MAGA Skymarathon and Skyrace

For the first time the MAGA was run on a Saturday: according to the organisers Sunday remained as a back-up day in case of bad weather, and the festivities could fill the whole weekend in the Val Serina. The first finishers were expected between 11.15 am and 12.30 pm, depending on the source.

The race website describes four climbs in a row, of about 1,300, 600, 200 and 700 metres of ascent. From Zorzone you climb to the Cima di Menna, 2,300 metres, passing the MAGA bivouac; then the trickiest part, the ridges equipped with fixed ropes, watched over by the Alpine Rescue and mountain guides, as far as the Passo Branchino. The Sentiero dei Fiori leads to the Capanna 2000 and from there you climb to Pizzo Arera, 2,513 metres, the race's highest point.

You descend eastwards to the Grem, 2,049 metres, and across the pastures to the Colle di Zambla; one kilometre to the Passo della Crocetta, then the climb to the Alben cross, 1,978 metres, the meadows to the Passo del Sappli, the Cascina Bianca, Pian della Mussa, Valpiana and the last kilometre to Serina. There are 15 aid stations, run by over 300 volunteers, and two time barriers: at the Capanna 2000 within 3 hours 15 minutes of the start and at the Passo di Zambla within 6 hours 30; the time limit is 9 hours.

The Skyrace starts at 1,600 metres on the Arera, climbs to the Capanna 2000, passes the Camplano huts and the summit of the Grem, descends to the Colle di Zambla and from the Passo della Crocetta climbs to the Passo della Forca, to cross the Alben meadows and descend to Serina, with a barrier at the Passo di Zambla closing at 1.30 pm and a time limit of 6 hours 30.

In 2026 each race had a limit of 300 entrants; the Skymarathon cost 70 euros until 31 July, 75 until 23 August and 80 until 30 August, the Skyrace 35 euros until 31 July and 40 until 30 August. You need to be of age, hold a FISky membership, or a 5-euro day card, and a competitive medical certificate for athletics, skyrunning, mountaineering or ski mountaineering. The fee is not refunded, except with the optional insurance on the entry portal, and a change of name cost 10 euros by 30 August.

A windproof jacket and a cup or flask are compulsory, because the aid stations have no disposable tableware; poles are allowed, but on technical sections they must be stowed in the rucksack. Athletes reach the starts on shuttles from the Serina sports hall: for the Skyrace, cars can only go as far as the Plassa, and the road to 1,600 metres is reserved for authorised vehicles until the start.

In 2023 Valbrembanaweb pointed to the Passo di Zambla as the easiest spot for spectators, with the leaders passing from 10 am; the finish is in Serina, at the piazzale del Mercato, where the afternoon brings prize-giving and a party. In 2026 the race was held with the SP27 provincial road closed between Algua and Rosolo di Serina since 28 August because of a fallen boulder: to get up the Val Serina you went via Costa Serina or via Bracca, Frerola and Serina, and the road's reopening was announced for 1 October.

According to the history published by the association, the MAGA was born in the mid-1960s in Zorzone, when a few friends founded the «4 Cime MAGA» group and tried to cross the four peaks in a day: fifteen set off and seven made it. In 1975 two fifteen-year-olds repeated the round, and in 1985 one of them completed it from Zorzone back to Zorzone in just over six hours. The race website publishes results from 2002; in 2023 the MAGA was in its fifteenth edition and awarded the FISky Italian skymarathon title.

After serving as the single race of a European championship, in 2024 it made its debut in the Skyrunner World Series. In February 2025 the organisers decided on a two-year cycle, in even years, to focus the volunteers' energy, keeping annual the Mini Maga, the day for youngsters and families in Serina, and the Maga Gourmet, a staged route between food and landscape that set off from the Passo di Zambla on 10 August 2025. In 2026 the Skyrace joined the Trofeo Esteban Olivero, the international circuit for under 23s; the men's course record, from 2024, held, while the women's was improved.