Author: Tomo Sarf

The Championships took place on Saturday in the town of Câmpulung Moldovenesc in north-east Romania.

Athletes from Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, North Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria raced over a 5.6km, 480m+ circuit with 2 laps for Seniors and 1 lap for U20s.

In the senior women’s race it was Romania’s Denisa Dragomir, 4^th at last year’s championship, who went out hard, leading her compatriot and 2021 silver medallist Ingrid Mutter by over a minute after the first lap. Dragomir couldn’t sustain her early pace but did more than enough to hang on for the win, coming to the finish in 1:10:25. Martina Potrc of Slovenia is more often found racing ultras than mountain races, but has been on fine form in shorter mountain races recently; second at the Slovenian Championships 3 weeks ago, she ran a strong second lap to move through the field, finishing second in 1:11:58. Mutter was 3rd in 1:12:43.

With 3 runners in the top 5, Romania comfortably won the team prize ahead of Turkey and Bulgaria.

The men’s race followed a similar pattern, with 2021 champion Timotej Be?an of Slovenia leading after the first lap and remaining strong through the second to defend his title in 58:14. Behind, the battle for the remaining medals was between two Romanians, Ionu? Zinc? and Bogdan Damian. Despite running the fastest 2^nd lap of the day, Damian couldn’t quite close the gap to Zinc?, who took silver in 59:38, just 5 seconds ahead of Damian.

Be?an’s win, on top of his Slovenian title 3 weeks ago, is enough to move him up to third on the World Mountain Running Ranking.

Again the host nation took the team golds, again with 3 runners in the top 5. Slovenia took silver while Greece took bronze.

Turkey swept the golds in the U20 races, with individual wins for Hakim Dursun and Sila Ata leading strong team performances.

Full individual and team results for both Senior and U20 races are available here.

Photo –  Tim Breznikar

After 5 months, 17 races and 10 countries, on October the 8th we arrive in the Italian province of Sondrio for the final of the Valsir World Cup; K.V. Chiavenna-Lagunc.

Although the course has changed a little over the years, there has been an uphill race here since 1986. A town of just 7,000 people, Chaivenna is a distillation of the culture and tradition of Italian mountain running. With two local clubs, there are probably as many mountain runners per capita here as there are anywhere, and the race has long attracted the strongest Italian athletes, as well as big-hitters from further afield.

Valentina Belotti and Alessandra Valgoi, Marco de Gasperi and both Dematteis twins; all have multiple wins here, while Petro Mamu and Johan Bugge, Sarah McCormack and Andrea Mayr have also taken their turn on the top step of the podium.

Originally starting further up the hill in Pianazzola, the course was lengthened in 2000, before becoming the world’s first officially measured vertical kilometre in 2008. Ascending exactly 1,000m in just 3.3km, this is the place to come for fast times. An individual time trial start, the course begins in narrow, cobbled streets on the north side of Chiavenna and immediately rises onto the mule tracks and rocky, stepped, single-track trails which take runners the whole way to the finish in Lagunc.

As it did in last year, this year Chiavenna-Lagunc serves as the last and potentially deciding round of the series, with 5 bonus World Cup points available for any athlete finishing in the top 15; a good run here can make all the difference.

Reigning World Cup champion Henri Aymonod thrives on the steepest courses and it’s no surprise that he has made this race his own, taking three straight wins in the last three editions. Andrea Mayr added last year’s crown to her 2 previous victories, coming up just 2 seconds short of her remarkable 2018 course record of 35:40.

The men’s course record is no less impressive. Bernard Dematteis ran 30:27 in 2013 and in the eight editions since then no-one has been within a minute of that time! It will take a very special performance indeed to better either of those marks, but with a World Cup title on the line anything is possible!

Recent results are all available on the World Mountain Running Ranking.

If you’re making the trip to Chiavenna and want a full weekend of racing, there are a pair of longer trail races on the Sunday after the vertical kilometre. The Val Bregaglia Trail starts and finishes in Chiavenna and covers 43.5km, climbing 2,758m, while the Val Bregaglia Half Trail begins in Promontogno and covers 23.5km, 1,032m+ on the way back to Chiavenna.

With the mountain running taken care of there are plenty reasons to extend your stay in the area. Those who still have the legs for it can cycle the 30km uphill to the top of the famous Splügen Pass, while for those who are feeling a bit weary there are more relaxing options available at Lake Como, just a 40 minute drive down the valley.

The joint application of Innsbruck Tourism and the Stubai Tourism Association for the right to host the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (WMTRC) in 2023 was successful against strong international competition.

The community of Innsbruck-Stubai will bring the WMTRC to Tyrol at the beginning of June 2023, after a very competitive bidding process overseen by the event partners the International Association of Ultrarunners, the International Trail Running Association and the World Mountain Running Association, alongside World Athletics. The Tyrolean application was considered to be very professional, building on its proven event experience and excellent reputation as a leading alpine sports region.

Check the event out on Instagram, Facebook and at the event website.

Thanks to the joint support of the federal government, the state of Tyrol, the city and tourism associations, the majority of the estimated event budget of around 4.7 million euros will be secured.

It is expected that up to 1,400 athletes from over 60 nations will compete in the heart of the Alps. Over four days of competition male and female athletes will compete in four different events – uphill mountain running, classic up and down mountain running, short trail and long trail. Junior male and female athletes will compete in classic up and down mountain running.

World Athletics President, Sebastian Coe, said: “We are thrilled that the 2023 edition of the World Mountain & Trail Running Championships will be taking place in the Austrian region of Innsbruck-Stubai. This global running festival will gather elite trail and mountain runners from across the world as they run through some of the most spectacular scenery Austria has to offer. We are also pleased to be working in close partnership with World Mountain Running Association, the International Association of Ultrarunners and the International Trail Running Association on the delivery of this event. We all share the ambition of promoting running at every level and in every form – and this is an exciting opportunity to showcase a different kind of racing challenge for distance runners and for them to come together to celebrate their common passion for our sport”.

WA, IAU, ITRA and WMRA have jointly examined all the bids for the WMTRC 2023 edition: “The quality of the bids confirms the global growth and interests in the disciplines of outdoor running. Careful consideration of the different parameters made the task more difficult due to the high standards, but we are confident that awarding the WMTRC 2023 Championships to Innsbruck Stubai will lead to very successful championships in 2023.”

Vice Chancellor and Sports Minister Werner Kogler: “A mountain running and trail running world championship in Tyrol? Where, if not here – one is inclined to ask. It is very pleasing that the awarding committee also seems to have thought this way. I congratulate Innsbruck and Stubai for this high-quality application, but above all for winning the bid against strong international competition and I am already looking forward to ten exciting medal decisions, spectacular pictures from the Tyrolean mountains and a festival in terms of sustainability.”

Tyrol as an ideal venue

Tyrol’s Governor Günther Platter is delighted with the award: “Due to our alpine landscape, we are the ideal venue for the WMTRC 2023. And we know how to organize sporting events and major events in Tyrol. The joint staging of the two regions of Innsbruck and Stubai provides the best conditions for a successful and sustainable implementation of the competitions and the supporting programme.”

Josef Geisler, Deputy Governor and Sports Minister of Tyrol, also welcomes the application: “Hosting the WMTRC in Innsbruck and the Stubaital will further strengthen Tyrol’s international reputation and reputation as a sports country. Mountain and trail running is a sport that takes place in harmony with nature and provides images that stand for sustainable outdoor tourism.”

Mayor Georg Willi agrees: “Innsbruck can present itself as a ‘city in the mountains’ with this major sporting event. We don’t have to expand or rebuild anything, we show what is there: a city in the heart of Europe, embedded in a unique mountain world.”

“Alexander Pittl has done pioneering work for our region in the field of mountain and trail running. Through the unique combination of urban charm and nature experience and the excellent organization, the largest trail running event in Austria could develop here in just a few years. The awarding of the World Championships to Innsbruck and Stubai is now the crowning achievement. Sports that do not burden nature and the environment definitely have a role model function, especially in times of global warming – and will hopefully also encourage many children and young people to do more sports,” says Innsbruck’s sports councillor Elisabeth Mayr happily. Mountain and trail running has now become a trend sport, Mario Gerber, chairman of Innsbruck Tourism, and Adrian Siller, chairman of TVB Stubai, agrees.

Alexander Pittl, the founder of the Innsbruck-based Laufwerkstatt and initiator of the extremely successful “Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Festival”, which has developed into by far the largest such running event in Austria and the third largest in the DACH region within a few years, will provide organizational and technical support for the event.

Innsbruck and Stubai offer the best conditions

The alpine-urban Innsbruck offers ideal conditions for the upcoming WMTRC due to its combination of city, i.e. existing hotel industry and event infrastructure and at the same time proximity to the mountains. The Stubaital, on the other hand, impresses with a top holiday hotel industry and its landscape. For the World Championships, breathtaking routes, such as trails along the “Kalkkögel” to Neustift up to the “Elfer” or routes across Innsbruck’s old town and the legendary “Höll” are in preparation. However, the exact routes have not yet been fixed.

Images – Florentin Haunold, Roast Media

With the end in sight, on the 2^nd of October we have our last Long race of the season, Zumaia Flysch Trail in the Basque Country.

Over 22km and 850m of climbing, the course first winds its way westward along the coast over short, punchy climbs. Travelling across the spectacular cliffs of the Basque Coast UNESCO Global Geopark, the race traces a line where the rich green of the hills meets the deep blue of the sea, the incredible geology adding an extra dimension to a race that is a real feast for the eyes. After 10km, the race takes a big swing inland and heads back towards Zumaia, taking the mirror of the outward course and crossing over itself several times as it loops out towards the coast and back inland.

On top of the incredible landscape, one of the big draws of Zumaia Flysch Trail must be the Basques’ famous enthusiasm for sport, and for mountain running in particular. First or last, it doesn’t matter; the crowds that gather on the course will give their loud support to every single athlete in the race. Basque Country racing is something every mountain runner should experience at least once.

The Basque weather is unpredictable and last year the marathon and the 22k, both World Cup counters, took place in torrential rain, making for very difficult, muddy conditions underfoot. In spite of that, the racing was fast, with many of the seasons best performers taking to the startline.

It was Kenyans first and second in the women’s 22k race as Joyce Njeru took the win ahead of Lucy Murigi. An incredible 4^th victory of the World Cup season, Njeru was now within touching distance of the overall title with just the final round at Chiavenna-Lagunc to go. Alice Gaggi took third, all but ensuring she would finish on the overall World Cup podium.

In the men’s race, Njeru’s Team Run2gether teammate Geoffrey Ndungu found himself running stride for stride with Hungary’s Sándor Szabó in the early stages, both runners fighting hard to cement their own positions in the World Cup’s top three. Ultimately it was Ndungu who came out on top, pulling away in the second half to take a narrow victory, 1:36:48 to Sándor’s 1:37:13. Third place went to the Basque Country’s own Amets Aramberri.

In the marathon, Charlotte Morgan added another title to her Tatra Race Run and Canfranc-Canfranc Marathon victories, while Raul Criado took his first World Cup win after a number of podium finishes. You can find full results on the World Mountain Running Ranking.

Zumaia Flysch Trail is an easy race to get to. Donostia-San Sebastian is thirty minutes east and has excellent rail connections to a number of major cities, while Bilbao airport is an hour to the west.

On the first day of October we have one of mountain running’s true classics. “Small hill, small race, strong competition.”

Standing on the outskirts of the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, Šmarna Gora may be the least intimidating venue on the World Cup this year; the higher of its two rounded summits, Grmada, is just 676m above sea level and less than 400m above the city below. Yet for over 40 years the Šmarna Gora Race has hosted some of the most fiercely competitive racing in the sport.

With high quality fields and nail-biting finales, the race is a firm favourite among athletes and fans alike and in 2020 was voted the Greatest Mountain Race of All Time in a WMRA poll. Its inclusion in the 2022 Valsir Mountain Running World Cup marks the race’s 20th appearance in the series.

Since 1991 the Šmarna Gora weekend has featured two races, the main Šmarna Gora Race on the Saturday preceded on the Friday by Šmarna Gora Record. A mad dash of 1.85km and 360m+, it takes the most direct route from the start in Tacen to the top of the hill. In 2020 Filimon Abraham became the first runner to break the 11 minute barrier, running 10:59 to take the win by 3 seconds from Sylvain Cachard, the 2 fastest times ever. The women’s record is longer standing, Mateja Kosovelj’s time of 13:18 being the fastest mark since 2006.

With that short tune-up out of the way, it’s time for The Šmarna Gora Race. At 10k with 710m+ and 350m-, the course is a blend of tough climbs, fast running and technical trails. The summit of Grmada is reached first, just after the 4 kilometre mark, before a 2 kilometre descent brings the runners back down to begin the final climb, spiraling anti-clockwise around the mountain to finish outside the Gostilna Ledinek inn at the summit.

Unsurprisingly the Greatest Mountain Race has attracted some of the greatest mountain runners and the course records are very strong. Andrea Mayr holds the record for the women, 47:50 set in 2017 in the fastest of her 6 wins. The men’s record is from 2012, when Alex Baldaccini edged out Azerya Teklay in a photo finish, both athletes recording 41:32.

There are interesting incentives for any runner with an eye on those course records; €250 plus €10 for every second under the old record. So for the men, €270 for 41:30, €320 for 41:25 and so on. Runners who do not win but are also under the previous course record are also eligible for €10/second.

The race website also features a search engine with full results of both the Record and Šmarna Gora races, searchable by year, nationality, gender, position. It’s a gold mine for anyone wanting to go deep into the history of the race!

As always, recent results are also available on the World Mountain Running Ranking. 

Ljubljana has direct rail links to a number of major cities including Munich, Zürich and Vienna, and you can fly direct to Ljubljana Jože Pu?nik Airport from most major European airports.

Federations have until the 10th of May to submit Preliminary Entry Forms.
The event, the first since 2019, will be held on the 26th of June in Saluzzo, Italy, over a course of 4.35km with 155m of ascent and descent.

Entry forms, regulations and the Team Manual have been sent to all member federations, including details of travel grants, accommodation and the course.

There will also be non-championship races for under 14s and under 16s.

Images – Damiano Benedetto, Corsa in Montagna.

Preparations are well underway for the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (WMTRC), to be held in Chiang Mai from November 3-6. 

The championships was originally planned to be held last year in Chiang Mai but was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Thailand was granted the opportunity to organize the event by WMTRC partnership, composed of the international associations for mountain running (World Mountain Running Association), ultra marathon (International Association of Ultrarunners) and trail running (International Trail Running Association), with the coordination of World Athletics, the global governing body for the sport of athletics – which mountain and trail running is a part of.

“This is the first time that the three associations join forces to stage the championships together and under the umbrella of the international governing body”, said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. 

“Venue, race routes and event layout – it’s all been identified and designed last year, and all is set in Chiang Mai to host the championships.” 

“The Thai government has been giving full support in bringing this event to Chiang Mai”, said Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand Phiphat Ratchakitprakan. “It means a lot to Thailand to be the host country of the first ever World Mountain and Trail Running Championships. Due to the global situation, getting where we are now hasn’t been without its challenges, but we are committed to delivering a world-class event for everyone and will not disappoint,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), who is also the Secretary General of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), said the official name of the event will be “Amazing Thailand World Mountain and Trail Running Championships” since the wording ‘’Amazing Thailand” has always been associated with sport events in Thailand. 

According to Kobkiat Sangwanich, Assistant Secretary General of the LOC, who is also the Race Director, Invitations for the championships have been sent to all World Athletics affiliated national associations..  

“All affiliated countries have to submit their entry form by number to the LOC by the end of June, and before the end of September their entry form by name must be submitted,” Kobkiat said. 

About 2,000–3,000 athletes from all over the world are expected to compete in the race weekend, which encompasses championships races as well as mass participation events. Each country is allowed to field a maximum of 50 athletes for all events featured in the championships namely – long trail 80km and short trail 40km for trail running and classic uphill, classic up and down and junior classic up and down for mountain running. 

The event website, with the full General Information Sheet, can be found here.

All images: Marco Gulberti, Corsa in Montagna, 2019 World Mountain Running Championships

The deadline for submission of Preliminary Entry Forms has been extended to the end of June.

Some federations, while interested in attending, are still unable to commit to plans for the competition in Thailand due to the current situation in Europe and continued uncertainties about the Covid-19 pandemic. The Amazing Thailand World Mountain and Trail Running Championships Partnership have, therefore, decided to extend the deadline for PEFs until the end of June hoping that uncertainty is further reduced.

A letter containing further details has been sent to all member federations.

In the second weekend of September, we have the second weekend in a row of double World Cup action.

After Vertical and Trofeo Nasego, it’s another Short Uphill/Classic double header at Canfranc-Canfranc in the Aragonese Pyrenees on the 9th and 11th of September.

Most famous for its railway station, once the Spanish end of an international tunnel under the Pyrenees, Canfranc is heaven for those who like their mountains steep and rough. They rise from the valleys in typical Pyrenean style, culminating in fearful summits of jagged, broken rock.

From 19 runners in the first edition just 15 years ago, the event has grown and grown, this year offering 5 different courses from the brand new Vertical Kilometre, through 16k, 45k and 70k races, all the way up the The Longest 100k in the World, with 8848m+. Not content with selling out mountain races from VK to Ultra, the organisers are also one of the events who have applied to host the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in 2023.

As in 2021, there are 2 Canfranc-Canfranc races in this year’s Valsir World Cup. Last year it was the 16k and the Marathon, this year the 16k remains while the Marathon is replace by the VK, which kicks the weekend off on the Friday.

A few kilometres north of Canfranc itself, the start venue is spectacular, with the cliffs of Circo del Río Seta curving around in front of the summit of Pico Aspe, a constant presence through the race. At 4.4k with 927m of climbing, it’s a tough test. The few shallower sections in the second half offer no respite, just an increase in pace as the race skirts the top of the Candanchù ski area. The final hundred metres of the race are the steepest of all as athletes run, walk or crawl to the finish on Cima Tuca Blanca.

Saturday is for eating, light jogging, and cheering on the runners in the Marathon and the 70k. Then before you know it, it’s race day all over again.

From the start in Canfranc-Estación, the Classic 16k course goes briefly downhill before a left turn brings runners to the foot of the race’s single climb. But what a climb it is. Desperately long and horribly sustained, between the valley floor and the summit of Pico de la Moleta at 2,572m.a.s.l., the athletes will ascend almost 1,400m in just under 5 kilometres. Cruely, as fatigue increases, so does the technicality of the terrain, with the final few hundred metres to the summit on increasingly loose, unstable rock.

The technicality persists for the first part of the 10k descent, as runners pass the high mountain lake of Ibon de Iserias and the small cabin Refugio Vuelta de Iserias, before reaching the faster trails which will take them back to Canfranc-Estación.

World Champion Grayson Murphy was the standout performer here last year, taking her second win in 2 weekends and breaking the 16k course record in the process. In the men’s race, Antonia Martinez successfully defended the title he won in 2020, while Raul Criado was the only athlete in the top 10 to have taken on both races, taking an impressive 6^th place despite having 4000m+ and a third place in his legs from the previous day’s marathon.

Be sure to check out the full results at the World Mountain Running Ranking.

This year’s program is likely to tempt many more athletes to double up, which will make for a fascinating weekend’s racing!

Photos: Yhabril/Canfranc-Canfranc

The World Mountain Running Association are delighted to announce a big increase in prize money for this year’s World Cup.

Made possible by our partnership with the series’ new title sponsor, Valsir, the prize structure for the final standings of the 2022 Valsir Mountain Running World Cup is as follows:

There will also be a 50% growth in the travel support available to athletes from the WMRA, with the top 5 men and women on the World Mountain Running Ranking being eligible for €150 per race or race weekend.

Increasing opportunities for athletes is at the heart of our mission to grow the World Cup and this is a huge positive step on that journey.

Full updated regulations will be available on our website soon.