A final test to close the championships

The World Masters Mountain Running Championships concluded today with the Classic Up & Down race, the final event of the championship weekend in the Krkonoše Mountains.

After Friday’s Uphill race and Saturday’s Long Distance race, the last day brought athletes back onto a shorter, sharper course, where climbing strength had to be matched by fast descending and the ability to change rhythm across the race.

Held under the banner of the World Mountain Running Association and World Masters Athletics, the Classic Up & Down race closed three days of masters mountain running in Janské Lázně, with athletes again racing across the slopes and trails around Černá hora.

Great Britain’s Andrew Douglas (GBR) completed a remarkable championship weekend by winning the men’s overall race and the M35 title in 38:09.

Douglas, who had already won Friday’s Uphill race, once again showed his class on a course that demanded more than pure climbing ability. The Classic Up & Down format brought a different test, but Douglas controlled it strongly enough to finish as the fastest man of the day.

Behind him, Switzerland’s Manfred Jauch (SUI) produced one of the standout performances of the race, winning the M50 title in 40:46 and placing second overall among the men. Bulgaria’s Shaban Mustafa (BUL) was third overall and first in M45, finishing in 40:50.

Czechia’s Pavel Cimbálník (CZE) gave the host nation another strong result, winning M40 in 41:30 and finishing fourth overall.

Germany’s Nadine Hübel (GER) was the fastest woman of the day, winning the W40 title in 45:34. Her run completed a strong weekend after her overall victory in Friday’s Uphill race.

Czechia’s Pavla Schorná (CZE) won the W45 title in 47:47 and finished third overall among the women, giving the host nation another podium-level performance on the final day.

Germany’s Ann-Kathrin Deubner (GER) took the W35 title in 49:22, placing seventh overall among the women.

The men’s race again showed the depth of the masters field, with strong performances across all age categories.

France’s Thierry Lippi (FRA) won the M55 title in 44:54, placing 23rd overall among the men. In M60, Czechia’s Rostislav Petráš (CZE) took the title in 50:13, giving the home team another category win on the final day.

Italy’s Luigi Bortoluzzi (ITA) won M65 in 50:52, while Germany’s Otto Hörmann (GER) claimed the M70 title in 1:01:53.

The M75 title went to Italy’s Aurelio Moscato (ITA), who finished in 57:54. His result placed him 190th among the men, ahead of many younger competitors, and closed a strong weekend for Italy across the masters categories.

The women’s race also produced strong performances across all age groups.

Spain’s Veronica Sanchez Romero (ESP) won the W50 title in 51:43, while Italy’s Deborah Fabbri (ITA) took W55 in 51:15, placing 10th overall among the women.

Czechia’s Jana Matyášová (CZE) won W60 in 53:25, and Italy’s Elisa Pellicioli (ITA) claimed the W65 title in 57:49.

In the oldest women’s categories, Ireland’s Majella Diskin (IRL) won W70 in 1:05:02, while Austria’s Ulrike Hoffmann (AUT) completed the W75 title in 1:25:35.

The final day also completed the picture of the strongest performers across the championship weekend.

Three athletes finished the event with a perfect record in their category. Bulgaria’s Shaban Mustafa (BUL) won all three M45 titles, taking gold in the Uphill, Long Distance and Classic Up & Down races. Germany’s Ann-Kathrin Deubner (GER) did the same in W35, while Austria’s Ulrike Hoffmann (AUT) completed a full sweep in W75.

Several other athletes also left Janské Lázně with two individual world titles. Great Britain’s Andrew Douglas (GBR) won both the Uphill and Classic Up & Down races in M35, also finishing as the fastest man overall in both events. Germany’s Nadine Hübel (GER) matched that achievement on the women’s side, winning W40 and finishing as the fastest woman overall in both the Uphill and Classic Up & Down races.

Other double champions included Milan Janata (CZE) in M40, Manfred Jauch (SUI) in M50, Thierry Lippi (FRA) in M55, Franco Torresani (ITA) in M60, Winfried Huber (GER) in M65, Peter Flunger (AUT) in M70, Aurelio Moscato (ITA) in M75, Pavla Schorná (CZE) in W45, Veronica Sanchez Romero (ESP) in W50, Deborah Fabbri (ITA) in W55 and Jana Matyášová (CZE) in W60.

Together, those results showed not only the depth of the masters field, but also the ability of the best athletes to perform across very different race formats in demanding summer conditions.

With the Classic Up & Down race, Janské Lázně brought the World Masters Mountain Running Championships to a close after three demanding days of racing.

The weekend opened with the Uphill race, continued with the Long Distance race in very hot conditions, and finished with a fast and competitive Up & Down race that again highlighted the quality and range of the masters field.

Across the age categories, the championships showed the same message every day: masters athletes race with ambition, experience and real competitive fire.

Respect the masters.

Men’s Classic Up & Down champions
M35: Andrew Douglas (GBR) — 38:09
M40: Pavel Cimbálník (CZE) — 41:30
M45: Shaban Mustafa (BUL) — 40:50
M50: Manfred Jauch (SUI) — 40:46
M55: Thierry Lippi (FRA) — 44:54
M60: Rostislav Petráš (CZE) — 50:13
M65: Luigi Bortoluzzi (ITA) — 50:52
M70: Otto Hörmann (GER) — 1:01:53
M75: Aurelio Moscato (ITA) — 57:54

Women’s Classic Up & Down champions
W35: Ann-Kathrin Deubner (GER) — 49:22
W40: Nadine Hübel (GER) — 45:34
W45: Pavla Schorná (CZE) — 47:47
W50: Veronica Sanchez Romero (ESP) — 51:43
W55: Deborah Fabbri (ITA) — 51:15
W60: Jana Matyášová (CZE) — 53:25
W65: Elisa Pellicioli (ITA) — 57:49
W70: Majella Diskin (IRL) — 1:05:02
W75: Ulrike Hoffmann (AUT) — 1:25:35
FULL Results