Stay Up-To- Date: This Week in Outdoor Sports Events

From skyrunning to surfing, don’t miss the outdoor sports events happening around the world this week.

Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc

Date: August 22-28, 2016 Place: France, Italy and Switzerland Website: http://utmbmontblanc.com/en/ Why pay attention: UTMB needs no introduction. It is a single stage mountain race with an elevation gain of 9,600m and is considered to be the most difficult foot race in Europe. It is also the largest in terms of the number of starters every year. The course is a hiking route around Mont Blanc that takes about 7 to 9 days by hikers but top runners take about 20 hours to finish the complete route.

Great Scottish Swim

Date: August 26-27, 2016 Place: Loch Lomond, Scotland Website: http://www.greatrun.org/great-swim/great-scottish-swim Why pay attention: A new category from 2016 has been added at the Great Scottish Swim, the 10km marathon swim, limited to 150 participants. Great Scottish Swim is an open water swimming event at Britain's largest inland stretch of water by surface area, Loch Lomond Lake.

The Race across the Dolomites - Ultra Cycling

Date: August 26-28, 2016 Place: Italy Website: http://www.ultracyclingdolomitica.com/ Why pay attention: Affiliated to the Ultra Marathon-Cycling Association, it is a self-proclaimed "hardest race in the world." This year, it will cover 606kms with an elevation gain of 16,000m. It is a qualifying race for Race Across America 2017.

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Covelong Point Classic Surf and Music Festival

Date: August 26-28, 2016 Place: Covelong Village, Tamil Nadu, India Website: http://www.covelongpoint.com/ Why pay attention: Considered to be a premier surfing event, it takes place in India's first surfing village Covelong. Top competitive surfers from India train for it. It will be witnessing its fourth event this year.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL0F2IEaTMM[/embed]

Uttarkashi 135

Date: August 26, 2016 Place: Uttarakhand, India Website: https://uttarkashi135.com/ Why pay attention: This year, it will be the second edition of the 135 mile single stage race. The runners will go through scenic villages, hard climbs in the middle of the night and the race ends in Uttarkashi, home to India's Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. This race is a The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc qualifier.

Cascade Crest Classic

Date: August 27, 2016 Place: Easton, USA Website: http://www.cascadecrest100.com/ Why pay attention: It is a 100-mile trail ultra through the central Cascades in the Washington state of the USA. Runners have to go through six mountain passes covering a total elevation of 18,000ft within 32 hours.

Feature Image courtesy Great Scottish Swim