Red Bull 400 Challenge

Red Bull recently came to Innsbruck for another extreme challenge!  On August 27th, for the 11th time in Austria and first time ever in Innsbruck, a ski jump was transformed into an uphill sprinting track for the Red Bull 400 - this time our very own Bergisel ski jump. Roughly 1500 participants from over 25 different countries made the climb up the 400m ski jump as fast as they could.

The Red Bull 400 is already notorious in Austria, but this was the first time it was held in Innsbruck. The first edition took place in Styria in 2011, when the runners took on the Kulm. This year the mighty Bergisel was waiting for them!

Runners could either participate individually in one of the many men's/women's heats, or 4 runners had the chance to join forces for a relay. In the relay format each runner is tasked with 100m of the track before passing the batton to the next in their team. But even 100m is a tall order! There was also a firefighters relay, to find out which squad was the fastest.

At first it was suggested that I also participate, but watching everyone compete on Saturday, I’m glad I didn’t run myself. It was honestly intense! I was out of breath just walking up the stairs to find the perfect place to watch... It takes A LOT to accomplish this run; it's truly a full body workout! Legs pumping, lungs burning, and absolutely amazing to watch! I was informed it "only" takes an average of 6 minutes to finish, "only" about 600-800 steps, "only" 400 meters, which all in all doesn’t seem like much. It doesn’t sound so intense, but let me tell you, from watching it first hand, it is a real feat!

Even though I was only there as a supporter, I was able to get up close to the action. Spectators could walk up the stairs next to the ramp and up to the tower to cheer people on. Much better than watching from afar!

The two moderators kept things entertaining too, along with a DJ pumping the tunes and adding to the atmosphere. Between the initial heats and the finals the Red Bull Skydive Team also took to the skies for some additional entertainment.

This weekend Red Bull and Innsbruck proved that ski jumps aren’t only useful in the winter! I can't wait for next year! Bring it on!

All Photos : © Laura Wunsch

Video by Red Bull