Author: Tomo Sarf

Masters to compete in Championships this weekend

Written by Tomo Sarf on 31/08/2017. Posted in Latest News.

FullSizeRender The 17^th WMRA/WMA Masters Mountain Running Championships will be held on September 2, in the Ilava district of Slovakia at the foot of the Biele Karpaty Mountains. Expected on the start line are more than 500 runners representing 22 countries.

WMRA president Jonathan Wyatt says,”The Masters Champs is something quite unique in our sport in that once per year each age category of runners competes for equal recognition. It’s always a fantastic celebration of the healthy benefits of Mountain Running and I know that Slovakia will be a great host for the 2017 edition.”

The athletes, ages 35 to 79, will face a 9.6-kilometer course at the Championships, to include 606 meters of ascent and 106 meters of descent. The mostly uphill route will start in the center of Pruske village, elevation 245 meters. After a short section of road, the course will be primarily mountain path and up the slopes of Vrsatec Mountain to the finish line at 745 meters.

Competition gets underway on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. with the largest categories for men in the group 50, 55, and 60, and for women group 50 then 55 together with 60. There will be a pasta party and closing ceremony by the finish area after racing is concluded.

In advance of Saturday’s competition, there will be an opening ceremony in Pruske on Friday evening starting with a parade of nations at 4:30 p.m. The local organizing committee consists of experienced organizers, most of whom are runners from Jogging Club Dubnica nad Vahom, including Jan Bakyta, Slovakia’s mountain running team leader for more than ten years. The event is held in cooperation with the Slovak Athletic Association.

The WMRA will be represented at the event by Andrzej Puchacz, Tomo Sarf, and Nancy Hobbs. Honorary president Bruno Gozzelino will be attending as a special guest of the LOC. Brian Keaveney will be on site to represent the WMA.

Unable to be on site at the championships, Wyatt offered a message to the athletes, “Having competed myself last year in Susa I can confirm that the spirit of competition and the spirit of friendliness in Mountain Running is alive and well! Good luck to all of the runners and enjoy the friendly atmosphere and beautiful nature that you will find in Slovakia.”

World Cup Mountain Race wins go to the Italians at Susa, ITALY

Written by Tomo Sarf on 28/08/2017. Posted in Latest News.

The fifth race of seven World Cup Mountain Races took place on the weekend with the ‘The Stellina Partisan Memorial’ that was held in the beautiful Val di Susa of the Piemonte region of Northern Italy. It was the 29th edition of this legendary race that has been at the heart of European Mountain Running since it first started.

The race wins went to the Italians who fielded their strongest runners. The Mountain trails that were used in this race were the same that in 1945 were the backdrop to the Grange Sevine battle, a major clash that saw the partisans led by commander Giulio Bolaffi alias Aldo Laghi, defeat the SS troops. This Memorial race is prepared for runners to travel on these same tracks and experience the land where so many sacrificed their lives during the war.

See the full results here.

In close racing action, it was Alex Baldaccini (Atl. Valle Brembana) and Camilla Magliano (Pod. Torino) who arrived home first taking the wins. In the women’s field, there was a great race between Camilla Magliano (Pod. Torino), a new entry to the top international mountain running scene, and Celine Iranzi (Orecchiella Garfagnana) from Rwanda. Alice Gaggi (La Recastello Radici Group) battled it out with Sarah Tunstall from Great Britain. Magliano’s paced it well and was very strong throughout but gradually detached Iranzi. Magliano arrived in 1h19: 26 with 59 seconds advantage over Iranzi. On the third step of the podium, the Italian champion Alice Gaggi (La Recastello Radici Group) with time of 1h21: 30 eased away from 4th placed Sarah Tunstall who closed in 1h22: 58. Samantha Galassi (La Recastello Radici Group) was next in with 1h24: 14. The standings continue with the 6th place of Nadia Re (ASD Valli di Lanzo) in 1h26: 31, 7th Eufemia Magro (ASD Dragonero) with 1h27: 59. Then the athletes of Free Zone Gloria Rita Giudici (1h28: 32) and Barbara Bani (1h28: 39), followed by Chiara Giovando (Atl Monterosa), 10th in 1h29: 49.

Magliano. “I am very happy and excited. I want so much take place to Stellinarace because it’s the most important mountain race in my region, Piedomont. I did not expect anything, I knew it was a race for me because it’s only up; at the beginning I let Iranzi get away on the flat because I knew the race was long and there was time to recover. I came up with a good steady pace and it worked!”

For Baldaccini it was his second victory at the Stellina race where he won in 2015 but compared to two years ago, the time was much faster: 1h06: 13 then versus 1h05: 39 that he ran on Sunday. After the start of the race from Augusto di Susa Arch, Baldaccini was in the lead group with Davide Magnini (RAS Courmayeur), the European Mountain Running Champion Xavier Chevrier (Atl. Valli Bergamasche Leffe), Francesco Puppi (Atl. Valle Brembana), Julien Rancon from France, Hannes Perkmann (Sportler Team) and Bernard Dematteis (Corrintime).

Twenty minutes from the end, Hannes pushed hard but Baldaccini, along with Puppi went with him. Puppi and Baldaccini accelerated on the flatter section to battle for the lead but going into the final kilometer another pair close to the front were still in contention for the win: Chevrier and Magnini, while Bernard Dematteis was fading. In that last kilometer Baldaccini stretched out, Puppi couldnt react; so Baldaccini arrived alone with 14 seconds advantage over his club companion.

Also for Puppi this classification is a déjà-vu. In 2015 the first two places were the same: Baldaccini and Puppi. Davide Magnini held on well for third in 1h06: 25 followed by the current Italian champion Chevrier (1h06: 49). Then Perkmann arrived in 5th who had started the action in the last third (1h07: 03). 6th Place for Bernard Dematteis in 1h07: 45 before Miran Cvet (Slovenia) with 1h09: 08. The 8th place went to new WMRA President Jonathan Wyatt; (he won there 13 times but couldn’t stay with the top Italians) arrived after 1h09: 55 followed by Julien Rancon from France, 9th in 1h10: 11. 11th place for Martin Dematteis (Corrintime), the track record holder, who closes this year’s edition in 1h10: 38 after Edward Young (Pod. Valchiusella), 10th in 1h10: 24.

Baldaccini. “I’m really happy,” said Baldaccini – it was a difficult season for me, especially in the early months. It was a very good for success in an important race like Stellinarace. I had to work really hard in the race, the first km I struggled to keep pace with the first ones then getting into the climb we were just a few and in the end it was only Francesco and me. We are friends but it is always a tough opponent, in fact I managed to break him just in the final metres. Now I would like to prepare for the cross well”

Andrea Rostan (Atl. Saluzzo) won the men’s junior race, starting from Braida and arriving in Costa Rossa, in 56:14.

This was one special edition of the Stellina race: it was the first one without Adriano Aschieris, one of the founders of the event. In memory of the former President of Atletica Susa and Fidal Piemonte, 1 km of music and emotion walk was organized, named ‘Corri con Adri’, which was attended by a lot of people from Susa and, also, by Maurizio Damilano, the race walker Olympic Medal in Moscow in 1980, who was a close friend of Aschieris as well as Livio Berruti, the Olympic Champion in Rome 1960, President of Stellinarace’s LOC.

Many thanks go to the organising team (Atletica Susa) and the many helpers and volunteers for making this traditional Italian race so special again in 2017.

In the World Cup series – the ongoing ranking can be found here.

Article by

Myriam Scamangas & Jonathan Wyatt

Photos by

Damiano Benedetto

Bernie and Martin Dermatteis at the arrival.

WMRA World Cup heads to Stellina: Fifth Race in the Seven-Race Series

Written by Tomo Sarf on 24/08/2017. Posted in Latest News.

It’s “Stellinarace” time. On August 27, the fifth race in the 2017 WMRA World Cup takes place in Piedmont, in Susa (Turin) with the 29th Stellina Partisans’s Memorial. After four World Cup races, the leader on the men’s side is Petro Mamu, (ERI), while Alice Gaggi (ITA) (pictured above) leads the women’s results.

Mamu, newly minted Long Distance Mountain Running World Champion, will be one of the top runners of Stellinarace 2017. Although this is his debut in Susa, Mamu’s recent results indicate he’ll be the pre-race favorite, with his strongest challengers hailing from the home country of Italy. European and Italian champion 2017 Xavier Chevrier could pose a threat to Mamu, but also Martin and Bernard Dematteis (Martin is the record holder of Stellinarace while Bernard has never won the race). Also expected to challenge are Alex Baldaccini, winner in 2015, and Francesco Puppi, silver medalist to Mamu earlier this month in Premana, Hannes Perkmann, Edward Young and Max Di Gioia. Other contenders include Julien Rancon (FRA), Gasper Bregar (SLO) and Miran Cver (SLO), Simon Lechleitner (AUT).

Sarah Tunstall (GBR), is a top contender in the women’s field. She won bronze in the world championship in Premana, and was victorious in the WMRA World Cup 2015. Tunstall will face Celine Iranzi (RWA) and Italian Alice Gaggi, the leader of 2017 WMRA World Cup Race. Other Italians who will fight for the podium will be Samantha Galassi, Gloria Giudici and newcomer Camilla Magliano. Veteran Stellina competitor Antonella Confortola, will be among the runners in the field. Susa is where Confortola met her husband, New Zealander Jonathan Wyatt, the newly elected WMRA President. Wyatt, a multi-time winner at Stellinarace, is also slated to be on the start line.

Stellinarace 2017 will be the first edition without Adriano Aschieris, patron of the race, and the man who organized many Italian and World Championships of mountain running in Susa Valley. The last was the World Master Mountain Running Championships in 2016. Stellinarace has titled the trophy of the women’s race to Aschieris, and also has titled to his memory the regional mountain running youth championship that will be held on Saturday 26 in Susa. The memory of Aschieris, former President of Atletica Susa and Italian Athletics Federation of Piedmont, will forever live in Stellinarace.

Additional events in Stellina include, on August 26 at 11.00 a.m. in Costa Rossa, the official partisan celebration in memory of the Grange Sevine’s battle (1945). At 6:30 p.m., the official ceremony of delivery of bibs to the top runners at Countess Adelaide’s Castle.

More about Stellina Race HERE. Sky Sport 2016 Video coverage HERE.

The next race in the WMRA World Cup is the 44th Hochfeln Berglauf Race on September 24. The series culminates with the 38th Smarna Gora International Mountain Race on October 7.

Content courtesty of Paolo Germanetto, and photos courtesy of Damiano Benedetto

Newly elected WMRA President Jonathan Wyatt shares ideas for the future

Written by Tomo Sarf on 12/08/2017. Posted in Latest News.

During the WMRA Congress meeting in Premana, Italy, on July 29, 2017, Jonathan Wyatt was elected as the fourth president of the WMRA. Wyatt, who not only had a successful mountain running career, winning the World Mountain Running Championships six times between 1998 and 2008, as well as multiple mountain races including Jungfrau Marathon, also represented New Zealand in the Olympic Games finishing 21^st at the Marathon in 2004. His interest in sport extends well beyond competition, and he is looking forward to serving in a leadership role with the WMRA.

Says Wyatt, “When I was first racing in the mountains, the president of the WMRA was Danny Hughes. I was interested in helping grow the sport back then, and my commitment to the sport has never wavered. I think I understand the sport, as well as the challenges of all off- road categories within athletics each of which is realizing substantial growth. There are now many more and different disciplines in the sport and Mountain Running needs to have a voice and a strong presence in this new era of trail, ultra trail, sky and mountain running.”

Some initial thoughts from Wyatt moving forward:

Increase the number of participants, as well as the number of partner races in the Mountain Running space and consider opportunities with coaching.
Increase media contacts and exposure to the sport. Include key media channels, local race organisers (who will be key to new bids for World events and World Cup/Grand Prix), Federations (we aim to have more than 50 members).
Work closely with the IAAF with whom we would like to create partnerships and utilize their network and global reach.
Look after our key events of World Championships, U18, and Masters, as well as consider some new innovations, such as relay events.
Award World Championships two years in advance.
Ensure that courses for World events will be a good test of true mountain running ability so we need to look for more difficult tracks than in the past. This is something we will be talking about as well as trying to work together with other groups that organise events in the off-road environment.
Bring together the best athletes at the most important events. The sport needs this, so we can show to the World how good Mountain and Trail Sports can be. We will start the discussion with the calendar in mind, so that we give the athletes the chance to run a World Championship all together on one day.
Support iconic mountain events and make the most of events that are held in beautiful mountain terrain, thereby showing how positive Mountain Running is.
Recruit more National Athletic Federations to join as members of the WMRA.We can show NAFs that mountain running has something unique. We know that people enjoy mountain running for the challenging vertical climbs and the manageable distances. They also come for the spirit of the races and passion of organisers and athletes and that is something we need to support and encourage.

Work in the new administration has already begun with the first WMRA Council meeting under Wyatt’s tenure held on Saturday, August 5, in Premana, Italy. The next Council meeting will be held in early 2018. In the interim, the WMRA will be represented by Council members at the final three World Cup events in Italy, Germany and Slovenia, the WMRA/WMA World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Slovakia, and the NACAC Mountain Running Championships in Canada.

Italy nearly sweeps gold at Long Distance Mountain Running Championships

Written by Tomo Sarf on 06/08/2017. Posted in Latest News.

Of the four gold medals awarded at today’s 14^th World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships in Premana, Italy, the host country earned three along with one silver medal. The lone gold medal not awarded to Italy was earned by Giir di Mont course record holder Petro Mamu (ERI), who repeated his winning ways on the legendary 32-kilometer course finishing in a time of 3:12:52.

Second in the men’s field was Italy’s Francesco Puppi, followed by Pascal Egli (SUI).

With Puppi’s silver medal performance, and two more of his teammates finishing in the top ten, Italy was assured the senior men’s gold medal with a score of 14. USA followed for silver achieving a score of 39, led by Tayte Pollman in fourth, who at 21 was one of the younger athletes in the field. In bronze medal position was Czech Republic with 53 points just three points ahead of Romania.

This was the first year team place was used for scoring as opposed to cumulative finish time.

On the women’s side, it was a close competition between course record holder Kasie Enman (USA), who led through much of the race, and Italy’s Silvia Rampazzo. At the finish line, it was Rampazzo, who passed Enman after the 20-kilometer mark to take the lead and then broke the tape with a time of 3:56:45, less than one minute ahead of Enman. In third, Denisa Dragomir (ROM), posted a time of 3:59:34 to take the bronze.

With Italians Antonella Confortola and Stephanie Christel Jimenez finishing in 10^th and 11^th position respectively, Italy scored an impressive 22 points for gold. USA again saw silver on the podium with a score of 28, followed by Romania with 39 points.

In the few days leading up to the competition, the weather was incredibly hot for Premana, however, the preliminary weather forecast for Sunday indicated a storm was in the offing, thereby forcing organizers to create a plan B with a shortened course on race day if need be. The skies held for the 8:00 a.m. start, but the rains came less than 30 minutes into the race. Fortunately, the distant thunder and lightning never became a threat and the rains were intermittent, though sometimes heavy throughout the race.

The rain did not dampen the athlete’s spirits, or those of the spectators who could be found lining the course, not only at the finish line, but throughout the entire route.

At the awards ceremony, the top 10 men and women from the open race (which started five minutes after the World Championships division and included nearly 400 runners), received their prizes prior to the awarding of the World Championship medals and trophies. Following the prize giving, the WMRA flag was presented to next year’s host country, Poland, by WMRA president Jonathan Wyatt.

Complete results from the championships be found here.

The World returns to Premana this weekend for the Long Distance Championships

Written by Tomo Sarf on 04/08/2017. Posted in Latest News.

In an effort to highlight our sport in a unique way, this year Italy hosts the World Mountain Running Championships on back-to-back weekends. The first championship was held on July 30, over the traditional shorter distances of 6.5 kilometers for juniors and 13 kilometers for seniors. On August 6, the longer of the two championships will be held, and the competition is sure to be equally as exciting as that of last weekend.

The 14^th WMRA World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships will be hosted by the Giir Di Mont, a classic Italian race over a challenging 32-kilometer course. Nearly 150 athletes representing 23 countries will be on the start line Sunday morning. The field includes past winners and multi-time finishers of the race, the defending champions from last year’s World Long Distance Championships, and a host of talented first-timers on this course.

On the men’s side, the home team of Italy looks to be a favorite featuring Alessandro Rambaldini and Marco De Gasperi, first and second place respectively at last year’s long distance championships. Add to the mix a fit Francesco Puppi, Luca Cagnati, and Nicola Spada, and the team is solid. They will face a challenge from the experienced Robert Krupicka (CZE), course record holder Petro Mamu (ERI), veteran of the course Tom Owens (GBR), the young and promising Luka Mihelic (SLO), Julie Rancon (FRA) and Andy Wacker (USA) who both ran strong at last weekend’s championships. Expected to give the Italians the biggest challenge on the team podium are France, USA, Great Britain and the Czech Republic.

On the women’s side, course record holder Kasie Enman (USA) will be on the start line after running last weekend’s championships along with her teammate Addie Bracy. The pair was part of the gold-medal winning senior women’s squad. Team USA could again be on the podium at these championships, but will face a field equally talented as that of the men. Last year’s long distance champion Annie Conway (GBR) will hope to defend her title, and runner-up from last year Antonella Confortola (ITA) will also be in the hunt for a repeat medal. Denisa Dragomir (ROU) a past winner at Giir Di Mont, knows the course and will be a formidable competitor along with her teammate and last year’s winner at Giir Di Mont Ingrid Mutter. Italy, Great Britain, Romania and USA look to be the top teams in the hunt for a team podium position.

In his first official duties as the recently elected president of the WMRA, Jonathan Wyatt (NZL) will be on hand to welcome all of the teams to Premana at the opening ceremony on Saturday, August 5. In advance of the competition, Wyatt says, “It’s great to be back in Premana at the legendary Giir Di Mont. It’s going to be a true test of mountain running ability on this awesome and challenging course. I look forward to a successful competition and wish all of the athletes good luck.”

Competition gets underway at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 6 and will be followed by an open race over the same course.

Written by Nancy Hobbs for the WMRA

Another important step for the future of the mountain race: a new WMRA webpage

Written by Tomo Sarf on 22/05/2017. Posted in Latest News.

After the end of more than 20 years of my activity inside WMRA, before as Secretary (12 years) and then as President (8 years), I am very happy that thanks to the collaboration of many people starting from WMRA Councillors and the leaders of many athletics federations in the world, the mountain race has made great strides by becoming a well-known and well-trained athletics discipline.
World Championships Senior, Junior and Master, International Youth Cup plus World Cup Circuit and many Area or Zone Championships are yearly events very important.
My personal fear is that in the future the mountain race will lose its identity and its features and be confused with other activities: I hope really that this will not happen!!!
Important is the correct information about mountain running for the future but it is also necessary to save the history of mountain running, starting from the results of the past events.
These goals are possible through a good webpage. These are the reasons why during 2017, before election to renovate the WMRA Council that will be held at the end of July, a new webpage was prepared and acted.

WMRA took this opportunity to thank chilimedia in Olten (Switzerland) and, in particular, Nick Russi for having prepared and acted this new webpage.
It seems that there are not many differences between this new webpage and the old one, but it seems wrong!
In fact the structure of the back Is totally changed: now is modern and good for 2020 period! An it is asdapted to the use with mobile phones and tablets which becomes more and more important regarding the use of websites,
This means that is easier the publication of information, pictures, video and so on. This I very important.
Then this instrument is ready to be used easier, but also often. Question is to find a good journalist or fan of press who can work daily or at least weekly for informing people about WMRA activity in the future …
I hope that next situation in the world athletics make it possible!!!
Really I hope that also this enforce will be useful for mountain running and in particular for next WMRA President and all the WMRA Council members!

Edited from Bruno Gozzelino for the WMRA

Source of the pictures (Nancy Hobbs – WMRA):
on front page:
– WMRA Council meeting – Montecarlo february 2017;

Written by Tomo Sarf on 28/09/2012. Posted in Latest News.

WORLD MOUNTAIN RUNNING ASSOCIATION