Kerrigans lead youth skyrunners in Italy this summer
May 30, 2025 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
U.S. Youth Skyrunning team member Magnus McKisic is 16 and from Colorado Springs. Courtesy photo
A team of 14 American youth runners heads to Italy this summer for the ninth World Youth Skyrunning Championships, led by coaches with deep Vermont roots.
The team’s Head Coach is Ryan Kerrigan, a former Green Mountain Valley School and University of Vermont Nordic skier who now calls Maiella, Italy, home. He’s also on the executive council of the International Skyrunning Federation.
Joining him is his father and Assistant Coach John Kerrigan, who resides in South Duxbury, a short distance from Harwood Union High School, where he taught and coached running, track and field and Nordic skiing for decades before retiring in 2024.
The Kerrigans launched the U.S. Youth Skyrunning team in 2017, introducing runners from Vermont and around the country to the competition that takes place on mountainous courses in Europe.
This year’s events take place Aug. 1-3, in Fonte Cerreto, Italy.
The 14-member U.S. roster includes one Vermont runner and several with Vermont ties: Ezra Merill-Triplett of Montpelier; Brooke Greenberg, who moved to Utah in 2024 after running with the Harwood Middle School Cross Country team; and Lincoln Gage of Idaho, a former Harwood Cross Country team member, 2020-22, according to John Kerrigan.
The youth skyrunning athletes range in age from 15 to 23 and they compete across four age groups. Five team members hail from Colorado. Other states represented include California, Idaho, Maine, and Wyoming, Kerrigan said.
The athletes compete in two events: the short, steep Vertical Kilometer and the Skyrace, which includes the vertical 1,000 meters plus another 10–20 km along high alpine ridges.
The youth world championships involve races over 2,000 meters above sea level and are usually on courses well above treeline, Kerrigan explained.
“It literally looks like the runners have dropped from the sky. Hence the
name ‘Skyrunning,’” he said. “In many places in the U.S., one can see mountains. In certain areas of the country, we are lucky enough to live in them. Youth runners who have mountains right out their back door have been most successful [at skyurunning].”
He said he hopes the sport will gain in popularity as it becomes better known, particularly among youth runners growing up in regions mountainous regions across the country from Alaska to New England.
“We know there are youth runners living in the Sierras, Wasatch, Rockies, Chugiak, Black Hills, the Green and the White Mountains who know nothing of Skyrunning,” he said. “With a greater presence of a variety of youth mountain runners from the U.S. we will continue to grow our youth program.”
The Kerrigans shared remarks from race organiser Cristiano Carpente, who commented that hosting the World Skyrunning Championship races is a “great pleasure and real source of pride.”
The events take place in the Gran Sasso region of the Apennine mountains of central Italy. “As inhabitants and lovers of the Gran Sasso, ‘our’ mountain, and not only, as the most iconic of the Apennine chain, we are privileged to host young skyrunners from across the world,” Carpente said. “Our city, L’Aquila, has the pleasure to offer the best of our attractions: nature, history, culture and, last but not least, obviously our cuisine.”
The Kerrigans began the U.S. Youth Skyrunning program and entered a team of eight athletes for what was the second world championship competition held in Andorra in 2017. “The small group of Vermonters finished fourth as a team, with two of the Vermonters obtaining podium finishes,” John Kerrigan recalled.
In 2018, a 12-member team with athletes from multiple states including Vermont, Colorado and Alaska, traveled to Italy for the world championships where they again finished in fourth place. California runner Sophia Sanchez captured a gold medal for her finishes in both events, and Alaska runner Mikey Connolly won a bronze in the Vertical Kilometer.
This year’s roster has 14 runners. “The crew that we have selected for the 2025 team is the most experienced and talented ever,” Head Coach Ryan Kerrigan said.
The runners and their categories are:
Youth A Girls: Elliott Gielty, Armed Forces/Portugal; Brooke Greenberg, Utah; Lila Marchetti, New Hampshire; Josephine Smeets, Arizona.
Youth A Boys: Eston Sutherland- Colorado & Spain.
Youth B Girls: Ia Reistad, Colorado, and Sidney McIntosh, California.
Youth B Boys: Breckett Cote, Maine; Magnus McKisic, Colorado; Lincoln Gage, Idaho; and Bommer Weisman, Wyoming.
Youth C Girls: Rio Townsend, Colorado.
Youth C Boys: Ezra Merrill Triplett, Vermont; Tupelo Bordeau-Missouri/Italy
U-23 Boys: Benjamin Townsend, Colorado.
John Kerrigan shared comments from 16-year-old team member Magnus McKisic from Colorado Springs:
“When I first started running, I thought I was looking for something. But once I began running in the mountains, I realized I wasn’t really looking for anything. I just wanted to run without limits. No distractions, just nature, movement, air, and elevation. It’s about being part of the terrain, part of the climb, up there surrounded by peaks. Skyrunning takes that feeling even further. I challenge myself on the mountains, constantly adapting. Every ascent, every ridgeline, every technical descent is a chance to test myself against the terrain and see what I’ve got. And now, I get to take that to the next level in Italy. I’m so excited to represent Team USA at the 2025 Youth Skyrunning World Championships!”
So far the U.S. team is operating with the support of fundraising and family contributions. “Unlike the fully funded European athletes, the individuals representing the USA have to rely on financial help from family and community members,” John Kerrigan said.
The team has a GoFundMe online fundraising site to and is grateful for support from individuals in the communities sending runners to Italy this summer, he added.
Learn more about Skyrunning online at the International Skyrunning Federation website and more about the 2025 Youth World Championships here including links to their social media accounts.