The World Masters Mountain Running Championships opened today with the Uphill race, as athletes from across the world took on the first of three championship races in the Krkonoše Mountains.

Held under the banner of the World Mountain Running Association and World Masters Athletics, the opening race brought a strong international field to the slopes above Janské Lázně. The start lists included 611 athletes, with 421 men and 190 women entered across the masters age categories from M/W35 through to M/W75.

The course was a direct and demanding mountain-running test: 7.79km with 851m of climbing, starting from the historic spa town of Janské Lázně and climbing towards Černá hora.

Conditions were also part of the story. With much of Europe affected by a heat wave, temperatures had risen to around 32°C before the race. Around half an hour before the start, the sky became covered, bringing some relief and slightly fresher air, but the heat was still a factor. Athletes had to manage effort carefully from the first climb, balancing ambition with patience in a race where there was little room to recover.

Great Britain’s Andrew Douglas delivered one of the clearest performances of the day, winning the M35 title in 42:15 and finishing as the fastest man overall. The victory gives Douglas his third consecutive masters world title, following his double success at last year’s championships in Canfranc.

Behind him, Slovenia’s Tadej Serdinšek was second in M35 and second overall in 43:44, with Algeria’s Adrien Karim Chouchou third in the category and third overall in 43:57.

There was also a strong result for the host nation in M40, where Czechia’s Milan Janata won in 44:37, placing seventh overall among the men. Pavel Cimbálník, also of Czechia, was second in 45:48, with Germany’s Marcel Krieghoff third in 46:23.

In M45, Bulgaria’s Shaban Mustafa produced one of the strongest age-category runs of the day, taking the title in 44:15 and finishing fifth overall. Ireland’s Ian Conroy was second in 47:14, ahead of Germany’s Thomas Ungethüm in 47:21.

Switzerland’s Manfred Jauch was another standout, winning M50 in 44:02 and placing fourth overall among the men. Great Britain’s Paul Faulkner took silver in 47:40, with Germany’s Carsten Hülss third in 48:56.

France’s Thierry Lippi won M55 in 48:13, ahead of Germany’s Markus Mey in 49:31 and Thomas Langer in 49:41.

In M60, Italy’s Franco Torresani took the title in 51:08. Spain’s Bernardo Villanueva Gonzalez was second in 52:40, with Czechia’s Rostislav Petráš third in 52:48.

Germany’s Winfried Huber won M65 in 53:06, ahead of Czechia’s Vladimír Vacarda in 54:01 and Great Britain’s Desmond Crowe in 56:41.

Austria’s Peter Flunger claimed the M70 title in 56:45, with Germany’s Ludwig Lang second in 58:08 and Siegfried Haas third in 59:37.

The M75 title went to Italy’s Aurelio Moscato, who finished in 1:03:30. Mexico’s Esteban Reyes Álvarez Monroy was second in 1:06:17, with Poland’s Zbigniew Radomski third in 1:09:18.

In the women’s race, Germany’s Nadine Hübel was the fastest athlete overall, winning the W40 title in 50:22. It was a close battle at the front, with Italy’s Andrea Schweigkofler second in W40 and second overall in 50:30, and Czechia’s Eva Vail third in the category and third overall in 50:39.

Germany also took the W35 title through Ann-Kathrin Deubner, who ran 53:32. Czechia’s Jitka Špičáková was second in 55:50, with Slovakia’s Mária Danečková third in 56:45.

The W45 race brought another strong performance from the host nation. Czechia’s Pavla Schorná won in 50:59, finishing fourth overall among the women. Slovenia’s Klementina Lemut took second in 53:07, while Belgium’s Charlotte Cotton completed the podium in 53:21.

In W50, Spain’s Veronica Sanchez Romero claimed the title in 53:51, ahead of Slovakia’s Iveta Furáková in 57:31 and Germany’s Tanja Elvira Saretzki in 58:01.

Italy’s Deborah Fabbri won W55 in 56:10, with Ireland’s Shileen O’Kane second in 58:43 and Germany’s Christine Sigg-Sohn third in 58:53.

The W60 title went to Czechia’s Jana Matyášová in 59:25. France’s Armelle Caillet finished second in 1:01:33, with Switzerland’s Christine Tanner third in 1:01:57.

Slovakia’s Anna Balošáková won W65 in 1:05:50, ahead of Germany’s Elisabeth Henn in 1:08:19 and Slovakia’s Drahomíra Popracová in 1:12:19.

In W70, Czechia’s Blanka Paulů took the title in 1:09:03, with Italy’s Iole Ronchi second in 1:11:10 and Ireland’s Pauline Moran third in 1:11:57.

Austria’s Ulrike Hoffmann won W75 in 1:22:11, ahead of Australia’s Louise Fairfax in 1:24:16 and Czechia’s Dagmar Dvořáčková in 1:45:50.

The opening day was also a reminder of what makes the World Masters Mountain Running Championships different. The race brought together national teams, club runners, former senior internationals, long-time mountain runners and athletes who continue to compete with real ambition across the age groups.

A special mention goes to Hazel Stapleton in the W75 category, who continues to show the spirit of lifelong competition and the determination that defines masters mountain running.

After the Uphill race, the championships continue with the Long Distance race on Saturday and the Up & Down race on Sunday, completing the three-race format that has become a successful part of the event in recent editions.

For the WMRA, the masters championships are an important part of the wider mountain-running pathway. After recent focus on the WMRA World Cup at Broken Arrow in the United States and the International U18 Mountain Running Cup in Gagliano del Capo, Italy, the attention now turns to Janské Lázně and to the athletes proving that mountain running remains competitive, meaningful and inspiring at every age.

Men’s Uphill champions
M35: Andrew Douglas — Great Britain — 42:15
M40: Milan Janata — Czechia — 44:37
M45: Shaban Mustafa — Bulgaria — 44:15
M50: Manfred Jauch — Switzerland — 44:02
M55: Thierry Lippi — France — 48:13
M60: Franco Torresani — Italy — 51:08
M65: Winfried Huber — Germany — 53:06
M70: Peter Flunger — Austria — 56:45
M75: Aurelio Moscato — Italy — 1:03:30

Women’s Uphill champions
W35: Ann-Kathrin Deubner — Germany — 53:32
W40: Nadine Hübel — Germany — 50:22
W45: Pavla Schorná — Czechia — 50:59
W50: Veronica Sanchez Romero — Spain — 53:51
W55: Deborah Fabbri — Italy — 56:10
W60: Jana Matyášová — Czechia — 59:25
W65: Anna Balošáková — Slovakia — 1:05:50
W70: Blanka Paulů — Czechia — 1:09:03
W75: Ulrike Hoffmann — Austria — 1:22:11