championships, adding further weight to an already iconic event. The result ranks as one of the strongest British performances in the history of international team competition.

The Trofeo Mezzalama, often referred to as the White Marathon, is a historic ski mountaineering race held annually in Italy’s Aosta Valley. The race is known for its challenging nature, requiring participants to ski roped together for safety during sections of the climb, an unusual feature in ski mountaineering races.

With pristine weather and firm conditions, this year’s edition gave competitors a rare chance to fully experience the grandeur of the Monte Rosa massif.

Following the race, Innes commented:

“This was without a doubt the most incredible race of my career so far. All of the stars aligned! Racing over 4000m peaks, across glaciers, in perfect weather, roped up with a mega fast partner - what a privilege.”

“We didn’t know how well-matched we’d be going into it. There are so many variables in a race like this, but we managed to get all the key parts right, and we’re both super happy with how it went.”

GB Skimo team manager, Pete Davis and teammate Tom Blankenstein competing for Army Skimo GB finished in 224th place with a time of 10 hours 6 minutes and 1 second.

The full results can be found here.