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WORLD MOUNTAIN RUNNING ASSOCIATION

Author: Tomo Sarf

Another Kenyan Double at Krkonossky

Written by Tomo Sarf on . Posted in Latest News.

The sixth stage of our World Cup took place on August 15th at Krkonossky Half Marathon in Janské Lázn? in the Czech Republic. It was the first time that the race has formed part of our World Cup and it’s great to be experiencing some new countries and events this year.

As well as the World Cup, which attracted some great international runners, this race also served as the Czech Republic Long Distance National Championships, so it also attracted the best Czech runners, several of whom had performed really well in the 2019 World Mountain Running Championships. So we knew we’d have a great race!

At 21km, with a total elevation of 1,050m, this race was classed as a classic mountain race for the World Cup. The race starts in the centre of town (Colonnade Square), then proceeds to climb the mountain path across the top of ?erná Hora Mountain to the small ski resort town of Pec Pod Sn?žkou and then comes back down in a loop, finishing back at the square.

The conditions were already hot as the runners set off at 9am, and they were only going to get hotter. Right from the start three men formed a group and it was Timothy Kurui, Geoffrey Ndungu and Marek Chrascina. They ran together for the first 6k, emerging at the first checkpoint neck and neck. In the women’s race Joyce Njeru struck out alone, opening up a gap to Barbora Macurova and Pavla Matyasova. Njeru had put 1min 50s of daylight between her and Macurova, who in turn had a 10 second gap to Matyasova at the 6k point.

By the ?erná Hora summit at 15k the top 3 men were still together, with Timotej Becan, Evans Kiptum and Jiri Cipa chasing hard, but Ndungu had clearly decided that enough was enough and started to drop the hammer. At the same point in the women’s race Njeru had opened a gap of 1.45 on Macurova, with Matyasova a little further behind. As they started the last descent, it was still quite open in both races.

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Coming into the finish Ndungu had managed to open a gap between the two chasers and eventually won in 1.32.30, with Kirui coming in just under a minute behind in 1.33.22. Chrascina chased him hard and took third spot in 1.33.35. In the final stages of the women’s race Macurova did manage to claw back some of the gap to Njeru, but Njeru won in 1.50.02, with Macurova just 25 seconds behind her. Matyasova took third in 1.52.45.

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See the full results: https://results.onlinesystem.cz/ResultsDetail/Mobile/?Id=2016&trackId=4508

Don’t forget to check the effect on the World Mountain Running Ranking at: https://ranking.wmra.info/

Next stop Vertical Nasego and Trofeo Nasego on 4th and 5th September.

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Announcement About World Mountain and Trail Running Championships

Written by Tomo Sarf on . Posted in Latest News.

Please find below a statement from the WMRA about this November’s World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand.

 After discussion with our Thai colleagues in the Local Organising Committee, we have agreed that we have to make the difficult decision to postpone the first World Mountain and Trail Running Championships that were to have taken place on 11th to 14th November 2021.

The decision was taken after consideration of the current uncertain situation regarding the public health issues surrounding Covid-19 incidence in not only Thailand but also our own countries which might have led to the health and safety for our athletes and hosts being affected.

Currently we propose to hold the event in early February 2022 when the climatic conditions are similar however we will be in touch early next week with possible dates and decision deadlines.

If we are able to hold the Championships in February 2022, then eligibility for the junior up and down event will remain the same as for November 2021.

Training Topic: Working With Hormonal Cycles

Written by Tomo Sarf on . Posted in Latest News.

In our next athlete article Kasie Enman talks about how women can benefit from working with rather than against their natural hormonal cycle, to get the most out of their training. 

In the area where I live, I have the pleasure of directing a program called First Strides Vermont that brings together women who are beginners to running or fitness walking with experienced mentors. Many of these women don’t consider themselves runners YET, but want to give it a try, or who “used to be” runners but fell away from it and are looking to return. It’s rewarding and reinvigorating work for me, someone who has been in the sport for multiple decades, to be around people experiencing the surprise and joy at being able to run a single mile for the first time. Most years we have around 150 women and 20 mentors who meet weekly to work out together. During these runs and walks we get to talking about a lot of different topics and, because we are a group of women, many of the topics end up being female related like pelvic floor strength, sports bras, and balancing working out with family obligations.

On a recent session, the group I was mentoring got onto the subject of how sometimes we feel great on a workout, moving with energy and ease, while a few days later the same workout feels impossible to complete. “Why is that?” my group asked. We all agreed it has happened to us. I suggested this might be attributable to hormonal cycles. I shared that I have started to track my own patterns of when I feel at my best, worst, and other observations like: ability to handle heat, energy levels, breathing rate, or other notable changes – throughout the entire month. Paying attention to our bodies and taking note of these observations in a calendar or phone app, helps bring light to patterns that help us understand the natural happenings of our bodies.

Personally, knowing this stops me from going down negative mental rabbit holes. After a rough training session, instead of thinking something must be terribly wrong with my fitness, I now look to see if I have a pattern of feeling off at that same time of the month in the past. More often than not, this is the case. As with many issues of women’s athletics, there has only been a relatively small amount of scientific research done on this topic, but there is a growing amount of information becoming available. I have been most interested in learning about ways to use some of the basic tools available to me like nutrition, hydration, sleep, and knowledge of how I might need to adjust my training so I can work with instead of against my body’s natural hormonal cycle.

A few resources worth a look or listen:

How the Menstrual Cycle Impacts Running—and What You Can Do About It

Female Physiology in Endurance Running

Trail Runner Nation Podcast: Ask the Coaches (Krissy Moehl’s input)

World Cup Stage Six:  Krkonossky Half Marathon

Written by Tomo Sarf on . Posted in Latest News.

A race which we’re really excited about welcoming to the World Cup for the first time this year is the Krkonossky Half Marathon. Taking place in Janské Lázn? in the Czech Republic, this 21km classic mountain race with 1,050 metres of elevation is race six in the 2021 World Cup, our next classic distance race.

Janské Lázn? is a world-renowned spa town, which is also one of the best ski resorts in the Czech Republic. It’s a quiet town with a rich history, located at the foot of ?erná Hora (The Black Mountain, 1299 meters above sea level). The town is connected to the top of the  mountain by a cable railway and because of this and the ski-lifts and cross-country skiing tracks the town has become a top-level sports and recreation centre and a perfect base for trips into the highest Czech mountains, both for skiers in winter and for cyclists and hikers in summer.

But let’s find out more about the race itself. Billing it as a half marathon might make it seem like a pretty standard race, but it’s anything but. At 21km, with a total elevation of 1,050m, this race really packs a punch. The race starts in the centre of town (Colonnade Square), then proceeds to climb the mountain path across the top of ?erná Hora Mountain to the small ski resort town of Pec Pod Sn?žkou and then back down in a loop, finishing back at the square.

We’ve seen five fantastic races in this year’s World Cup already, and Krkonossky looks set to be another great race with a top field. Filimon Abraham (GER) has to be among the favourites in the men’s race, with a recent second place at Grossglockner Berglauf and a long string of World Cup podiums dating back several years. Charlotte Morgan (GBR) has already won at Tatra Race Run, come third at Tatra SkyMarathon and 10th at Grossglockner Berglauf, and could add to her great run of World Cup results here. Like Morgan, Mocja Koligar (SLO) is flying high in our World Ranking and has finished third at Piz Tri Vertikal and sixth at Grossglockner in the last few weeks.

Koligar’s compatriot Timotej Be?an could also do very well in the men’s race. With a recent fourth place at Piz Tri Vertikal, seventh at Fletta Trail and sixth at Grossglockner. Other strong Slovenian athletes include Matic Plaznik and Gasper Bregar.

There will also be a strong group of runners from Kenya, including Joyce Muthoni Njeru, winner of Grossglockner and Fletta Trail, Geoffrey Gikuni Ndungu, who was fourth at Grossglockner and second at Fletta Trail, and Timothy Kimutai Kirui, third at Fletta Trail.

Raul Criado (ESP) had a good run at Tatra Race Run, but then a great run at Tatra SkyMarathon to finish in third place. He could be one to watch in the Czech Mountains. Lucie Maršánová (CZE) has had two top ten finishes in the World Cup so far, and as a ‘local’ she should get great support.

Sarah McCormack (IRL), our reigning World Cup champion from 2019, is on the start list and we hope to see her in action. She finished fourth in Fletta Trail, so is in form and will be one to watch here. Tímea Merenyi (HUN) has had three strong results in the World Cup so far this year, and is also expected to do well.

There may be changes to the start list due to the travel situation and we will do our best to keep you up-to-date.

Schedule

Saturday August 14th:

1.00 p.m. Start Czech Mountain Running Cup Super Janské Lázn? – ?erná hora

4.00 p.m. Award Ceremony Czech Mountain Running Cup

4.30 p.m. Opening Ceremony Mountain Running World Cup

7.00 p.m. VIP Banquet

Sunday August 15th:

9.00 a.m. Start Mountain Running World Cup Race

3.00 p.m. Award Ceremony Mountain Running World Cup

More information on the race: http://krkonosskypulmaraton.maratonstav.cz/krkonossky-pulmaraton-eng/

Mathys and Jornet Triumph Again At Sierre-Zinal

Written by Tomo Sarf on . Posted in Latest News.

As far as our mountain running goes, by anybody’s metrics Sierre-Zinal is among the most revered races in the world. In terms of the competition it attracts each year, there’s no doubt about the quality and depth of the field. This year was no different. We had an 8-time winner (Kilian Jornet), a 3-time winner (Lucy Murigi), both record holders (Maude Mathys and Kilian), and both leaders of the current world rankings (Murigi and Henri Aymonod). Throw in a huge number of men and women who regularly appear on podiums for mountain and trail races all over the world every week and the race was definitely on.

 Conditions were somewhat cooler than we see some years, so we knew we could be on for a fast time. Another early indicator was that the camera operators weren’t able to stay in touch with the leading men or women on the first climb, so we quickly lost visuals on the faster runners! The race set the women off 15 minutes ahead of the men and this meant that we got to see the women on the start line, the coverage throughout the race was equal, and crucially the first few women and men 51362861703 53901653f6 carrived at the finish line at roughly the same time, again leading to equal coverage.

It wasn’t until the first timing point at Ponchette, at around 7.5k, that we found out who was leading both races. It was no surprise to see defending champion Maude Mathys (SUI) emerge first, but it was something of a surprise to see Nienke Brinkman (NED) in second place. But her recent win at the Zermatt Marathon showed her class, even if she wasn’t among the known pre-race favourites here. Anais Sabrie (FRA) was next to reach Ponchette, completing the women’s top three.

51362641936 908da29162 wIn the early stages of the men’s race Kilian was biding his time, sitting in behind Remi Bonnet (SUI) and Petro Mamu (ERI) on the first climb. By the time they reached Ponchette Mamu, Kilian and Bonnet had struck out and were all together and this continued to Chandolin (12km). At this point Kilian decided that he was going to have to put some distance between himself and Mamu, so he dropped the hammer. In true Kilian style, even while hammering it downhill he was still smiling and chatting with the ebike riders manning the video cameras. He succeeded in striking out alone, opening a small gap, and Mamu was left in his wake, falling back a few places.

Meanwhile, in the women’s race Mathys maintained a small lead of just over a minute at Chandolin, while Brinkman continued to chase and maintain a good gap of 4 minutes on third-placed Sabrie. Behind Sabrie, Blandine L’Hirondel (FRA) was about a minute behind.

Behind Kilian the men’s race was definitely a race of two halves. Bonnet had fallen off the pace a little and our Grossglockner Berglauf winner, Lengen Lolkurraru (KEN), was now chasing Kilian hard in second. Thibault Baronian (FRA) and Cesare Maestri (ITA) were lurking in fourth and fifth place, within striking distance of the podium places and Robbie Simpson (GBR), who has three second place finishes to his name here, had moved up to seventh.

51363653010 8f4daa3670 cMathys continued to push hard and was absolutely dominating the women’s race. She laid down an unbelievably fast 1.55 split at Hotel Weisshorn, giving her a four minute lead over Nienke Brinkman. Sabrie was now five minutes behind Brinkman, but as the commentators kept telling us on the live coverage, both Brinkman and Sabrie may be faster on the descent than Mathys, so that last 7k of downhill could still make all the difference!

By the next timing point in Barneuza, which is at 26k and well into the start of the descent it was all happening in the men’s race. Kilian was still in the lead and he now had about 90 seconds on second-placed Lolkurraru, but now Simpson was just behind in third and Maestri was on his heels. The men’s race was all coming down to who was the best descender and who had the legs when they hit the concrete.

The same was true in the women’s race. Mathys was taking the steep switchbacks carefully and Brinkman was gaining a little, but the gap was just too big and Mathys hit the finishing straight over three minutes ahead, with so much buffer that she decided to walk some of the final metres on her hands! It was a third victory in a row for Mathys, who looked elated.

51361884327 bb3bce720b wShortly afterwards Kilian rounded the corner to take his ninth victory! It was a great touch that he was greeted by Mathys and they could celebrate together. Just 42 seconds after Kilian, Simpson claimed second place in the men’s race, his fourth runner-up spot here, but he proclaimed it his “best second” in his post-race interview. Brinkman claimed a huge second place in the women’s race too. A fantastic result and we’re excited about seeing her in more mountain races in the future. Sabrie and Maestri completed the men’s and women’s podiums.

 Top 5 women

  1. Maude Mathys (SUI) 2.46.03
  2. Nienke Brinkman (NED) 2.48.58
  3. Anais Sabrie (FRA) 2.55.23
  4. Blandine L’Hirondel (FRA) 2.59.08
  5. Kwamboka Omosa Teresiah (KEN) 2.59.28

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Top 5 men

  1. Kilian Jornet (SPA) 2.31.44
  2. Robbie Simpson (GBR) 2.32.26
  3. Cesare Maestri (ITA) 2.33.51
  4. Lengen Lolkurraru (KEN) 2.34.28
  5. Davide Magnini (ITA) 2.34.38

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See full results at: https://www.datasport.com/live/ranking?racenr=23138&kat=11

Next stop for the World Cup is Krkonossky Half Marathon on August 15th in the Czech Republic. Find more information here: http://krkonosskypulmaraton.maratonstav.cz/krkonossky-pulmaraton-eng/

“This Race is a Symbol of The Children’s Hopes and Dreams”

Written by Tomo Sarf on . Posted in Latest News.

Our next athlete article comes from Fujio Miyachi, who tells us about the transformative experience he had in Malonno, the ‘home of champions’. Piz Tri Vertikal and Fletta Trail, which took place just last weekend, had a very big impact on him and on many generations of children in the area.

In 2018, I participated in the World Cup race in Malonno, northern Italy. This is a town where mountain running is the local popular sport and called as the “home of champions”. As the name implies, it is a passionate town. You can feel that it is true during your stay in the town for the race. If you were to ask me, “Which town would you like to race in?”, I would not hesitate to say that it is definitely Malonno. Because Malonno has organized these mountain running races for a long time, people there have become very familiar with mountain running.  Mountain Running has really become a part of their lives there.  If you are born and raised in this town, you will be able to run in the mountains as a matter of course and experience following in the footsteps of top runners.  In this sense, the town is at the forefront of the mountain running community as well as maintaining its tradition.

Fujio6 2Before and after the World Cup race in Malonno, international runners (and elite Italian runners) live together in a former church convent on the hilly area of the town.  The church that stands next to the runners’ dormitory is a symbol of the town and can be seen from anywhere in the town. Everybody in the town knows that the athletes are staying there, and so many children come to see them.  In this town, the mountain runner is an idol for children. During the race season, international elite runners from all over the world gather there. These runners stay close to them, train, and chat.  This may be the best time of the year for kids who love running in the mountains. Sometimes children come to visit at the dormitory with mischievous expressions on their faces. Some of them run away after saying hello, while others ask for autographs or photos. It makes the runners proud to respond to them.

The race in Malonno is held over two days, with the Pitz Tri Vertikal (3.5km + 1000m) on the first day and the Fletta Trail (21km ±1100m) on the second day. The PizFujio 6 1 Tri Vertikal was held on Saturday in 2018. The first day’s vertical race was particularly spectacular, with a climb just before the finish that was over 40 degrees and required the athletes to crawl on their hands and knees. I couldn’t help but smile while climbing up.

On Saturday night, the awards ceremony for the first day’s race, the Pitz Tri Vertikal, and the introduction for the second day’s race, the Fletta Trail, were held in the town’s central square. One by one, runners were called up to the stage, where their names were displayed on a large screen along with photos of the day’s races. They ran up and down a path made by children, exchanging high fives. Yes, being invited to this race and standing on the stage is a symbol of the children’s hopes and dreams. Before and after the ceremony, the children came to see the runners one by one. Children who had talked to the runners at the dorm proudly introduced them to their friends, and those who had missed their chance gathered up their courage and came to talk to them. In this way, the athletes made friends with many future mountain runners during their stay in the town.  Malonno’s race was filled with these opportunities that make children naturally yearn to become mountain runners.

The start of the race on the second day was also impressive. As with the previous night’s ceremony, the elite runners were called by name and lined up at the start line, running along a pathway created by the town’s children and supporters. It’s a great feeling to be respected in this way, and it’s a great motivation for the race. There were also races for junior runners during the event. Junior runners, the future leaders of this sport, stood on the same stage as the elite runners. It’s an invaluable experience for the kids, and a great opportunity for parents and galleries to cheer them on.

Fujio6 4There is one more attraction of Malonno. That is the existence of the Mountain Running School. Every year at the beginning of autumn, children are brought together and taught by leading local mountain runners. Malonno has a comprehensive sports club, Unione Sportiva Malonno (U.S. Malonno), and one of its initiatives is the Mountain Running School, which was established in 2017. In fact, this is the model for the junior trail running club I started in Japan.  It’s a good model where the elite runners perform in front of junior generations in the race, juniors dream of becoming such a mountain runner and the school provides training for them. Not only are the races great, but Malonno is also doing a great job of reaching out to a wide range of people so that mountain running can take root in the community.

As I’ve mentioned before, sports have always been a weak point in my childhood. Also, because my parents ran a restaurant, I was left in the care of others from a young age. From elementary school on, I took the train to school, and so I didn’t have any friends who lived near my house to play with. It sounds like a very lonely upbringing when I write it like this, but of course I had a good time going to my friends’ houses after school. I had a complex about not being good at playing sports. Even though I was never bullied for not being good at sports, I might have been able to fall in love with sports earlier, if I had been able to get closer to nature and enjoy sports from a young age.  That’s why I thought the Mountain Running School in Malonno was wonderful, and felt strongly about the importance of training activities for juniors, not just organizing a trail running race for them.

It is an important mission of mine to foster the mountain running environment in Japan by incorporating great examples from around the world. As this article comes to a close, I hope you all enjoy the remaining posts.

World Cup Stage Five: Sierre-Zinal

Written by Tomo Sarf on . Posted in Latest News.

This weekend the World Cup heads to Switzerland for the biggest mountain race of them all, Sierre-Zinal! This is our next long distance mountain race, at 31km with 2200m of ascent, and it traditionally attracts the most competitive field of all the World Cup races. This year is no exception. We take a look at the history of this event and preview the elite fields this year. 

 So what makes Sierre-Zinal such an iconic race? Most mountain races have a lot of history behind them but this is the 48th edition of this race. Since its creation in 1974 men and women have raced over the same distance here, and as we’ll see the results list reads like an international who’s who of mountain running.

The route itself is iconic. It’s known as ‘la course des cinq 4000’ because the runners get to enjoy views including 5 peaks over 4000m along the way (Weisshorn (4506m), Zinalrothorn (4221m), Obergabelhorn (4073m) Matterhorn (4478m) and Dent Blanche (4357m)). Athletes start in Sierre at 570m and then climb up, up, up to the highest point at 2425m at Nava over the course of 24km. Then the final 7km is downhill, culminating in a frantic sprint through Zinal to the finish line at 1680m. It’s a tantalisingly runnable, fast course, which as we know results in some very exciting racing.

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This race draws top international runners back year after year, in pursuit of one of the biggest accolades in mountain running. From 1979 to 1982 Pablo Vigil (USA) won 4 in a row. In the women’s race Veronique Marot (GBR) won 3 out of 4 between 1984 and 1987, then Isabella Crettenand-Moretti (SUI) was unbeaten between 1995 and 1997. In 2001 Ricardo Mejia (MEX) won his first of 3 races, but his dominance was interrupted by Jonathan Wyatt (NZL) in 2002 and 2003, who set the record of 2.29.12 which was unbeaten for 16 years. In 2006 Anna Pichrtova (CZE) began her 4 year reign, setting the women’s record of 2.54.26 in the process. This record would also endure for 11 years.

SZ Kilian smallBut by far the most dominant male athlete here has of course been Kilian Jornet (ESP) who has won an incredible 8 times. He finally beat the record set by Jonathan Wyatt at an unbelievably exciting 2019 race, running 2.25.35. Lucy Wambui (KEN) has won 3 times in recent years (2015, 2017, 2018) but it was Maude Mathys (SUI) who finally smashed Anna Pichrtova’s record with a stunning run of 2.49.20, also in 2019. Will these records stand after Saturday’s race? Let’s take a look at the fields.

 Elite women

(Please note that the elite start lists may be subject to change due to the travel situation)

As the winner in 2019 and 2020 Maude  Mathys (SUI) has to be the favourite. In 2019 she broke the course record which had stood for 16 years. She has won the Mont Blanc Marathon and Olla de Nuria this year and she was also the winner of the 2019 European Mountain Running Championships. She’s 4th in the current World Ranking.SZ Mathys small web

Lucy Murigi (KEN) is our current leader in the women’s World Ranking. World Champion in 2017, 2nd in World Cup 2019 final standings, she’s won La Montee du Nid d’Aigle and been 3rd at Grossglockner this year. She has won here 3 times – in 2015, 2017 and 2018 – so has to be one to watch.

Judith Wyder (SUI) was 2nd here in 2019 and also went under the long-standing course record. She is a two-time winner of DoloMyths, most recently this year, and will definitely be another ‘local’ to keep an eye on, as will Simone Troxler, 3rd here in 2018. 

Anaïs Sabrié (FRA) was 2nd in last year’s more low-key event and 5th in 2019. She recently came 3rd at La Montee du Nid d’Aigle and 2nd at the Marathon du Mont Blanc a couple of weeks before that. Compatriots Blandine L’Hirondel and Elise Poncet could also do well. L’Hirondel was 3rd at this year’s Marathon du Mont Blanc, won the 2020 French Mountain Running Championships and was 3rd at the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships in 2019. Poncet was 6th at La Montee du Nid d’Aigle this year, 3rd at Trofeo Vanoni in 2020 and 2019 and 2nd in the World Championships 2019.

Vasinova credit adriankasniar ralpuofficial 4We’ve seen a number of the runners taking part already do well in World Cup races in the last couple of months. Charlotte Morgan (GBR), our current World Cup leader, who was 11th here in 2019 will be taking part and is clearly in form. Marcela Vasinova (CZE), 2nd in our current World Ranking, was our winner at the recent Tatra SkyMarathon and was 2nd at this year’s DoloMyths race.  Lorenza Beccaria (ITA) was 5th at Grossglockner and 4th at Tatra Race Run. She was also 2nd at FlettaTRAIL 2020 and 10th at the weekend’s Piz Tri Vertikal. Alice Gaggi (ITA) finished 2nd at Tatra Race Run and 7th at Grossglockner Berglauf and has finished in the top 10 of most top Italian races during last couple of years. She’s lying 6th in our current World Ranking. Lucie Marsanova (CZE) has taken part in 3 out of 4 World Cup races this year, with a best result of 5th at Tatra Race Run. She was 5th in the 2019 World Cup final standings. Lastly, Timea Merenyi (HUN) has also taken part in 3 out of 4 of this year’s World Cup races, with a consistent showing of 10th, 11th and 12th. She was 10th in the final World Cup standings in 2019.

Our current women’s World Cup reigning champion, Sarah McCormack (IRE), will be starting a World Cup race for the first time this year. She was 13th here in 2019 and will be looking to build on that. Other runners to watch include British runners Holly Page, who is always a strong performer at any distance and was 8th here in 2019, and Emma Pooley, 3rd at last year’s race and former elite cyclist, turned runner, duathlete and triathlete. There are some strong runners from the USA including Katie Schide, who has won the Mont Blanc 90k, and been runner up at the CCC,  and Brittany Charboneau, winner of Pikes Peak 2020 with a marathon PB of 2.33. From Spain we have Oihana Kortazar, a former Skyrunning European Champion and World Series winner who won Canfranc Marathon and Marathon Pirineu last year, and Sara Alonso, 2nd at Canfranc Skyrace 2020. Julia Bleasdale (GER) was 4th at last year’s Sierre-Zinal and Julia Combe (FRA) 8th at this year’s La Montee du Nid d’Aigle.

Elite men

(Please note that the elite start lists may be subject to change due to the travel situation)48511291402 82660717db c

8-time winner and record holder Kilian Jornet (ESP) returns and must be the men’s favourite. But he will face significant competition from a very deep field.

There are many returning runners who have already performed well here. Petro Mamu was 2nd here in the highly competitive 2019 race and he just showed that he’s in form by winning FlettaTRAIL last weekend. Juan Carlos Carera (MEX) was 4th here in that 2019 race, in a time that would have won it many years. Andrew Douglas (GBR), our reigning World Cup men’s champion (from 2019), was 6th here in 2019 and will be looking to improve on that. Fellow Brit Robbie Simpson is always one to watch here, having finished 2nd in 2018 and 5th in 2019, as well as coming 3rd in the World Championships in 2015 and 2nd in the European Championships in 2014, showing real consistency.

Marc Lauenstein (SUI) is a former winner (from 2013) and this distance suits the strong uphill runner. He won Pikes Peak in 2014, Marathon du Mont Blanc in 2015, and showed his versatility by winning the 3 Peaks Race, Giir du Mont and Matterhorn Ultraks in 2016. He’s also won 4 consecutive Trail de Ventoux races. Can he regain that form this year? Davide Magnini (ITA) was winner of this year’s Italian National Mountain Running Championships (Up and Down) and was also 2nd at Mont Blanc Marathon. Has been 4th at Sierre-Zinal in 2020 and 10th in 2019. Rémi Bonnet (SUI) achieved a 3rd place here in 2020 and an 8th place in 2019. He was recently 4th at Marathon du Mont Blanc. Stephan Wenk (SUI) was 5th last year and 13th in 2019.

  DSC8662As ever, there is a very strong contingent of runners from Italy in both the men’s and women’s races. Henri Aymonod is our current leader of the men’s World Ranking and the World Cup standings, having finished 3rd at La Montee du Nid d’Aigle and 3rd at Tatra Race Run. He was the winner of last weekend’s Piz Tri Vertikal (and many other vertical races during the last couple of years). Francesco Puppi is fresh from a 2nd place at La Montee du Nid d’Aigle and currently lies 2nd in the World Ranking. Our runner up in the 2019 Long Distance Championships will be looking to improve on his 16th place in 2019, after having finished 4th in 2018.  We know that Xavier Chevrier is in form because he won La Montee du Nid d’Aigle a few weeks ago. He’s also been 9th at the World Championships in 2019 and 3rd in the European Championships. Cesare Maestri was 5th at this year’s Grossglockner Berglauf, 2nd in our World Championships in 2019 and men’s winner of Challenge Stellina in 2020. In addition, Alex Baldaccini was 7th at Grossglockner Berglauf and 3rd at the Italian National Mountain Running Up and Down Championships. Italy could well feature on the men’s podium.

There are some strong French runners on the start line too. Sylvain Cachard had a very successful 2020 with wins at Smarna Gora and Trofeo Nasego and 2nd places at Challenge Stellina and FlettaTRAIL, putting him 4th in the current World Ranking. Thibaut Baronian won Canfranc Marathon in 2020 and other results include a 6th place at this year’s Marathon du Mont Blanc and a 3rd at Zegama in 2019 and Julien Rancon finished 4th at the recent La Montee du Nid d’Aigle. Lastly, Germain Grangier could surprise people here. He is better known for longer races (he won Madeira 85k Ultra in 2018 and Annecy MaXi Race in 2018 and 2019) but he’s fast over technical ground and came 4th in a very competitive Speedgoat 50k in 2019.

As in the women’s race, it’s great to see some great runners from the US on the start list, particularly after Jim Walmsley had such a great race in 2019. Hayden Hawks finished 6th at the 2019 World Long Distance Championships and he’s been winner of the 52k race at Broken Arrow (and many others at the 50k – 100k distance). Compatriot Andy Wacker was 3rd at Pike’s Peak last year and was the NACAC National Champion in 2019 and has achieved top 10 finishes at Mont Blanc Marathon and Zegama in 2019. They should both be really interesting to watch.  

Other runners to watch will include Lengen Lolkurraru (KEN), winner of this year’s Grossglockner Berglauf, William Rodriguez Herrera (COL), 2nd here in 2015, Jacob Adkin (GBR), 10th in 2018 and European Champion in 2019, and Zak Hanna (IRE). This will be Hanna’s debut at Sierre Zinal but he’s had a string of top 10s at races like Grossglockner, Trofeo Vanoni, Chiavenna Lagunc and last weekend’s Piz Tri Vertikal.

Start times

Women’s elite race 10.30am

Men’s elite race 10.45am

Race website

https://www.sierre-zinal.com/

Perspectives on Sustainability: Part Two

Written by Tomo Sarf on . Posted in Latest News.

In our next athlete article Kasie Enman takes a look at the topic of sustainability from an athlete perspective. She urges fellow athletes to use their platforms to advocate for the causes they believe in. 

 From time to time in my life, there have been moments when it’s like my eyes have been opened for the first time to a new awareness. When I was pregnant with my first child, all of a sudden I started seeing pregnant women everywhere I went. When it finally struck me to question the fact that the women’s race distance and team size was less than the men’s at the championship level of mountain running, I suddenly noticed all the other examples of this type of inequity across the sporting world and beyond. I found it shocking, how blind I had been to these things before I felt their direct impact

An unexpected consequence of the global health pandemic over the past year and a half is that our eyes are now collectively open to the fact that we all share aKasie small 1 planet. That what affects one, affects all. We are also faced now with extreme environmental crises like the devastating heat wave that the Pacific Northwest is dealing with as I write, receding glaciers, races being cancelled due to wildfires, I could go on. Having your eyes open can be overwhelming. One thing that helps me is to set an intention to also open my eyes to what I can do to help, to stand up for what I believe in. As athletes, we are gifted with a platform to advocate for the things we care most about. I have come to know that I care immensely about the mountains, forests, and wild lands where I am privileged to run. I care about the air I breathe, the rivers and lakes I cool off in, the diversity of living things that make the experience of being a trail runner feel complete. I care about communities – local, global, running, natural.

When asked what advice he would give to someone who wants to become a climate advocate, Bill McKibben, renowned climate advocate and passionate endurance athlete, said, “The most important thing that an individual can do, is be less of an individual. Join together with others in movements big enough to make change.” I think this is a pretty important thing to remember. I’ve gotten pretty good at doing the little things, on a personal level. I drive an electric car, have solar panels, compost, am an informed consumer, volunteer my time at a grassroots level. But I can see now that there are opportunities all around me to join those “movements big enough to make a change”. None of this is a new concept, really, but it needs our full attention and I pledge to give it more of mine going forward, for my kid’s future and our sport. The next article will get into some examples of organizations leading the way.

World Cup 2021: The Story So Far

Written by Tomo Sarf on . Posted in Latest News.

We waited a very long time for the World Cup to come around again, but now it seems to be flying past very quickly. It’s hard to believe that we’re already four races in, and what an exciting four races it’s been. We thought we’d bring you a quick update on what’s been happening so far and who’s leading in the points. 

 Our first race was Tatra Race Run in Poland. This was a long mountain race, at 24km with 1700m of ascent. It attracted a great field of international athletes, itching to race in the first World Cup event for 17 months! For the women Charlotte Morgan (GBR) emerged winner and top points scorer, closely followed by Alice Gaggi (ITA) and Iwona Januszyk (CZE). The men’s race was won by Marcin Kubica (POL), with Piotr Lobodzinski (POL) second and Henri Aymonod (ITA) in third. We had our World Cup leaders, but it was early days.

fe61d944 c2c8 4489 bbd0 8442c6faaaf8Next up was Grossglockner, our first classic mountain race and no stranger to our World Cups. This race was dominated by Kenyan athletes. In the women’s race it was a Kenyan 1 – 2 – 3, Joyce Muthoni Njeru took the top spot, Purity Kajuja Gitonga second and Lucy Murigi third. The men’s race was also won by Kenyan Lengen Lolkurraru, with Filimon Abraham (GER) second and Manuel Innerhofer (AUT) third. This spread the points slightly wider, but Charlotte Morgan, Henri Aymonod and Lorenza Beccaria (ITA), all of whom took part in Tatra Race Run, finished in the top 10 and added to their tallies.

Then came La Montee du Nid d’Aigle, another classic mountain race. Here Lucy Wambui took top spot for the women, followed by Christel Dewalle and Anais Sabrie (both FRA), and Xavrier Chevrier took the men’s win, with Francesco Puppi and Henri Aymonod completing an Italian 1 -2 – 3. Now the points were starting to add up.Tatra SM small web 1

For our fourth race we were back in the Tatra Mountains for Tatra SkyMarathon for our next long mountain race. Here Marcela Vasinova (CZE) finished first for the women, followed by Katarzyna Solinska (POL) and Charlotte Morgan, and Peter Frano (SVK) emerged victorious for the men, followed by Andrej Witek (POL) and Raul Criado (ESP).

So where does this leave the World Cup standings a quarter of the way through the competition?

Tatra race image 3 webCharlotte Morgan leads the women’s competition on 235 points, amassed from two podiums and a top 10 finish, out of three starts. Charlotte has been a strong performer in mountain races for several years now. She had a very successful 2019, with a seventh place in the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships, seventh at Grossglockner, fourth at Trofeo Nasego and she finished ninth overall in the World Cup. She won the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships in 2018 too, so it’s no surprise to see Charlotte excelling in the long mountain races this year.  

In the men’s competition Henri Aymonod is out in front with 220 points, after strong showings at three races, with two podiums DSC8662 and a 10th place. Henri has dominated short uphill races for the last couple of years, with wins at Chiavenna Lagunc, Vertical Nasego and Piz Tri Vertikal, as well as coming third at Broken Arrow Skyrace and fourth at Challenge Stellina.

The familiar face of Lucy Murigi, who won so memorably at La Montee du Nid d’Aigle, is currently second in the overall women’s ranking (which is where she finished in the 2019 World Cup), and the always competitive Alice Gaggi, who’s finished in the top 10 of many big mountain running races,  third. Overall for the men Sandor Szabo, eighth in the 2019 World Cup competition, lies in second and Kamil Lesniak, after top 10s at both Tatra races, third.

Let’s not forget that the athletes are also competing to be category champions in the three different types of race: short uphill, classic mountain and long mountain. With two classic mountain and two long mountain races down, Lucy Murigi and Henri Aymonod lead the classic ranking and Charlotte Morgan and Kamil Lesniak the long.

Lastly, this year the athletes can also see for the first time how they stack up against their competitors at all mountain running events on a 365 day rolling ranking with the World Mountain Running Ranking. This is a constantly updated database of mountain running races, results and rankings. It’s worth keeping your eye on this, as well as the World Cup, if you really want to know who the in-form athletes are.

Frano and Vasinova Triumph at Tatra SkyMarathon

Written by Tomo Sarf on . Posted in Latest News.

This year’s WMRA World Cup is more international than ever, with races in 12 locations in 8 countries. Poland is making its debut as a World Cup destination in 2021 but it’s definitely making a good impression. It was the destination for stage 1 at Tatra Race Run and now stage 4 at Tatra SkyMarathon.

 Tatra SkyMarathon is one of this year’s World Cup’s 6 long mountain races, at 40km with 3300m of ascent. And that ascent comes in two huge climbs, so the runners had two relentless 1000m uphills to deal with, followed by 1000m descents on a mix of terrain ranging from forest tracks to rocky, technical mountain path.

Both the men’s and women’s fields were wide open, with a real mix of experience in there. There were runners who’d already achieved success at Tatra Race Run (Charlotte Morgan (GBR), Raul Criado (ESP), Iwona Januszyk (POL)), runners who finished in the top 5 at last year’s Tatra SkyMarathon (Peter Frano (SVK), Andrzej Witek (POL)) and runners who were hot on the heels of recent success at other races (Marcela Vasinova (CZE) at DoloMyths Run). This was really anybody’s race.

The conditions were hot and humid, which made it difficult for the runners, but at least the skies were clear so the runners could appreciate the stunning course. The conditions led to some high profile DNFs, particularly in the women’s race where we lost Iwona Januszyk, Miroslawa Witowska (POL) and Dominika Stelmach (POL), all of whom were expected to feature highly.

Frano credit adriankasniar ralpuofficial small webIn the early stages of the men’s race a breakaway group formed fairly quickly once the long, first ascent began. This group included Peter Frano, Andrzej Witek, Raul Criado and Kamil Lesniak (POL),  with Dariusz Marek (POL) and Marcin Swierc (POL) also in contention. A small group also started to pull away in the women’s race. It included Katarzyna Solinska (POL), Charlotte Morgan, Katarzyna Jakiela-Rzadkosz (POL), Marcela Vasinova and Dominika Stelmach.

By the first timing point at around 19k Raul Criado had broken into a lead in the men’s race. But he was hotly pursued by Miroslav Hrasko (SVK) and Peter Frano, just 1 minute 40 behind. At this stage in the women’s race Marcela Vasinova had struck out and held a 3 minute lead over the chasing Katarzyna Solinska and Charlotte Morgan, who were neck and neck.Vasinova credit adriankasniar ralpuofficial 4

The race then began the second climb of 1000m, and subsequent descent, and this really shook up the men’s top 3. By the second timing point, just after 30k, Peter Frano had not only taken the lead, but he had stretched it out to 5 minutes over Andrzej Witek, with Raul Criado 2 minutes back from him. The women’s top 3 hadn’t changed but the gaps between them had, with 9 minutes now separating Marcela Vasinova (who was by now in 10th overall) and Katarzyna Solinska, then a further 9 minutes to Charlotte Morgan. Would the positions change in the final, flatter run in to the finish?

a74116c1 4062 4252 aaac 1c4b7f114cf2Peter Frano managed to maintain a gap of 4 minutes and he won the men’s race in 4.30.18. Andrzej Witek also held onto 2nd (4.34.39) and Raul Criado put in a gritty performance to finish 3rd in 4.39.45. He managed to hold off Miroslav Hrasko, who was 4th (4.41.55). Kamil Lesniak (POL) rounded out the top 5 for the men.

The podium positions didn’t change for the women either, with Marcela Vasinova winning in 5.02.08, Katarzyna Solinska 2nd in 5.12.36 and Charlotte Morgan 3rd in 5.23.11. Katarzyna Wilk (POL) was 4th in 5.25.03 and Iren Tiricz (HUN) 5th in 5.31.41. All great performance in humid, energy-sapping conditions.a8737a47 79e1 4cd7 820f 9811175bab97

View the full results: https://bgtimesport.pl/online/open/zaw_id/502/bieg/TSM

You can see the current World Cup standings (these should be updated early next week) here: https://www.wmra.info/results/wmra-grand-prix-world-cup

See all the latest mountain running results and the current World Ranking here: https://ranking.wmra.info/

Our next stop in the 2021 World Cup is a big one: Sierre Zinal on 7th August!

Header image and images of Peter Frano and Marcela Vasinova credit @adriankasniar/@ralpuofficial_media