Author: Tomo Sarf

In the first weekend of September the Valsir Mountain Running World Cup arrives in the small town of Casto for a double header of Gold Label races; Vertical Nasego and Trofeo Nasego.

Taking their name from Rifugio Nasego, the mountain hut where the long race finished until 2014, these are races that typify the Italian enthusiasm for mountain running and hunger for competition.

The finish town of Famea is the home of the owner’s of Valsir, the World Cup’s new title sponsor. The company has been a long time supporter of Trofeo Nasego, and this association, a window on the dedication of the athletes and the passion of the organisers, has been instrumental in their decision to step up their involvement in the sport.

Kicking the weekend off on Saturday, Vertical Nasego, 4.2k and 1,000m+, is a race of two halves. Starting on the main street in Casto, with the finish already in sight high above, the route weaves its way upwards, on and off the road, through a number of still smaller towns, passing the finish line of Trofeo Nasego in Famea. Leaving the tarmac behind, the second half is punishing; steeper and steeper on narrow, rocky trails until the final, hideously steep pull onto the very crest of the ridge.

In 2021 it was on this section that Henri Aymonod won the race, his incredible hiking speed taking him away from Andrea Rostan, Petro Mamu and Zak Hanna.

Trofeo Nasego, 21.5km 1,336m+ 1,039m+, follows a similar pattern; the first half skirts the valleys to the south and west of Casto, a rollercoaster of undulations where the pace is guaranteed to be high. As the runners pass halfway, the real climbing starts. Criss-crossing the hill side of rough farm track and technical mountain trails, the high point is finally reached at around 16 kilometres, on the ridge above the rifugio.

From there it’s downhill all the way to the finish. Fast and technical, you need strong quads and strong ankles if you want to be in with a shout of a good position.

Alex Scolari of the race organisation (and also mountain running’s most enthusiastic emcee) makes the intentions for this year’s races very clear. “For us the numbers are not the most important point, we want competition, challenges, champions. Another battle of giants!”

Looking at recent results you can see what he means. The level at Trofeo Nasego has been exceptional in recent years, with the fastest 3 winning times in both men’s and women’s races coming in the last 3 editions. The very best mountain runners, World Cup winners Andrew Douglas and Sarah McCormack, World Champions Lucy Murigi and Grayson Murphy, have come here and put on a spectacular show.

At most races Murphy’s 1:45:56 and Petro Mamu’s 1:32:55 course records from 2021 would be sure to stand for a decade. At Trofeo Nasego, you can’t be so sure.

The competition in Vertical Nasego is no less fierce. The King and Queen of the uphill, Henri Aymonod and Andrea Mayr were victorious last year. It was Aymonod’s second win here, but he still found himself short of Davide Magnini’s 35:17 course record, set in the 2019 edition of the race. The women’s record is, of course, Mayr’s. 38:39 from her first win here in 2019.

Many athletes will choose to run both races. Most notably in 2021, Murphy and Mayr went toe to toe on consecutive days, coming away with a win and a second place each.

Casto is an hour and a half’s wiggly drive from Bergamo airport.

On 27th August the Valsir Mountain Running World Cup heads to South America for its first ever visit to Peru and The Andes Race, a Silver Label event for 2022.

Based out of Cusco, once the capital city of the Inca empire, The Andes Race is at once a celebration of this incredible mountain range and a nod to the culture of those who have lived here for centuries.

The course follows a section of the Qhapaq Ñan, a network of Inca roads which covers over 30,000km, stretching most of the way up the west coast of the continent, and has been designated a World Heritage Site. Although the Andes Race only began in 2014, these roads have been used by runners for hundreds of years.

¨The day we decided to organize a race in Cusco, it was with the purpose of paying tribute to the Chaskis, ancient messenger runners of the Inka empire,” says Claudio Castillo, the event’s executive manager. “We wanted to make a race that would evoke their spirit and pay tribute to the legacy of those ancient runners.”

At 30km with 1,050m+ and 2,020m-, The Andes Race is certainly a stern test for the legs, but it’s the altitude that will be a real problem for those not fortunate enough to have grown up at altitude.

From the start at Huacahuasi, 3,700m, the race’s first 8 kilometres are all up hill, taking runner’s to the route’s high point at 4,500m, roughly the same altitude as the summit of the Matterhorn. From there the course descends, passing snowy peaks and gorgeous lagoons. It drops almost 2,000m to the finish in Ollantaytambo at 2,870m with a few shorter climbs keeping runners on their toes.

The course records, Remigio Huaman’s 2:28:20 for the men and Aydee Loayza Huaman’s 3:15:18 for the women, will be a big ask for anyone who hasn’t done a good job of getting acclimatised.

“Our mission is also to put Peru on eyes of the world as a privilege destination for trail runners,” says Claudio. “Being part of WMRA World Cup is a big step for us on that mission.”

There will be few trail and mountain runners who don’t see the appeal of the high mountain landscape which the race passes through. The surrounding peaks are as beautiful as they are intimidating, terrifying collisions of rock and ice with summits well clear of 5,000m.

Seeing the potential in the race to have a positive impact, the organisers have made a great commitment to protect and restore this environment.

“Every year we have been doing small scale reforestation in the area of influence of the race. Since 2022 we have a partnership with Global Forest Generation and we will plant 100,000 native trees thanks to the kilometers accumulated during the race by the participants.”

There are direct flights to Lima from Madrid, Paris and Amsterdam, as well as a number of North American cities. From there it’s a short flight, or if you’re feeling adventurous a long but spectacular bus trip, to Cusco.

UPDATE 20th April: The deadline has been extended to the end of June.

Member Federations are requested to record their intentions to send teams using the Preliminary Entry Form.   

Plans are progressing well for the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, organised in association with IAU and ITRA, and assisted by World Athletics and in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

On receipt of the Preliminary Entry Form, federations will be issued with all the details about the accommodation that can be reserved for their teams.

The General Information Sheet is available on the event website, here.

For any general questions, please contact the WMTR Championships partnership at [email protected].

This exciting new Championships combining both mountain and trail running events into a single weekend of off-road races will take place in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on 3-6 November 2022.

This will be a thrilling weekend of competition to look forward!

After 2 years of cancellations due to Covid-19, the event is confirmed for Sunday 26^th of June in the town of Saluzzo, an hour south of Turin, Italy.

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

This year’s races will take place over 4.35km with 155m of ascent and descent. They begin with a short loop, 550m around the centre of Saluzzo, before a long loop of 3.8km takes runners up onto the hillside to the west of the town.

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

The International U18 Mountain Running Cup plays an important part in the development of young athletes, giving them the opportunity to represent their country in an international competition. It also gives athletes whose primary sport might be track, cross country or orienteering a flavour of racing in the mountains.

For fans of the sport, the U18 Cup is an opportunity to see many of the future stars of mountain running, although many of the athletes who take part go on to find success in other disciplines of athletics. Like Yeman Crippa, who won the 2012 edition of the event in Glendalough, Ireland, and who broke the Italian half marathon record earlier this year.

The 2019 races saw dominant performances from the French and Italian teams in the boys and girls races respectively, with both taking a 1-2-3 clean sweep of the podium. Katja Pattis was victorious in the girls race while Hugo Schropfer got the better of his teammate Basile Basset in dramatic fashion, taking the win by the width of the pins on his number.

Three years later, it will be a brand new group of athletes on the start line in Saluzzo. The French and Italian teams will no doubt be looking for a repeat of the 2019 results, but it won’t be easy. Turkey, England, Czech Republic and Poland all have a history of sending consistently strong teams to this event.

Images – Damiano Benedetto, Corsa in Montagna.

What needs to be said about the Race of the Five 4000s? No other mountain race attracts the same attention or the same depth of competition as Sierre-Zinal.

Since its first edition in 1974, the best of the best of have been gathering in the Swiss Canton of Valais every August. From true greats of mountain running like Jairo Correa and Lucy Murigi, to road and track Olympians like Marijke Moser and Jeff Norman, to great mountain running Olympians like Jonathan Wyatt and Anna Pichrtová, the honour roll at this race is a Who’s Who of long distance mountain running.

This year the race is the 6th Gold Label event of the Valsir Mountain Running World Cup, weighing in at 31km, with 2,200m of ascent and 1,100m of descent, and taking place on Saturday 13th August.

The route has something for everyone, with 3 distinct phases. From the start in Sierre, 570m, it’s uphill straight away, climbing non-stop for over 10 kilometres. A short descent into Chandollin, at 2000m, begins the undulating middle third of the race. With the steepest gradients dealt with, the emphasis shifts from climbing strength to leg speed as the course rises and falls, trending upwards all the way to Nava at 24km under the watchful eye of the five 4000s; Weisshorn, Zinalrothorn, Obergabelhorn, Matterhorn and Dent Blanch.

Nava is the high point of the race, 2,425m, and marks the beginning of Sierre-Zinal’s frenetic finale; it’s all down hill from here to the finish at 1,680m and if you want a top result you’d better have the legs to close fast! The atmosphere at the finish is unlike anything else, but there are no guarantees that the runners will have the chance to soak it up; more than once the race has been won and lost on the streets of Zinal.

The fields here are deep. A dozen runners will think they can win it, a dozen more will have their eyes on the podium and who knows how many will hope that on a perfect day they can sneak into the top ten. The stakes are high and risk taking is the norm, with many runners throwing caution to the wind and going out hard in the hope of a once in a lifetime performance.

But that’s not the only strategy. A cool head and a clear plan can also be rewarded. In 2021 Robbie Simpson wasn’t even in the top 10 at Chandolin, but from there to the finish he was the fastest man on the course, catching and dropping runner after runner until only Kilian Jornet remained ahead of him.

That was the Scottish runner’s 4th second place at Sierre-Zinal, could this year’s 49th edition be the one where he takes that final step to the top of the podium? Or will it be the year when Kilian Jornet takes an absolutely ridiculous tenth victory?!

Meanwhile Maude Mathys will be looking to take her fourth straight win, a tally that would equal Anna Pichrtová’s record number of victories.

We can’t wait!

Getting to Sierre is straightforward, with a direct train from Geneva taking just over 2 hours and the train from Zurich just a few minutes longer with a connection in Visp.

Images – Gulberti, Hofer

The World Mountain Running Association is delighted to announce the next exciting step in the evolution of the World Cup.

Italian plumbing and heating supplies manufacturer Valsir have signed on as the naming sponsor of the series, a deal which ensures a continuation in the increase of prize money and athlete support on the circuit.

For the 2022 season, the World Cup becomes the Valsir Mountain Running World Cup, this year comprising 12 Gold Label and 5 Silver Label races spanning 5 months in 11 different countries.

Representing the WMRA at the signing of the contracts were Council member Giorgio Bianchi and Jonathan Wyatt, former President and Sponsorship Assistant. They joined Mattia Gandini, Valsir’s Director of Marketing, and Simone Niboli, a representative of the company ownership, in their showroom in Vestone to put pen to paper and cement a partnership with a company which brings with it a history of support for sporting events; Valsir already sponsor a number of high profile Italian cycling races, as well as being a long time supporter of Trofeo Nasego.

“There is one important, huge common value that binds Valsir and WMRA,” said Gandini. “Everyday passion!

“As a runner, you train a lot during your day, during your week: you aim to compete in races, and the goal is to reach the summit. It’s very difficult but you never give up because once you reach it, it’s incredible! It’s just a question of mental attitude.

“In our company, we work together as a team: we share our passion in difficulties, and we help and support each other to reach our target. And we never stop there: like a runner who seeks to compete in the next race, we go on to the next goal, to reach a new success.”

BACKGROUND

“During the past 5 years the WMRA has recognised the importance that a prestigious World Cup brings to the Mountain Running movement,” said Jonathan Wyatt. “We have worked to grow the recognition of our series in the off road running space first by working with the world’s top mountain race organisers, then by increasing the support for athletes to participate and providing increased logistics support via a dedicated World Cup manager. The next part of this journey is to bring in a partner who recognises the values of mountain running, who can see the potential of the World Cup and who can become a part of the growth journey that we are on.”

VALSIR

“We are very pleased to welcome Valsir as the naming sponsor for the World Cup this year. They have already a standing support of mountain running in their home in the mountains of northern Italy, where they are a world leader in fittings and equipment for the heating and plumbing industry both commercially and domestically.”

“They are a family business that recognises the values of supporting healthy activities and sport is a strong part of their existing sponsorships. Being based in the mountains, we have a common passion for participating in sport in nature and especially in the mountains; a partnership between WMRA and Valsir has plenty of common ground and interest from both sides. You can find more information about Valsir in five different languages as well as news from: https://www.valsir.it.“

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE WORLD CUP?

“WMRA is clear that 100% of the finances that Valsir brings with the sponsorship will be used to grow the World Cup. Increased athlete travel support and prize money adds prestige to the series and incentivises the elite off road running community to participate. This motivates supporters of off road running to follow the sport and will be coupled with increased investment in media promotion to provide an important boost and bring the series to a new audience. The competition is exciting and the races are fun and spectacular. Our partnership with Valsir is an exciting new part of the World Cup story.”

Early August brings the third Silver Label race of the season, Krkonošský Half-Marathon in the Hradec Králové region of the Czech Republic.

The small town of Janské Lázn? is no stranger to the international mountain running scene. Prior to welcoming the World Cup in 2021, it hosted the International Mountain Running Youth Cup in 2016. Every time, the trails through the forest on the flanks of ?erná hora, the Black Mountain, have provided fast, exciting racing.

The Krkonošský Half-Marathon route is a real rollercoaster, 21km and 1,220m+ of mountain trails, starting and finishing in Collonade Square in Janské Lázn?. Runners begin by climbing ?erná hora, topping out just short of 1,300m, before a long loop takes them out to the neighbouring ski resort of Pec pod Sn?žkou. Having fought their way through the forest and back to the top of the first climb, all those hard-won metres and more are lost on the final plunge back to the finish in the centre of town.

This is definitely not the place to come to set a half marathon PB, but we still saw some lightning fast times last year. Both men’s and women’s races saw Kenyan athletes coming out on top in tight battles with an impressively deep field of Czech athletes. Geoffrey Ndungu finished in 1:32:30, leading home his Run2gether teammate Timothy Kirui, with Marek Chrascina just 13 seconds further back in third. Joyce Njeru came in in 1:50:02, her margin over second place Barbora Macurová a narrow one at just 25 seconds. Matyášová Pavla Schorná completed the podium.

Fingers crossed that 2022 continues the trend of fast paces and close races!

People have been coming to Janské Lázn? to bathe in the hot springs since the 14th century but, while it remains popular as a spa destination, in recent years it has also become a hub of outdoor recreation. While in summer it plays host to mountain runners, in winter the slopes of ?erná hora are a big draw for snow sports enthusiasts.

Just to the north of Janské Lázn? is Sn?žka, the highest mountain in the Czech Republic. It lies within the Krkonoše National Park which, along the with neighbouring Polish national park of the same lane, makes up a UNESCO cross-boarder Biosphere Reserve. The park attracts 1.5 million visitors every year and, with 112km of walking paths, is well worth a visit for anyone looking to loosen of their heavy legs post-race.

By car Janské Lázn? is 2 hours from Prague and 3 hours from Dresden.

On the 11^th of March the recently elected WMRA Council met at World Athletics and WMRA headquarters in Monaco.

Not only was this the first meeting of the new Council, it was also the first time the Council had gathered in-person since January 2020, all meetings since then having been conducted virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a full day of discussions, a number of important topics were covered, falling into three main areas; the WMRA’s relations and future cooperation with World Athletics; organisation of the Council for the coming 4 year term; the competition program for the following 2 seasons, 2022 and 2023.

Thanks in large part to the work of outgoing President Jonathan Wyatt, the details of the 2022 program were largely settled during the Council’s last virtual meeting in January.

Also present at the meeting, facilitating the handover of some operational tasks, was Wolfgang Münzel. Having joined in 1997, Wolfgang recently left the Council after 25 years. He contributed a lot to the successful work of the WMRA in that time, mostly in his role as a technical delegate to various events.

Before that, Wolfgang was a distinguished athlete, participating in the World Trophy 8 times between 1986 and 1993 and even earning a bronze medal in Keswick in 1988. Thirty four years later he was presented with the WMRA memorial medal in recognition of his contribution to the Council.

Three years since the last edition, the Premana classic is back. And it’s better than ever!

 On Sunday 31st of July the athletes return to take on the 28^th edition of this classic 32 km race across the mountains around Premana, in Lombardy, northern Italy.

Having its first 5 editions in the early 1960s and a brief revival in the late 1980s, the race was resurrected for good in 1999. Initially dominated Mario Poletti, Fabio Meraldi and Daniela Gilardi, the best mountain runners from around the world were soon lining up to go toe to toe with the strongest Italian athletes.

Ricardo Mejía, Kilian Jornet and Marc Lauenstein, Kasie Enman, Laetitia Roux and Ruth Croft have all been winners at Giir di Mont.

But when the race hosted the World Mountain Running Long Distance Championship in 2017, il tricolore was once again hoisted highest as Francesco Puppi and Silvia Rampazzo took home the individual golds and Italy won both team competitions. 

Will it be the visitors or the locals who prevail when the World Cup comes to town?

From the start in the village’s main square, the route takes runners on a circuit through the twelve meadows in the mountains around Premana (the name, Giir di Mont means tour of the pastures in the Lombard dialect) alternating hard climbs and even harder downhills. Featuring 2,400m+, the race is a real bruiser, with the most climbing and descending of any race on the World Cup circuit this year.

But the classic Giir di Mont is not the only race A.S. Premana is hosting in 2022. This year they are going big and have introduced a new format: Giir di Mont Uphill. A 9Km, 1,040m+ race will take place on Saturday 30th of July and will be not only part of the World Cup, but also the Italian Mountain Running Championship.

After lulling the runners into a false sense of security with a relatively gentle start, the course turns into something for the real uphill specialists, climbing 400m in 1.2 kilometres to the finish at the Alpe Solino huts.

Other than fresh, pure air and the prealpine landscape, Premana has another thing to offer: the sense of community of its people. Over 500 local volunteers help to provide the runners with a wonderful experience and it’s this support and the warmth of the audience that keeps runners coming back year after year.

Ask the athletes: how it is to have over 5000 people that, no matter who you are, keep rooting for you, no matter what?

We expect a great weekend full of amazing performances. The World Cup’s two days in Premana will be a highlight of the season.

Images – NewsPower

We all know the French athlete as a World Championship silver medallist, but her involvement with the sport does not end there.

When La Montée du Nid d’Aigle, Poncet’s local race, made its first appearance on the World Cup last year it did so under her leadership.

“I work at the town hall of Saint-Gervais and one of my missions was to organize the race last year,“ says Elise. “In France, the mountain running culture is being lost with the emergence of trail running, but the Montée du Nid d’Aigle is one of the rare races that wants to keep this spirit and claim this discipline. This is why we wanted it to become a WMRA World Cup. A very nice reward for this historic race!”

It is not uncommon to find athletes in administrative positions in sport, but usually this is a step they take when their own competitive careers are over.

Not so with Elise Poncet; at last year’s race she was 25.

“For me, it was an incredible human experience to organize it and to be able to welcome my foreign teammates that I see at the international championships every year. I am always well received at races in Italy or Switzerland, I really wanted to invite my mountain runner friends to run in my village too!”

It’s a sentiment everyone can relate to; the pride and excitement of sharing your local race with friends from further afield. Even better when your friends include World and European champions and your local race is in the World Cup. Elise’s friends came to her backyard and put on a show; fast times, intense racing.

A dream come true, though there was one downside for Elise.

“The experience was very tiring for me because I had decided to run the race. I wanted to play on the international circuit, but it was not a good idea to run and organize at the same time. I was very stressed and tired. I worked a lot before so obviously I didn’t have a good race, and I got injured shortly after. I tried to do everything but it didn’t work!”

It’s a lesson most of us learn in our twenties.

The World Cup returns to Saint-Gervais this year and you can be sure that Elise Poncet will be there. This time though, she won’t try to do everything.

“Soon I will leave my post at the Town Hall of Saint-Gervais and therefore I will no longer be the official organizer of the race. But since it’s my heart race I stay a little in the organization for advice and support! And then I want to take the start in good condition this year to take my revenge compared to last year!”

Photos – Marco Gulberti, Corsa in Montagna.