Author: Tomo Sarf

Launching the World Mountain Running Ranking

Written by Tomo Sarf on 06/04/2021. Posted in Latest News.

Today we proudly launch the World Mountain Running Ranking, designed for Mountain Runners, by Mountain Runners. Since 1984, the WMRA has been a pioneering institution, key to the global development of Mountain Running. Starting with its first major international competition in 1985, it has gone on to hold 37 World Championships plus 22 World Cups. This year another World Cup is about to start, together with the World Mountain & Trail Running Championships which will be held in November in Thailand.

As the sport keeps on growing globally, we are launching the WMRA ranking in order to help share the best races and give runners from all over the world a clear, objective and easy to understand tool.

Created for Mountain Runners, by Mountain Runners, this ranking is based on four principles:

A race directory for top mountain races all over the world. All the WMRA calendar races are there, but there are many more. Other top mountain races are recognized and included, to increase awareness of them among athletes and bring them to a wider audience.
A rolling 365 day ranking. With mountain running, you are only as good as your current form, whether you’re the world champion or a back of the pack runner.
A transparent, easy to understand scoring system. No hidden algorithms, no secret formulas. Simplicity is an inherent part of the joy of mountain running, and we have tried to maintain that. Therefore clear calculations can be made by any race director, sponsor, national team manager or runner about performance.
A work in progress. The sport is very dynamic and constantly evolving. We acknowledge this and will strive to learn from feedback in order to keep developing the resource, for the benefit of all.

The ranking has gained great support from all stakeholders in Mountain Running. Initial reactions from mountain runners all over the world have been very enthusiastic, confirming the need for this ranking, together with the WMRA’s interest in listening to comments/suggestions on working together for a better future.

SARAH MCCORMACK. (UK- Gold World Cup WMRA 2019)
“This is a great resource for the mountain running community to keep up-to-date with events and top performances worldwide. I think it will also bring greater awareness about the variety of different mountain races taking place around the globe. Personally I’ll definitely be perusing it to get ideas for new races to try in future!”

ANDREW DOUGLAS (UK – Gold World Cup WMRA 2019)
“I think it’s a really positive initiative for mountain running and gives some context to who the in-form athletes are, leading up to the championship events. Once travel begins to open up again and we can have international races with international fields then I think something like this really gives athletes extra impetus to climb up the rankings and compare themselves to the best mountain runners in the world.”

JACOB ADKIN (UK- Gold European Championship Zermatt 19)
“It’s a useful resource for finding out about the many races out there to enjoy, to remember what races you’ve actually done(!), and see your progression and comparison against yourself and others year on year.”

RODRIGO MEJIA (MEX – Five times winner Sierre Zinal)
“I am glad that nowadays there is Brand new worldwide ranking of mountain runners endorsed by the WMRA. We may now know, via an objective tool, to be improved gradually for sure, who are the best. And that will allow for them to be recognized for their performances in serveral different races all over the world. Congrats to all involved in such a Project and Good luck on the steep trails ahead.”

ANTONIO MARTINEZ (ESP- Gold Medal Team World Championship Patagonia 19 – Sheila Aviles pictured)
“A step forward for the mountain running comunity. I feel like the sport is growing and this is an example of it, together with the inaugural World Mountain & Trail Running Championship at Thailand 2021, plus the addition of more distances to the events. I’m really excited to see this new calendar and ranking format working out soon.”

RICHARD BOLT (USA Team Leader- Medal Leader World Championship Patagonia 19 – World Champions Grayson Murphy and Joseph Gray pictured)
“The WMRA World Ranking is a great program for helping promote the many dedicated athletes and races that make up the global mountain running community. As we get back to racing in the coming months, we look forward to seeing the ranking evolve and to how it motivates competitors in the lead up to the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand.

JUAN CARLOS GRANADO (ESP Team Leader. 3 Medals World Championships Patagonia 19)
“We are witnessing an important moment in this exciting world of Mountain Running. The creation of a serious world ranking according to the world calendar only brings this specialty closer to a sport with more entity and with greater references. Having the option of comparing runners in the most objective way possible offers another scene much closer to World Athletics traditions, where rankings have a unique importance. Hopefully over time it will become an essential tool as it is in Track & field.”

ANNE BUCKLEY (Team Leader, GB&NI Mountain Running Team)”The WMRA World Rankings is a great initiative that will help to raise the profile of mountain running. The race directory is a fantastic resource for athletes and the ranking list will provide motivation and publicity.”

JONATHAN WYATT. (Six times WMRA World Champion) President WMRA
“The Mountain Running World Ranking powered by the WMRA is a project started three years ago. It is with a great satisfaction that we now present a ranking that reflects the specific features of mountain running. With it we recognise the top athletes, plus rank all runners who participate in mountain races. A simple and transparent points system makes it easy to understand, as the ranking is calculated on a rolling 365 day basis. Thanks to all the work from our Council and developers. this project is only just beginning and we’re excited for the future of it.”

FRANCESCO PUPPI (ITA- Silver Long Distance World Championship Patagonia 19) Ranking Secretary
“ It is with great pleasure that I announce my collaboration with the World Mountain Running Association as the Ranking Secretary. This is a way for me to promote and develop the sport not just as an athlete, but also from the side of federations and management.
I think that having an athlete sharing feedback and bringing knowledge inside a federation is a great way to give voice to all athletes’ needs: something that the WMRA is already doing with its Athletes Commission.
The project, as I see it, is a work in progress and I will appreciate any feedback and constructive criticism that will help its implementation and development. It’s finally time to give athletes a more powerful voice inside the sport and this project is one way to do it, which I am happy to contribute to.”

View the World Mountain Running Ranking website here: WMRA – World Ranking

Photos credit Corsa in Montagna and Mayayo

Exciting Challenges Await: An Interview With Paolo Germanetto

Written by Tomo Sarf on 15/03/2021. Posted in Latest News.

As well as reporting on mountain running races we like to find out about the people behind them – the athletes, the race organisers, the coaches and the team managers. One runner who has a perspective on all of those things is Paolo Germanetto, current mountain, trail running and ultra head coach for FIDAL. We caught up with him to find out more about his life in mountain running.

Mountain running has always been an important part of Paolo’s life. He says, “I was born in Susa (Turin), where Challenge Stellina takes place, an historic race in our international calendar. In my Valley, between Susa and Sauze d’Oulx, two World Mountain Running Championships (1992 and 2004) and a Masters World Championship (2016) took place. Here the International U18 Mountain Running Cup was born and then returned several times. With Atletica Susa, together with other great friends, and under the guidance of the unforgettable Adriano Aschieris, I found myself involved in technical and organizational projects since I was a child. In short, for me, mountain running was, almost immediately, more than just running and wearing a bib…”

After a promising start as a junior, when Paolo made the Italian team, injuries hampered his progress as a senior runner. He very modestly says, “I wore the blue shirt of Italian Team as a junior, when I had the opportunity to run in the 1996 World Championship in Telfes (Aut), winning the team title, mostly thanks to my teammates… Marco De Gasperi, Emanuele Manzi and Alberto Mosca, athletes with whom I had the great fortune of running with in the Forestale club, which in those years also guaranteed the possibility for athletes to mountain run professionally. Those were splendid years both from a sporting and a human point of view: a great privilege.”

But when injuries threatened to cut short his own running career, Paolo’s focus shifted towards helping others. He credits his injuries with redirecting his studies towards physical rehabilitation. He is a qualified massage therapist and osteopath, and he’s a highly successful coach, winning a coaching award in 2018 from European Athletics after having achieved three European mountain running gold medals together with three different athletes: Martin Dematteis (2016) – Xavier Chevrier (2017) – Bernard Dematteis (2018). And it felt like a natural progression for Paolo to move into management.

“Changing was easy because I was leaving more space for other sides of the same passion. For me sport is practice, it is research, it is writing, it is storytelling, it is … life, basically! I started as a coach very early, training my brother Marco and then other boys and girls in Susa. At the same time I also began my technical learning in the different levels provided by the Italian Athletics Federation, and the possibility to share higher qualification experiences, especially with Marco De Gasperi and Emanuele Manzi. But as a Forestale physiotherapist I have been lucky enough to have important experiences in other sports too, from cycling to swimming, from judo to winter sports, working with many Olympic and international athletes: those have been extraordinary opportunities to grow also at a technical level.”

Paolo took over as Italian national coach from Raimondo Balicco, who sadly died of Covid-19 in 2020. Not only was he following on from a legend, but it was also during a time of great change in the sport. He says, “The transition was not easy, also because it came right after the end of a very lively debate, with different visions on the development of mountain running and its position in the wider family of the “off-road” running. It was about setting up a different job, in a context that was changing very quickly. At the beginning I found myself calling athletes even older than me to the national team – and thinking about it now still makes me smile – but certainly the results of the first years of management have helped the Italian mountain running movement keep up the confidence in the new technical project.*

Italian mountain running is certainly thriving under his leadership. Though in such a competitive sport he inevitably faces many challenges. “Historically, Italy has played a leading role in the movement, and now the challenge is to remain among the top nations, diversifying the objectives more than in the past. With my collaborators, Fulvio Massa (trail running) and Renato Gotti (mountain running), we are trying to close the gap that separates us from the top of the trail running longest distances, without losing our strong tradition in the other three specialties that we will see at the next World Championship. Despite the economic difficulties caused by the pandemic, we are trying to support the strongest athletes, but also the turnover that is taking place in the women field and the new faces in the Vertical Run and Short Trail races, sectors where there are many interesting young athletes immediately behind the ones that now wear the National Team shirt.”

There’s obviously a huge test coming for all national teams later this year, at the unified World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand. Is Paolo excited about this combination of World Championships? “I think it is a great opportunity for the whole of “off-road” running: a point of arrival after years of pursuit, but also a starting point which the construction was helped by the Italian mountain and trail running movement. I like to consider each new project as an exciting challenge, because it forces us to confront each other’s arguments, especially from a technical point of view. It is an opportunity to overcome crossed vetoes and alibis and put ourselves on the line to find the best of the mountain and trail running in the same context every two years. With the recent difficulties maybe it won’t be like this right away, but I’m sure that the world championship project will grow in the years to come, and there will also be a real recognition of the technical value of the athletes.”

So, who are the exciting Italian athletes we should be looking out for in the World Championships and this mountain running season more generally? According to Paolo, “on the men’s side, at the moment, we have three top athletes who are experiencing the most intense phase of their career: Francesco Puppi, Cesare Maestri and Xavier Chevrier, who can prevail one over the other depending on the race course and the shape they are in. In the Vertical Run format, the front runner is undoubtedly Henri Aymonod, who will turn 25 this year. These four athletes have already been selected for the World Championship, along with Valentina Belotti who, even though she suffered from thousands of injuries, remains our top athlete for the Vertical.

“On the women’s side, the situation is a lot more fluid. In 2020 on the first two places of the Italian Championship we had two athletes born in 1999, Gaia Colli and Alessia Scaini, who already ran in European and World Championships in 2019. The sisters Erica and Francesca Ghelfi are also constantly improving, and I still expect a lot from Elisa Sortini and Alice Gaggi, as well as for the other young talent Giovanna Selva (born in 2000). There is also Sara Bottarelli, who should return after her second maternity leave. I also expect a lot from everyone else …”

Returning to commenting on the men’s field Paolo says, “an important talent like Daniel Pattis, junior silver medalist in WMRC 2017 in Premana, is improving fast, and athletes like Alberto Vender, Luca Merli and Andrea Rostan are constantly growing”.

And Paolo also tips Italy for success at the longer distances, saying, “some of the strongest athletes in Italian mountain running history are now focusing their attention on longer distances: I’m referring especially to the Dematteis twins, Alex Baldaccini and Luca Cagnati. It would be nice to find them at peak condition in Thailand, this time perhaps in the Short Trail format too. New exciting challenges also await them!”

Photo credits: Marco Gulberti – Damiano Benedetto – Davide Vaninetti

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Written by Tomo Sarf on 06/03/2021. Posted in Latest News.

Monday 8^th March is International Women’s Day and we’re taking the opportunity to celebrate some of the inspirational women who have helped to shape the sport of mountain running. Not only are there some truly exceptional female runners who have continually pushed the boundaries, but there are also some key women in coaching, event organisation and in the sport’s management who have contributed so much.

The theme of this year’s IWD is ‘choose to challenge’, because ‘a challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change’. Mountain running should have gender equality in every respect. WMRA events and World Cup events have equal prize money, equal race distances and equal team numbers at junior and senior level and this is written into the rules. It’s hugely important to us and we are fully committed to it. Media coverage of races should also have equality or it should rightfully be challenged. If there’s one thing that will encourage more women to take up the sport it’s seeing other women taking part.

There has been no shortage of inspirational female athletes in mountain running throughout the history of the sport. We will name just a few.

Isabelle Guillot of France won bronze in the European Mountain Running Championships in 1988 and then she proceeded to string together an incredibly consistent and lengthy set of impressive results! This included 4 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals in the World Championships, as well as European gold, then she bookended those with another bronze in the European Championships in 2006. She has had considerable success as a masters athlete since. There are few athletes in any sport who can claim so much success over such a long period!

A few years after Isabelle began her run of success, Poland’s Izabela Zatorska began one of her own. There followed an amazing run of podium and top 10 finishes between 1996 and 2005, including 2 European Championship golds in 1999 and 2000, and 3 World Cup wins. In the World Championships she achieved a silver and 3 bronzes. She also won iconic mountain races like Drei Zinnen, Challenge Stellina and Smarna Gora. As well as achieving success in the mountains, she also won many road races all over the world, from 5k to marathon.

At around the same time as Isabela burst onto the scene Melissa Moon, a track and cross country athlete from New Zealand, was coming to the conclusion that mountain running might be the sport for her. The reasons? Firstly, a 3^rd place at the 1997 World Championships, which she was persuaded to take part in after staying on in Europe for a week after the World Student Games. And secondly, she said, “I also loved the culture of the mountain runners, just like an extended family, and I felt energized in the mountain and villages of Europe.” After a 3^rd and 4^th place in the World Mountain Running Championships she went on to win in 2001 and defended her title in 2003. Read our full interview with this inspirational athlete.

One of the athletes Melissa enjoyed an epic tussle with at the 2003 World Championships was Angela Mudge of Scotland. Coming from the world of hill and fell running (Angela won the British Fell Running Championships 5 times), she achieved great success in mountain running. She won the World Cup 3 times, won the 2000 World Championships and came 2nd in 2003, leading Scotland’s women’s team to the gold medal (incredibly the 3 counters all ran for the same club – Carnethy Hill Runners). She won Pikes Peak Marathon and Sierre Zinal, breaking many course records at iconic international races during her career.

She continues to give so much back to the sport as the National Lead for Hill and Mountain Running in Scotland and she has inspired many runners along the way. Sarah Tunstall says of her: “Angela Mudge has probably been my greatest inspiration and personally I have always looked to her times as a guide of how well I have raced on the mountains. When I was still a junior I saw her storm the Inter-county XC (even though the commentators didn’t know her name) and qualify for the 1999 World XC. This always stuck with me and gave me confidence when I used to race the (much) quicker track girls over XC. In 2009 when I finished 2nd on the same course, seeing her win all those years previously had given me some kind of weird belief that mountain runners could mix it with the Steph Twells of the world!” Read our interview with Angela.

Around the same time as Angela, Anna Pichrtova of the Czech Republic was beginning a long and successful period in the sport. She was born in the Slovak Republic and initially balanced marathon running with mountain running. Her mountain running debut was in the World Trophy in 1992, where she won the silver in the junior race and then finished 13th in the senior race (for Slovakia) – in the same competition! An early feat which set the scene for her hugely successful career. She proceeded to do well in the World Trophy in 1993 and 1994, but it was the period of 2001 – 2009, competing for the Czech Republic, where she really dominated. She won gold, 2 silvers and a bronze in the World Championships, 2 golds, 2 silvers and a bronze in the Europeans, 2 golds in the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships and she won 2 World Cups. Her Sierre Zinal Course Record stood for 11 years, finally falling in 2019.

The female athlete who has dominated most recently is of course Austria’s Andrea Mayr. It’s hard to sum up her illustrious career, particularly as it is still very much ongoing. Her results speak for themselves – she is a 6-time World Champion (2006, 2008. 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016) and won the World Cup in 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018 – but it also has to be emphasised that many of her victories were by large margins. Her speed and climbing ability are legendary. And, as Anne Buckley puts it “Andrea Mayr used to finish well up among the decent men!”.

As well as her success in mountain running Andrea has had huge success in ski mountaineering, Red Bull 400 and even tower running. But what might be most inspiring about Andrea Mayr is the fact that she fits all of this around her job as a medical doctor in a hospital. It’s hard to imagine a tougher job in the midst of the current pandemic.

This just highlights a few of the inspiring female mountain runners we could mention. There are many, many more, such as Lucy Wambui Murigi (winner of the 2017 and 2018 World Championships), who has done so much to put Africa at the forefront of mountain running.

As well as athletes we’d like to mention race directors like Danelle Ballengee, director of the Moab Trail Marathon, which is the 2021 USATF Marathon Trail Running Championships. Danelle is also a 4 time winner of Pikes Peak Marathon and a former member of the US mountain running team.

Also behind the scenes are strong team leaders like Anita Ortiz of the US under 18 team, who is a 2 time US mountain running champion and world masters mountain running champion (as well as former Western States winner). She now shares the benefit of her wealth of experience with junior athletes. Similarly, Ellen Miller has been the US women’s team manager for the classic distance for the last 14 years, overseeing some great successes during that time.

Please join us in celebrating some of the great women in mountain running, who have helped to shape this sport and drive it forward with equality.

World Cup Preview Part Five: La Montee Du Nid D’Aigle

Written by Tomo Sarf on 02/03/2021. Posted in Latest News.

We’re taking a look at our 2021 World Cup races. But we’re not just looking at the events and the stunning routes, we’ll be going behind the scenes to find out what really makes these races and the places they happen so special. Next up, it’s La Montee Du Nid D’Aigle, new to this year’s World Cup but definitely not a new race as this year will mark the 34^th time the event has taken place!

For those runners who are familiar with the running mecca that is the Haute-Savoie region, La Montee Du Nid D’Aigle takes place in Saint-Gervais-Les-Bains, next to the Italian and Swiss border. Like many of our classic mountain race locations Saint-Gervais is also a popular ski resort in the Winter. Epic runs in the summer, epic runs in the Winter.

So what makes this race so special? First and foremost, it has a rich history. It was actually one of the first mountain races in France and as such, it’s a must-do race for French runners. It’s also really important to the community in Saint-Gervais, with 200 volunteers helping out every year. It’s an integral part of the identity of Saint-Gervais and the local people embrace it, like all the best races. And the organisers use local producers and suppliers wherever possible.

Another reason for La Montee Du Nid D’Aigle’s popularity is its accessibility. While it attracts some of the best mountain runners in the world, it also prides itself on being an opportunity for runners of all abilities to come together and have fun. So whether you’re there to win, or to have a more social mountain running experience, they will welcome you with open arms.

For all World Cup races we take a great course for granted. But the running trails in the area around Saint-Gervais are simply stunning. Some of the classic routes are: the path between Le Bettex and Le Plateau de la Croix; the path to the top of Mont Joly from le Plateau de la Croix; and, one of the hardest routes, with more than 1,100 meters of height difference, the path between Parking du Crozat at Bionnassay to La Charme.

La Montee Du Nid D’Aigle has also made an impressive commitment to reducing their environmental impact and they’ve pledged to make every change a lasting one. These changes include replacing the helicopter with the use of the tram, limiting the number of runners to 500 to limit damage to the trails, committing to recycling as many materials as possible, collaborating with local partners as much as possible and reduction in use of plastics. Sustainability is a big focus for the race this year.

Find out more and enter at https://www.saintgervais.com/activites-et-evenements/les-grands-evenements-de-lannee/la-montee-du-nid-daigle

Header photo by Miles Peacock, others by Peignee Verticale

World Cup Preview Part Four: Grossglockner Berglauf

Written by Tomo Sarf on 27/02/2021. Posted in Latest News.

Another old favourite that we’re excited to welcome back to the World Cup this year is Grossglockner Berglauf! We visit some stunning locations in the World Cup, but this race must be one of the finest! Let’s take a look at what else makes this race so special.

The race takes place in Heiligenblut, Austria and the language spoken there is German. The area is just a dream for mountain athletes, with incredible skiing, mountaineering, hiking and cycling. And, of course, mountain running.

Grossglockner itself is the highest mountain in Austria at 3798 metres and there are a large number of peaks over 3000 metres in the Hohe Tauern Range. If you like your runs steep, you’ll be in heaven here. It’s a very popular area for tourism, so there are plenty of great places to stay too.

As well as the incredible mountainous area there are so many other aspects which make this race special. The whole town comes out to support the race, with over 300 volunteers. And it’s a town that really values its traditions and customs, giving the runners a real flavour of the history and culture of the area. It has a rich and interesting history of transalpine trade and gold mining and you can visit the iconic pilgrimage church, dating back to the 1200s. And as well as the ancient history there’s a deep tradition of mountaineering, with some fascinating stories of first ascents and incredible adventures in the area.

As far as the route itself goes, it’s the gift that just keeps on giving. Runners follow the river initially, before climbing up to the famous Briccius Chapel, past the quaint Trogalm hut, then the ‘Pasterze’, the longest glacier in the Eastern Alps, before the final lung-busting climb of 900m to the summit. The summit finish at the famous Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Hohe, with (hopefully) clear views all around is a great reward for all who run the race.

Previous winners of Grossglockner Berglauf include Jonathan Wyatt, Anna Pichrtova, Andrea Mayr, Antonella Confortola, Filimon Abraham, Petro Mamu and Sarah Tunstall.

The date for the race this year is 11^th July and we look forward to bringing you all the news. Find out more about the race here http://www.grossglocknerberglauf.at/

World Cup Preview Part Three: Canfranc-Canfranc

Written by Tomo Sarf on 24/02/2021. Posted in Latest News.

We’re welcoming some old favourites to the World Cup this year, but we’re also embracing some races which are new to us. One of these is Canfranc-Canfranc, a race which we’re certain is going to make a big splash!

Canfranc was due to be in our 2020 World Cup, but as we all know, 2020 didn’t work out as we planned, so we had to wait a little bit longer for its debut. Canfranc did take place in 2020, with careful COVID protocols, and only runners from Spain and France were able to get there but they certainly had a top class field and records fell!

Canfranc-Canfranc takes place in Canfran-Estación, a small mountain town in the province of Huesca in the Aragonese Pyrenees. The town is at 1,200 metres but all around are peaks of over 2,500 metres. The weather is pretty perfect for running in the summer, normally between 20 and 30 Celcius, and the Winter enjoys heavy snowfall.

The area is also perfect for running, with hundreds of miles of trails marked out as part of their impressive Trail Space Project. Some of Alex Varela’s, race director of Canfranc, favourite trails are Paso Del Sarrio, La Moleta and Ibon De Ip, if you want some tips for your trip.

Canfranc is obviously a new destination for the World Cup. Why haven’t we been there before? As Alex says “Ten years ago mountain running in Canfranc was not so common. But now there are more and more people running up the mountain. What we have here is a long tradition of people of a very high level in Spain who have come here to train for a long time, such as Luis Alberto Hernando, who lives in Jaca (a city located 20 kilometers from Canfranc-Estación) for many years.”.

If you decide to make the trip to Canfranc-Canfranc you won’t be disappointed. Incredible mountains all around, the historic Canfranc train station and the area is famous for its gastronomy (Alex’s top tip is ‘a plate of ‘migas’ and rack of lamb’!).

Find more information about the race and the surrounding area here: https://canfranccanfranc.com/

Work for the WMRA

Written by Tomo Sarf on 17/02/2021. Posted in Latest News.

The World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) are creating a position for a Manager for the Mountain Running World Cup race series owned by WMRA.

This is a part-time position (averaging one day per week for 50 weeks of the year) where the successful applicant will be liaising and working together with the World Cup race events and reporting to the WMRA Council. In 2021 there are 12 events with a total of 16 races.

Key parts of the job include: liaising with the event organisers, managing requirements for World Athletics implementation (permit) and anti-doping, working with sponsors, media partners and WMRA’s own World Cup media content creators, athlete liaison, and managing the choice of and process for future World Cup races.

The job will obviously involve travel to World Cup races and travel and accommodation will be included or reimbursed. Salary will be discussed on application.

Do you think you could be the person for this role? Find full information on the job description, attributes we’re looking for and application procedure HERE. Closing date 1st March 2021.

World Cup Preview Part Two: Chiavenna Lagunc

Written by Tomo Sarf on 15/02/2021. Posted in Latest News.

This year we welcome an old favourite back to the World Cup – Chiavenna Lagunc. On 10^th October runners will head to the very north of Italy to take part in this short uphill race, starting in the historic old town of Chiavenna and finishing in Lagunc.

So what makes Chiavenna Lagunc so special? It would be hard to find a town that’s so steeped in mountain running history and tradition. For a start, this small town (population 7,200) has not one but two mountain running clubs. And the track which winds up from Chiavenna at 352 metres to Lagunc at 1352 metres was actually the world’s first official, certified vertical kilometre. Both the men’s and women’s world records for the vertical kilometre were set there – Bernard De Matteis’s 30’27” and Andrew Mayr’s 35’40”. Add to that the fact that the area hosted the 2009 World Mountain Running Championships and you get the idea about this region’s obsession with mountain running and its part in the history.

If you look at the race’s website it gives you a real sense of how this race has evolved without losing its unique sense of identity. Look at the results and you’ll find some handwritten and typed pages from years gone by, which look like they might one day feature in a Chiavenna Lagunc museum. And if you read through the results it’s like a ‘who’s who’ of top mountain runners. Bernard and Martin De Matteis, Valentina Bellotti, Johan Bugge and Antonella Confortola all feature more than once.

Stroll around town and you’re likely to meet some legends of mountain running and not just on race weekend! 2019 Mountain Running World Champion Master 50 , Dario Martocchi, lives in the area and 6 time World Mountain Running Champion, Marco Di Gasperi, has long been a friend of the race.

We’re asking all our races this year about what they’re doing to promote sustainability. Chiavenna Lagunc is quite unique in this regard as it’s part of the ‘orange flags’ initiative, which recognises its sensitivity to sustainability. The ‘orange flag’ status is awarded to towns which preserve their historical areas and also make their architectural, artistic and naturalistic resources accessible to and usable by the people. Essentially it celebrates uniqueness and preservation.

As well as the short uphill race there’s also a series of trail race in the area (Val Bregaglia Trail), so you can experience the stunning trails at a slightly less relentlessly uphill gradient. This could be your introduction to mountain running.

If you’ve been missing going on holiday (and travel is allowed again by then) then book a few days round the race. It takes place within easy reach of Lake Como, Madesimo, Alpe Motta, Splugen Pass, Val Bregaglia, and even St Moritz. Or just spend a few days in historic Chiavenna enjoying the local produce!

Entries are open at http://www.kilometroverticalelagunc.it/

World Cup Preview Part One: Broken Arrow

Written by Tomo Sarf on 14/02/2021. Posted in Latest News.

Over the coming weeks we’re going to be taking a look at our 2021 World Cup races. But we won’t just be looking at the events and the stunning routes, we’ll be going behind the scenes to find out what really makes these races and the places they happen so special. First up, it’s Broken Arrow. PLEASE NOTE: NEW RACE DATES are 1 and 3 October 2021.

Few places are as synonymous with mountain sports as the area around Olympic Valley in California. The Winter Olympics of 1960, the deep history of Western States, it’s the ultimate playground for skiing and running. And we are incredibly proud to have Olympic Valley race, Broken Arrow, in our 2021 World Cup!

Broken Arrow made its debut in the World Cup in 2019 (hear what the top athletes said about it) and it really added a different dimension to the competition. It was great to have so many top mountain runners from the US and Canada mixing it up with top athletes from Europe. In 2019 it was just the 26k race in the World Cup, but this year we have the short uphill (5.1k/+900m) race too!

There are so many things which make this race so special. Firstly there’s the altitude – the races start at 1900m and top out at 2700m – so runners are working hard. Secondly there’s the mix of terrain throughout the race, from good trail, to loose scree, to a ladder in the rock, to steps carved in the snow. It’s a unique route which is never boring and runners are also likely to experience a big variance in temperature between the valley and the mountain. It’s got a distinctly Alpine feel to it, despite taking place in California.

Speaking of Alpine touches, how many races do you finish by ringing a big cowbell on the finish line? It’s details like this, the aid stations where volunteers will go crazy for you and a gentle downhill gradient to the finish that’ll make you feel as speedy as Kilian that make it a unique and unforgettable race.

If mountain athletes vote with their feet then this is the place to be. According to race organiser, Brendan Madigan, “There is a lifetime of trails at Lake Tahoe including Desolation Wilderness, Granite Chief Wilderness, Mount Rose Wilderness, the Western States 100 Endurance Run, Tahoe Rim Trail 100, Castle Peak 100 … let alone the hundreds of miles of US Forest Service land.”. Locals include Laura Vaughan, winner of many hundred milers including Hardrock (and whose family founded GU), Betsy Nye, Rory Bosio, Adam Kimble and many other notable runners.

It’s also a pretty perfect place for a holiday, with great food and places to stay and fantastic opportunities for backpacking, climbing and adventuring.

We’re really looking forward to bringing you all the action from this year’s races on October 1st-3rd for this years World Cup. Let’s all hope that the current public health situation is much improved by then and travel is more open. Entries are open at https://www.brokenarrowskyrace.com/

First Look at World Cup Race Montee Du Nid D’Aigle

Written by Tomo Sarf on 27/01/2021. Posted in Latest News.

This year’s World Cup is made up of some old favourites, some newer races you may not know so well, and some classic races which are joining the World Cup for the first time. Montée du Nid d’Aigle is definitely in the last category. This iconic race will be taking place for the 34th time this year. But because it’s new to the World Cup, we thought we’d tell you a bit more about it.

Montée du Nid d’Aigle has been an integral part of St Gervais’s identity for the past 34 years. The race has a rich history, boasting the same course since its early days – 19.5 kilometres in majestic surroundings. Departing from the Thermal Park, the participants run up through Saint-Gervais towards the charming village of Champel and the Plan de l’Are before reaching the final climb. The finish, at the Nid d’Aigle (Eagle’s Nest), is a renowned departure point for mountaineers who want to climb Mont Blanc via the Voie Royale (Royal Route). The race ends in style with a ride down to Le Fayet aboard the famous Mont-Blanc Tramway, the highest rack and pinion railway in France.

Montée du Nid d’Aigle is not just a race, it is also a true moment of sharing and conviviality, an opportunity for athletes, spectators and nearly 200 faithful volunteers, to gather together every year around the same passion. Renowned for its authenticity and simplicity, the Montée du Nid d’Aigle is due to take place this year
on Saturday 17th July.

This year the organisers are calling it ‘the mountain race that constantly reinvents itself’! And we know that adaptability is pretty important these days. Here are the major changes taking place and what you can expect from the race this year.

Firstly, as we might have mentioned, the race is joining the World Cup this year. This is something the organisers feel very proud of, as it will give them the chance to showcase this amazing race on an international stage. And as well as hosting some of the greatest mountain runners in the world, they are also super excited to give their regular runners, young and old, the opportunity to race against and rub shoulders with the best in the world. If you’re an elite racing hard in the World Cup, or a runner of any level just looking to enjoy it, they want everybody to have a great experience in the mountains.

Secondly, they’ve worked hard on their ethical and environmental approaches for 2021. They promise a 100% local organisation, involving a maximum number of local partners and professionals. Plus, they have made a very strong commitment to reduce their carbon footprint and general waste, with more recycling and a reduction in plastic waste among other initiatives.

Lastly, they’ve decided to overhaul their communications this year, with a fantastic new race poster (above), a new Facebook page (see here) and an Instagram page (give them a follow). They’re also promising some great options to follow the race digitally, which we’ll tell you more about closer to the race. So wherever you are in the world, you’ll be able to see the race unfold in real time.

Find out more and enter the race here.

WORLD MOUNTAIN RUNNING ASSOCIATION

Author: Tomo Sarf