Jakob Herrmann, born around 1991 in Austria, is a remarkable example of the versatility of alpine athletes. Originally at home in ski mountaineering (skimo), he competed at the international level and represented Austria at World Championships and World Cup races. The ability to ascend steep terrain for hours with skis and skins provides the perfect foundation for ultra trail running.
The transition from ski mountaineering to trail running came naturally for Herrmann. Aerobic capacity, mental toughness during multi-hour efforts and familiarity with high-alpine terrain — all of these are qualities that prove decisive in both sports. Herrmann skilfully leveraged these synergies and established himself within a few years as one of Austria's strongest ultra trail runners.
His dual career as a ski mountaineer in winter and trail runner in summer gives him a year-round training rhythm with barely any breaks. In winter he completes thousands of metres of elevation gain on touring skis; in summer he transfers that fitness to the trails. This system makes him particularly strong at races with extreme elevation changes — precisely the demands that the Stubai Ultratrail and the Trail Long at the WMTRC 2023 presented.
Herrmann is known for his even pacing and his ability to maintain a solid tempo even after ten or more hours. This quality was impressively demonstrated at the 2023 World Championships, where he finished among the world's top ten in two long-distance events.
At the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships 2023 in Innsbruck-Stubai, Jakob Herrmann demonstrated his extraordinary endurance with an impressive double start: he competed in both the Trail Long (approx. 80 km, 4,500 m D+) and the Stubai Ultratrail (65 km, 3,800 m D+). In both races he achieved top-10 finishes against the strongest competition in the world.
In the Stubai Ultratrail, Herrmann ran an excellent race and placed 4th with a time of 7:38:05 — only around 20 minutes behind gold medallist Hannes Namberger (7:18:44). Ahead of him, besides Namberger, only Timotej Bečan (silver, 7:25:11) and Poland's Marcin Świerc (bronze) finished. Close behind Herrmann came Florian Grasel in 5th place.
In the Trail Long, Herrmann placed 8th with a time of 9:25:11. This result is all the more impressive considering that he contested two of the world's toughest mountain races within a few days. The ability to perform at the highest level in both disciplines underscores his extraordinary physical and mental resilience. All WMTRC 2023 results document the breadth of his ability.
Herrmann's background in ski mountaineering is his unique selling point in trail running. In the skimo world, he had already achieved international success, including strong placements at the Ski Mountaineering World Championships and World Cup. The VO2max capacity built there and the ability to work at the anaerobic threshold for hours translate directly to long mountain races.
This fitness is particularly valuable on courses with extreme elevation changes like the Stubai Ultratrail. While pure flat-ground runners often falter on steep terrain, Herrmann can maintain his pace even on gradients of 30% and more. This quality makes him one of the most dangerous competitors at alpine ultra distances.
| Discipline | Placement | Time | Course |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stubai Ultratrail | 4th Place | 7:38:05 | 65 km / 3,800 m D+ |
| Trail Long | 8th Place | 9:25:11 | 80 km / 4,500 m D+ |
Jakob Herrmann is from Austria and was born around 1991. He originally comes from ski mountaineering, where he competed at the international level, and has established himself in ultra trail running in recent years. He was approximately 32 years old at the WMTRC 2023.
Herrmann placed 4th at the Stubai Ultratrail (7:38:05) and 8th in the Trail Long (9:25:11). He was among the world's top 10 in both long-distance events — an outstanding result that underscores his class as an ultra trail athlete.
Three athletes finished ahead: Hannes Namberger (gold, 7:18:44), Timotej Bečan (silver, 7:25:11) and Poland's Marcin Świerc (bronze, 7:31:28). Herrmann was about 20 minutes behind the winner.
Ski mountaineering (skimo) is a winter sport in which athletes ascend mountains on touring skis and descend again. The aerobic capacity, mental endurance and familiarity with high-alpine terrain required for skimo translate ideally to ultra trail running. Herrmann trains year-round — on skis in winter, on trails in summer.
Alongside Herrmann, Florian Grasel competed in the Stubai Ultratrail and placed 5th (7:44:33). The results page provides all Austrian placements in detail.
Athlete profiles can be found on the athletes overview. The results page provides complete results for all five disciplines. Background on the region is available under Insights Stubai.