Aaron Durogati Takes the Paragliding Stage at Dolomitenmann 2026

Austria’s “sun city” of Lienz played host to the 39th Dolomitenmann at the weekend – the fast and furious mountain relay that pits teams against each other across running, flying, mountain biking and kayaking in a stunning corner of the Alps.

The overall victory went to Kolland Topsport Elite, made up of Kenyan mountain runner Richard Atuya, well-known X-Alps pilot Tobias Grossrubatscher (ITA), Mario Bair (AUT, MTB) and Tillmann Röller (GER, kayak), who crossed the line in 4h 18m 20s.

The Red Bull Ladies – Judith Wyder (SUI), Viktoria Brunner (paragliding), Laura Stigger and Sophia Piaskowski (all AUT) – were the fastest women’s team on the day, finishing in 5h 11m 12s.

Grossrubatscher may have been in the winning team, but the paragliding leg was once again taken by Aaron Durogati in 26m 44s, even if he couldn’t better his own personal best. Tamara Lunger (ITA) was the quickest woman, clocking 34m 44s.

The Red Bull Dolomitenmann is a one-of-a-kind relay that draws some of the world’s best mountain runners, pilots, bikers and kayakers. It opens with a 12km mountain run gaining 2,000m of vertical, followed by a rapid paraglider descent with a twist: halfway down, pilots must land, pack up, sprint back up to launch and get airborne again as fast as possible.

The transition is so quick that competitors begin the stage with their wing already strapped to their backs, primed to go. A fast release and pull and they’re in the air. At the bottom, they hand over to mountain bikers for a 19km leg, before the final 8km kayak descent.

More than 100 teams registered for the event, mixing amateurs and pros with participants aged from 17 to 65.

Speed is everything in that mid-mountain transition, and a compact Fast Pack Bag can shave precious seconds off the pack-and-relaunch.

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