The VERTICAL discipline opened the weekend’s events at the 2025 Youth Skyrunning World Championships in Gran Sasso, Aquila, in Italy’s Apennine mountains. Participants from 30 countries are present to compete for the 75 medals and world titles at stake.

Today’s race was a true Vertical Kilometer® – 1,000m vertical climb over a 3.5 km long course, pushing the young runners to the limits of their abilities, many at their first attempt in this discipline.