Red Bull 400: Defying Gravity

An extreme format for an extraordinary brand

Since the 2000s, Red Bull has put its stamp on the world of extreme sports, and running has been no exception. The Austrian brand knows how to turn physical effort into a spectacle, creating events designed to leave a lasting impression. Red Bull 400 fits that mould perfectly: a short, intense and spectacular format, widely shared online. On July 13, Red Bull 400 returns to Courchevel for the fifth edition of the race, much to the delight of runners and spectators alike. This race is one of a kind. It is not Red Bull’s first running event, either, as the brand likes to mix disciplines. In the past, it staged Red Bull Éléments, a race set around Lake Annecy combining swimming, trail running, paragliding and mountain biking. Red Bull X-Alps is an endurance event that mixes trekking with paragliding. Another format that has a running connection is the Wings for Life World Run. The race is sponsored and promoted by Red Bull. Launched in 2014, with an edition held this year in Saint-Denis (93), it has an unusual format: there is no traditional finish line, but a catcher car that sets off 30 minutes after the runners and picks them off one by one. One thing is certain: the Swiss brand may give people wings, but it also has plenty of ideas. The race aims to support the Wings for Life Foundation, which raises funds for spinal cord injury research.

400 metres, 140 metres of elevation gain and a 36° gradient

The Red Bull 400 covers 400 metres, but it is another feature that makes the race so special: 140 metres of elevation gain over that short distance, with a 36° gradient and a final section where even seasoned athletes end up on all fours. On Courchevel’s Olympic ski jump, a setting every bit as remarkable as the race itself, the fifth edition promises its share of grimaces and heroic efforts. The record is still held by Thibaut Baronian, who ran 3:21 in the 2021 edition. A time that looks within reach, but at what cost to the thighs, as lactate levels shoot up? Unsurprisingly, many specialists in mountain endurance disciplines, who know this kind of effort and terrain inside out, excel at Red Bull 400. The European record belongs to Germany’s Anton Palzer, who clocked 3:08 in Bischofshofen, Austria, in 2018. To illustrate the point about specialists in this kind of competition, Anton Palzer is an elite skier and cyclist, accustomed to this kind of all-out effort. Red Bull 400 is a unique, highly viral format that demands steel-hard thighs and an exceptional tolerance for pain.

France’s other vertical races

The Red Bull 400 does not have a monopoly on steep racing. France is home to a great many vertical kilometer events, including the legendary Mont-Blanc VK (1,000 m of elevation gain over 3.8 km, finishing on a via ferrata at 2,000 metres above sea level) and the Verticale du Criou, considered the steepest in the world (a 2-kilometre race with 1,000 m of elevation gain). In Isère, the Verticale du Grand Serre takes place every September. The race covers 1.8 km with 600 metres of elevation gain, creating an astonishingly steep gradient. Let’s cross the border into Switzerland for one final race: the Kilomètre Vertical de Fully offers runners a serious challenge: 1,000 metres of elevation gain over 1,900 metres of racing. Wow. Helmets are mandatory. No joke. Most of these events feature on the Vertical Kilometer World Circuit, attracting a large community of runners ready to push their thighs into the red on gradients steeper than 45%. Compared with some of these races, the Red Bull format might seem almost playful… Well, that’s saying something.