My experience

We sat down with Paul and talked about his Red Bull X-Alps 2021. He told us about his highlights and stand-out moments and how the race compared to his previous ones.

What was your highlight of the race?
My highlight this year was making it to the start line and the feeling of running towards Gaisberg with all the other athletes after my injury in March.

What was the toughest part for you?
The second half of the race was full of very tricky flying conditions. It was flyable, but at times also dangerous. Then it's hard to decide whether you fly or hike...

What was THE stand-out memory for you?
Landing next to my team after the race was officially over. We made it through 12 days of racing!

How was this race in comparison to your other Red Bull X-Alps races?
The route meant one big new experience, which also meant that once you're coming back from Mont Blanc, you go with the weather and this means you can get stuck in there for days - which happened to me!

Inside my race

Dive into Paul's day-to-day experience through the race news and social media updates to see what it takes to be a part of the world's toughest adventure race!

The Red Bull X-Alps 2021 has finished. The clock stopped at 11:30AM on July 2, 2021 and these are the final rankings.

Congratulations to Christian Maurer (SUI1) who is the champion for an incredible seventh time, and to all our Red Bull X-Alps athletes, supporters and teams for a safe, fair and exciting race.

Thank you for following, but stay tuned. The race may over, but keep an eye on all our channels where we will be publishing new photos and videos, race drone footage, race analysis, athlete statements and interviews. We will be sharing special moments from throughout the race, stories and interviews with the athletes – and of course the 52-minute documentary.

Day 12

Aaron Durogati (ITA) and Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1) are full-on racing through the Italian skies underneath the Cima San Cassiano, or Kassianspitze to German-speakers. Durogati has overtaken Guschlbauer recently, but there is just 4km between them!

The heat is on in the race for sixth place. Three athletes are in close contention: Aaron Durogati (ITA1) – currently flying and at 1950m – is just 5km ahead of Ferdy Van Schelven (NED) who has had a great day so far. His statistics show 233km flown today. Michal Gierlach (POL) is also flying well and at 2,800m just 10km further back.

AUT1 resting during X-Alps at lake Como, Italy on June 29, 2021

There are still 15 athletes in the race. They are all giving it their best, but only the leading pack still has a chance to reach Zell am See, although it's a slim chance. They will do all they can to make that dream come true.

The last full race day has started with another difficult weather forecast.

Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1) is in the lead and currently in sixth place. He has had some rough days of walking a lot in the rain. "My feet are quite tired from walking so much the last couple of days," he said from his resting place at the cable car station of Latsch.

Day 11

Day 9

AUT1 performs during the Red Bull X-Alps in Salzburg, Austria on June 20, 2021.

Training for an endurance event like the Red Bull X-Alps starts months in advance of the race, and the winter period should have been a time of high-volume training, but Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1) had to sit it out and wait for his foot to heal. The fact that he was fit and ready to stand on the starting line is quite incredible, and took patience, dedication and hard work.

As his injury healed, low-impact activities like swimming and cycling would have kept his cardio-respiratory fitness until he was able to reintroduce high-impact activities like speed-hiking and running. With a leg out of action, it is important to keep the rest of the body fit, and gym-work including resistance band training was invaluable to target and strengthen other parts of his body.

Day 5

Paul Guschlbauer, currently in seventh position, is making good progress along his lonesome line. He is headed towards the famous ski area of Disentis, along the Rhine valley near this major European river's source. He was flying earlier and is currently on the ground. He still has some 50km to catch up on the race leaders, but if he flies, this may turn out to be his magic move.

Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1) is taking an interesting line, and not following the crowd. He is heading to the Panixer Pass. Once over this 2400m mountain pass he will work his way down to Andermatt. If it is flyable this is a very good route - and in fact it is the one Maurer (SUI1) said he would have chose this morning if it hadn't been for the weather. It could be a good move from AUT1, who is currently in 7th. Michael Gierlach (POL) is also heading this way.

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Paul Guschlbauer's (AUT1) reason for his brilliant flying today? "I lost my phone and I had to look for it for an hour, so that is why I was there for the thermal! I'm not joking!" Sometimes if you wait, the air gets better for flying – that's clearly what has happened here with Paul.

AUT1 pre-launch during Red Bull X-Alps on Griessenkar, Austria on June 20, 2021

This is turning into a big day for Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1). Remember, he broke his foot in a skiing incident in winter and wasn't even sure he'd be fit to take part. "I missed weeks of preparation," he said before the race. Now he is in the lead.

Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1) was so quick to TP3 Kitzbühel-Hahnenkamm that his supporter Werner Strittl missed him. He was racing to the top but did not get there on time. The Austrian athlete will be taking off quickly again and the supporters will follow by car to Chiemsee-Achental. His leg is feeling good, Paul said, but it is just the beginning of the race. He had a perfect flight he said. "It was a good decision in the morning where we took off."

Day 1

And they are off! The start of a 12-day race across the European Alps. From the centre of Salzburg to Mont Blanc and back – a distance of 1238km. Incredible scenes here as just minutes ahead of the start the entire field of athletes sang Happy Birthday for Tom de Dorlodot (BEL). That is the true spirit of the Red Bull X-Alps right there. We look forward to a fast, exciting and safe race over the next two weeks. We are here for the duration – follow Live Tracking and don't miss a second!