Cortina d’Ampezzo is ready to welcome the world’s top trail runners for one of the season’s most anticipated events — the Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB. Known for its dramatic landscapes and warm Italian hospitality, it’s a favorite among athletes worldwide.

Philipp Ausserhofer has been training specifically for this race as part of his road to Chamonix this August. Before he heads to the Dolomites to tackle the 120K, we caught up with him to talk preparation, strategy, and mindset.

It’s your first time at the Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB — how excited are you to take on this iconic race?

This will be my first time at Lavaredo and honestly, I’m really excited. It’s probably the most important ultra race in Italy — so in a way, it feels like a home race for me. It’s a great opportunity to test myself against a high-level international field. I’m always looking for ways to challenge myself and this is the perfect setting to do just that.

Lavaredo’s course is known for being fast, with a more technical final 30 kilometers. You were recently in Cortina checking out the route — what were your impressions? How will you approach the race in terms of race strategy?

It’s a hell of a race: fast, flowy, and runnable, especially in the early stages. Honestly, it feels more like a highway than the typical technical ultras I usually run. But that’s exactly why I chose this race. As part of my road to UTMB, I’ve deliberately exposed myself to faster, less technical terrain this season — to grow, to improve and to get dialed in for bigger goals. The recon days in Cortina were incredible: breathtaking landscapes, great food (of course, pizza!) and a chance to test and fine-tune the final setup. Now we’re ready to race.

Given that the route is long and mostly non-technical, where runners can move very fast, which BOA®-powered shoes will you be wearing at Lavaredo Ultra Trail?

Together with BOA and SCARPA, we’ve analyzed the demands of modern trail racing — it’s evolving fast and we have to evolve with it. For Lavaredo, I’ll be running in a prototype we’re currently developing. It’s a fast, performance-oriented shoe, and the feeling has been great so far. It keeps me secure and dialed in on the descents, while still allowing speed and efficiency on the runnable sections.

You won UT Vipava Valley in Slovenia and placed 6th at Tenerife Bluetrail. Are you satisfied with those results and how you felt during the races? Also, those were the first races with this prototype. How did you feel with it compared to the one you were using last year?

Yes, I’m really satisfied — not just with the results but with the whole process behind them. After my failure at UTMB last year, I took a deep look at everything. I left no stone unturned. I started working with a coach, changed my training and realigned everything toward the big, unchanged goal: UTMB. That meant racing faster, more runnable events — knowing we might not always hit top results, but always with development in mind. The prototype shoe performed incredibly well. Compared to last year’s model, this one is lighter, more responsive and gets me dialed in to the kind of terrain we’re focusing on.

Will you be using poles for this race? Why or why not?

Yes, I’ll definitely use poles. I feel a lot stronger with them, and they’re one of my key strengths. I’ve worked hard on my running skills this year, but I never stopped sharpening my pole work. In races like Lavaredo, where you need to be efficient but also save strength for the final technical parts, poles are a big advantage.

What’s your nutrition strategy for a race like this, especially considering the midnight start?

Nutrition is key — always has been, always will be. It’s a fine balance in these long races. Everyone knows that a car runs fastest when the tank’s light — but if it runs empty, you’re done. So it’s always about riding that razor’s edge. I’ve trusted Sponser Sportfood for years — not just because of the quality of the products, but because of the deep knowledge behind them. Nutrition isn’t just about race day — it starts weeks before, in training, and gets dialed in over time.

Lavaredo Ultra Trail is often seen as a great preparation race for UTMB. Will you approach it with full focus on the race itself, or are you treating it more as a strategic test ahead of UTMB in August?

UTMB is the big goal. Every day, every decision is made with that in mind. So yes, Lavaredo is a strategic test — it’s a chance to simulate the pace, the fueling, the mental approach. But once I’m standing on that start line with a bib on my chest, the race mode kicks in. I’ll be all in, leaving everything out on the trail.