Spotted on Strava: An Epic Surf Marathon in Namibia, New FKTs & A Close Finish in Italy

From an epic "marathon" surf session in Namibia to a close finish at the Giir di Mont in Italy and a couple new (mountainous) FKTs, there was a lot to follow on Strava this week.

Maybe you’ve run a marathon – but have you surfed one? Nathan Florence did just that in Namibia this past weekend. His epic session covered over 26 miles, cost him a couple broken boards, but rewarded him with plenty of tubes 🌊

Over in Italy, the Giir di Mont race marked its 30th year. The 20 mile/ 32 km loop course that tackles three big climbs served as the year’s sixth World Mountain Running Association World Cup race. It was a close finish, with Michael Selelo Saoli of Kenya beating out a fast-closing Daniel Pattis (Italy) with Antonio Martìnez Pérez (Spain) not too far back. Pattis finished seven seconds behind Saoli, with Martìnez 28 seconds behind the winner.

North of the Giir di Mont, in the Allgäu Alps, Christian Eggermann set a new FKT on Grenzgängerweg, which runs along the Germany-Austria border. He covered 54.55 miles / 87.79 km with a total elevation gain of 20,984 ft / 6,396 m in 19 hours, 6 minutes and 43 seconds, over an hour faster than the previous FKT.

Meanwhile, in Switzerland, Tessa Caspers set a new FKT on the Via Grischuna, a 102.5 mile / 165 km route with a total elevation gain of 29,528 ft / 9,000 m that links Davos Klosters and St. Moritz. Self-supported and solo, she completed the route in 2 days, 5 hours, and 20 minutes, which included an epic second stage, during which she covered 42.08 miles / 67.72 km, with a vertical gain of 13,356 ft / 4,071 m.