Heat wave at the Wilder Kaiser: Three runners collapse at the Kaiserkrone Trail

As the Tyrol State Police Directorate announced on Sunday, three rescues by the Scheffau mountain rescue became necessary during the course of the competitions. "In record temperatures, extreme sports are not a good idea: several participants of the 'Kaiserkrone Trail' in Scheffau (district of Kufstein) had to learn this lesson on Saturday," it said. According to the event's homepage, the start of all competitions had been moved forward by one hour on Saturday due to the expected high temperatures.

The first emergency call reached the rescue services at 10:42 a.m. A 27-year-old Dutchman overheated during the Panorama Run and had to abandon the race. The Scheffau mountain rescue picked him up from the Kaiser-Hochalm at 1,420 meters. Only a few minutes after the first emergency call came in, a 39-year-old Dutchman reported signs of acute shock through repeated vomiting.

As the police explained, the 39-year-old Dutchman had previously abandoned the ULTRA Trail. He had made his way back to the Steiner Hochalm (1,260 meters above sea level) and was eventually rescued there by the Scheffau mountain rescue.

Core body temperature of 41.3 degrees measured

At around midday, the next case of overheating occurred. This time it affected a 35-year-old Austrian in the area of the descent above the Rehbach Gorge. The 35-year-old Austrian suffered severe overheating during the descent above the Rehbach Gorge (910 meters above sea level) at 12:20 p.m. and collapsed.

Due to the hyperthermia, the athlete suffered a collapse, and the emergency services measured a core body temperature of 41.3 degrees Celsius. "One of them had a body temperature of 41.3 degrees measured; he had to be flown to hospital by helicopter," the police reported.

The 35-year-old Austrian was flown by rescue helicopter to the BKH Kufstein, where he was treated in the shock room until his condition stabilized. The police spoke of severe overheating and explained the seriousness of the situation.

Heat wave as the trigger

The current heat wave caused problems, leading to multiple rescue operations. Organizers and emergency services pointed to the extreme weather conditions that turned the mountain run into a danger.

According to their own statements, the organizers had already responded to the forecast temperatures by moving the start forward. Nevertheless, the rescue services at the Wilder Kaiser had to deploy multiple times to treat the collapsed athletes.

Information about the further health status of the two runners flown to hospitals was initially not released by the Tyrol State Police Directorate. (APA, 6/28/2026)