Author: Tomo Sarf

Representatives of the World Mountain Running Association and Valsir met in Vestone, Italy yesterday to put pen to paper and confirm their partnership for another 2 years.

WMRA president Tomo Šarf and Mattia Gandini, Valsir’s marketing director, sealed the deal which makes Valsir the title sponsor of the Mountain Running World Cup for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Their support will allow the WMRA to continue crucial investment in prize money, athlete support and anti-doping.

As well as providing opportunities for the athletes at the very front of the race, both Valsir and WMRA are hopeful that they can their collaboration can persuade non-runners to give the sport a try. With all Valsir World Cup races open to all, they are a perfect opportunity to sample the incredible experience of racing in the mountains, lining up should-to-shoulder with the best off-road athletes in the world.

The passion and drive of athletes, both professional and amateur, is the common value that Valsir sees between as fundamental to their involvement in sport; working hard to find and exceed our limits, always learning and developing, in sport as in business.

Mountain Running is just one of a number of sports which are supported by Valsir, including motor sport, road cycling and alpine skiing. Prior to coming on as the title sponsor of the Mountain Running World Cup in 2022, Valsir were already a strong supporter of their local mountain race, Trofeo Nasego.

The race calendar for the 2023 Valsir Mountain Running World Cup was recently announced. It features 17 races at 11 different events in 8 different countries, spanning 4 months from June to October. Find full details here.

Photo by Marco Gulberti.

Featuring 17 races at 11 events in 8 countries, we have exciting new locations, returning favourites and some very old friends coming together to form a stellar program of racing across 4 months from June to October.

As well as collaborating with some of the best mountain races in the world, our continued partnership with Valsir has allowed a number of upgrades to the World Cup for the coming season. We continue the fight for clean sport with WADA accredited anti-doping at all Gold Label races, and make further commitments to athlete opportunities with an increase in travel support and another increase in the overall prize fund, with the Valsir World Cup champions taking home €5,000 in 2023.

It all kicks off in June, just a week on from the World Championships in Austria. A great opportunity for athletes to extend their travels plans! The Valsir World Cup gets underway in the U.S.A. as we head back to Tahoe, California for the Broken Arrow Skyrace!

It’s a frantic opening weekend with 2 Gold Label races in 3 days; the Vertical Kilometre raises the curtain on the season on Friday 16^th, before the Classic 23km on Sunday 18th. We’ve seen World Champions and World Cup winners bring their best to these races in recent years; it will be a spectacular start!

One week later we have the first of 3 Silver Label races in 2023, Tatra Race Run in Poland. This rollercoaster of a race kicked off 2021 World Cup in style and we can’t wait to return for more!

Sunday 2^nd of July sees us touch down in Castro-Daire, Portugal for the 3^rd edition of Montemuro Vertical Run, last year’s season opener. Joyce Njeru and Patrick Kipngeno signalled their intent with convincing wins here in 2022, will they feature again next year?

We then go to the madness of Malonno, for Piz Tri Vertical and Fletta Trail on the 15^th and 16^th of July. Year after year the intense atmosphere brings the best runners back to these races, with the quad-burning Uphill and the free-wheeling Classic making for a riotous 2 days. Frantic fans and furious racing; it’s a weekend that never disappoints!

La Montée du Nid d’Aigle appeared on the World Cup circuit for the first time in 2021 and it hasn’t gone away since. This 20km, 1850m+ Classic from Saint Gervais to Refuge du Nid d’Aigle is one of the most spectacular races on the calendar as athletes work their way upwards against the stunning backdrop of the Glacier du Bionnassay. Saturday 22^nd July will be one of the most hotly anticipated dates of the summer!

And then on Saturday 12^th August it’s time for Sierre-Zinal. Every year The Race of the Five 4000s draws the deepest fields and serves up the most scintillating action. These Swiss mountain trails are mountain running’s colloseum, where the sport’s most dramatic stories are written over 31km beneath the most iconic peaks of the Alps.

The first weekend of September sees the World Cup arrive in Casto, Italy, the home of Valsir, for Vertical and Trofeo Nasego, another Uphill and Classic double. Once again this tiny town in the Brescia Prealps will become the playground of the sports biggest names, all looking to add their names to the prestigious Nasego honour roll. It will be another a battle of the giants!

Just 5 days later it’s the first of 2 Gold Label races in Canfranc, Spain. Friday’s 4.4km Vertical race kicks off a weekend-long festival of mountain running in the heart of the Aragon Pyrenees. Sunday’s 15.9km Classic brings the curtain down in style on what will be a beautiful, bruising weekend of racing. Joyce Njeru sealed her overall title here this year; will it prove decisive again in 2023?

There follow 2 Silver Label Classic races. We’re in Trentino in the iconic landscapes of the Dolomites for Primiero Dolomiti Trail’s first World Cup appearance on 30th September, before the Šmarna gora Race, a favourite of athletes and fans alike and a World Cup fixture for decades, on the 7th October.

And then all that remains is the Final!

And what a final it will be! From 13^th to 15^th October, Sky Gran Canaria serves up 3 Gold Label races across 3 days, one Uphill, one Classic, one Long. It’s the first time we see this multi-race format at the Valsir World Cup Final and we can think of no better setting for what will surely be a stunning climax to the season! The coastal town of Agaete will play host to the best athletes that mountain running has to offer as they battle to cement their place in the standings. An amazing new venue for the Valsir World Cup and an amazing way to decide the final podiums!

Follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and get involved using #ValsirWorldCup!

Valsir Mountain Running World Cup 2023:

16/06 Broken Arrow VK – USA UPHILL Gold Label
18/06 Broken Arrow Skyrace – USA LONG Gold Label
25/06 Tatra Race Run – POL LONG Silver Label
02/07 Montemuro Vertical Run – POR CLASSIC Gold Label
15/07 Piz Tri Vertical – ITA UPHILL Gold Label
16/07 Fletta Trail – ITA CLASSIC Gold Label
22/07 Montée du Nid d’Aigle – FRA CLASSIC Gold Label
12/08 Sierre-Zinal – SUI LONG Gold Label
02/09 Vertical Nasego – ITA UPHILL Gold Label
03/09 Trofeo Nasego – ITA CLASSIC Gold Label
08/09 Canfranc Vertical – ESP UPHILL Gold Label
10/09 Canfranc Skyrace – ESP CLASSIC Gold Label
30/09 Primiero Dolimiti Trail – ITA CLASSIC Silver Label
07/10 Šmarna gora Race – SLO CLASSIC Silver Label
13/10 Sky Gran Canaria – ESP UPHILL Gold Label
14/10 Sky Gran Canaria – ESP CLASSIC Gold Label
15/10 Sky Gran Canaria – ESP LONG Gold Label

 Photos: Marco Gulberti & Rubén Fueyo.

The full General Information Sheet for the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubai is now available.

The full G.I.S. is an update on the Early General Information Sheet, released at the end of October, and contains further information, including details of the Team Championships, new for 2023.

It can be downloaded here.

Register now to secure one of 500 volunteer spots across 12 exciting fields of application.

Around 500 volunteers have the chance to be in the thick of things and get up close to exciting trail running action, to catch a glimpse of what is happening behind the scenes at an international event, to meet new people, gain valuable event management expertise, and to experience what it means to achieve a common goal as part of an enthusiastic team.

If you want to secure one of the 500 volunteer spots at either the  WMTRC or the IATF, you can register on the website and choose between 12 exciting fields of application. Registration is open with immediate effect. In addition to catering, specific training and certificates documenting their efforts, all volunteers will receive a variety of goodies depending on the duration and area of their deployment once the job is done.

More than 3,000 athletes gathered in Villa la Angostura to get a taste of the K42 spirit as the legendary Patagonia mountain marathon celebrated its 19^th edition.

It was an international affair once again as the hosts of the 2019 World Mountain Running Championships welcomed runners from at least 9 countries to compete against themselves, each other and the tough terrain of the Andes mountains in a WMRA Associate Member Partner Race.

From Thursday morning the city was transformed and anticipation grew as a constant stream of runners made their way to collect their bibs and to experience the race Expo, where many of the sport’s top brands were on show. In the evening there was a Friendship Meeting, where athletes with more than 10 completions of the race received special awards of recognition.

K15

The racing kicked off on Friday with K15, a 14.2km, 754m+ loop on the tough forest trails and open mountainside to the north of town. Persistent rain ahead of the race and in its early stages lead to challenging conditions; muddy trails and treacherous descending. Mercifully, the weather cleared and by the time the athletes arrived at the finish Villa la Angostura was bathed in sunshine.

Argentina’s Javier Carriqueo put the disappointment of a DNF at last week’s World Championships in Thailand behind him, taking the win in 1:12:18, ahead of Ezequiel Becerra, 1:13:47, and Gabriel Fernando Muñoz Soto, 1:14:18.

Fernanda Martinez was also just back from Thailand, having finished 58^th in the Up and Down Race. She won here in 1:27:03 with Rosa Godoy second in 1:28:09 and Andrea Changazzo rounding out the podium in 1:38:47.

Full results of all races can be found on the K42 website: https://argentina.kseries.com.ar/

K42

A sea of blue shirts gathered in the centre of town on Saturday morning as 1,234 runners prepared themselves to take on the 41.5km and 2,184m+ of K42, the weekend’s main event. A true test piece of South American mountain running, the course joins the trails of K15 with a second, higher elevation loop to the east, taking athletes across snow fields and rocky terrain well above the tree line.

In the women’s race Roxana Flores, the defending champion who also won the South American title here in 2017, emerged victorious, breaking the tape in 4:34:11. In second was Veronica Ramirez in 4:37:56 and Diana Carolina Pulido Lugo took 3rd in 4:46:59.

For Flores, it was an impressive turnaround after racing the Short Trail in Thailand last weekend, with four and a half hours of racing and a long plane trip alread in her legs. “The first 10 kilometers were quite slow, then I was able to get into a rhythm and keep going until I got to the top,” she said. “My body limited me, but on the fast trails and downhills I made the difference.”

It was a Chilean 1-2 in the men’s race as Luis Valle Barrientos took a convincing win. His time of 3:41:16 put him well clear of the rest, but the battle for the remaining podium places was tight. Barrientos’ compatriot Nicolas Ignacio Benavides won the fight for second, finishing in 3:52:07, just 38 seconds ahead of Ezequiel Alexis Pauluzak.

“Every runner knows what the Salomon K42 overall podium is: it’s THE race, it’s the quintessential mountain marathon in the country,” said Ezequiel Pauluzak. “I can’t believe it, I was second for most of the race but Nico Benavides hit me at the top. We were very close and I knew it was going to be tough until the end. I am very happy.”

Check out more photos of these spectacular races on K42’s Facebook and Instagram.

Spain will host the WMRA World Mountain Running Masters Championship for the first time in 2024.

It will be the 23rd edition of an event born back in 1998 and which just held its 2022 edition in Ireland. Canfranc will offer Uphill and Long Distance mountain races, where the best veteran mountain runners in the world, from 35 to 79 years old, will face each other off, representing their official national federation teams.

CANFRANC NOV 10, 2022- The Canfranc-Canfranc annual mountain running event continues to grow constantly, opening new frontiers for mountain and trail races in Spain. Born in June 2007 with a most demanding alpine marathon, only nineteen runners took the start then to take on one of  the hardest mountain events in Europe, climbing up to 3.000m high and covering 45k/D+4.000m.

CANFRANC-CANFRANC: FROM THE PYRENEES TO THE WORLD, SINCE 2007.

Getting the international mountain running community to share and revel on the unique spirit of Alto Aragón was not easy, but  time and its people renowned tenacity have worked a miracle step by step. Canfranc-Canfranc experienced in 2022 a new growth spurt in terms of international recognition, as it now organizes an entire three-day festival, where up to five races are held, ranging from the Uphill to the Ultra 100k, and also encompassing the Classic 16k, Marathon 45k and Ultra 75k.

In addition, Canfranc-Canfranc 2022 set new frontiers by streaming live all its five races,  from over 10 Pyrenees summits. More than 17 hours of live show were broadcasted from Friday to Sunday, featuring all races on national  Teledeporte TV, regional Aragon TV, and  its official online channel Youtube.com/Moxigeno.

This 2022 was also the second consecutive year as the double venue for the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup. In 2021 the world champions Grayson Murphy (USA) and Charlotte Morgan (GBR) won the Classic and Marathon events, this 2022 the star of the showt was the Kenyan Joyce Njeru, two-time World Cup champion who scored a double win, both in Uphill and Classic.

WORLD MOUNTAIN RUNNING MASTERS WMRA, SINCE 1998.

The Mountain Running Masters World Championship is an international competition by the athletes officially endorsed by all national Athletics federations associated with WMRA, as the world governing body of this sport since 1985. Its first edition was held in Austria (Kitzbuhel) in 1998, with specific categories for athletes of both sexes, from 35 to 75 years old.

A pioneering project that has not stopped growing step by step since then. In 2022, the event in Ireland welcomed more than 500 athletes in two events, now scoring both individually and for its countries  teams. In 2023 the Championship will be held in Madeira (Portugal), before finally traveling in 2024 for the first time to Spain.

Results World Mountain Running Masters WMRA 1998-2022

Regulations World Mountain Running Masters WMRA

SPAIN NATIONAL FEDERATION (RFEA) AND CANFRANC, TO HOST 2024

Spanish mountain runners are regular attendees at this global evento, where they strive to take top positions. Now, they will finally have the opportunity to compete as host team and thus show the natural beauty, and the technical challenges that make the Aragonese Pyrenees a world-famous spot  for Mountain Running.

Canfranc-Canfranc and national federation RFEA celebrate this joint Project as  a pioneering event for Spain, to showcase, yet once again, how  Athletics is a sport always open to all runners, regardless of origin, sex, age and fitness level. The Spanish Master Championship was already held at Canfranc back in 2021. It is now time for the top worldwide veterans of the sport to come race and celebrate at the Aragonese Pyrenees.

MORE ON  CANFRANC-CANFRANC: All social media info at #canfrancalpinultras. 

• Web: Canfranccanfranc.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/canfranccanfranc
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/canfranccanfranc
• Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/canfranccanfranc/
  
• Media phone contact: Sergio Garasa Mayayo. +34607850884

 Photos by Yhabril, Richard Bolt and Ruben Fueyo.

After the great experience of the 2022 World Cup, Valsir and the WMRA are happy to announce that their partnership will be renewed for the next two years.

Applications for the 2023 Valsir World Cup are now open

“It has been a fantastic opportunity to work with Valsir,” said Jonathan Wyatt, WMRA President from 2017 to 2021 and now World Cup Manager. “We have moved our World Cup forward with their support, with an increased emphasis on becoming a credible force in off road running. Now we can continue and increase this progress for a further 2 years and make bigger strides into supporting the World’s best mountain running races, the World’s best mountain runners and encouraging new participants to give mountain running a go. Old and new fans will have plenty of exciting action to cheer on!”

In 2022 the partnership with Valsir enabled a greater than three-fold increase in the prize money available on the World Cup, as well a doubling of the travel support for athletes. For the WMRA, increasing opportunities for athletes is at the heart of the mission to grow the World Cup and we are delighted that these things will continue in the coming seasons.

In addition, Valsir’s collaboration will allow the WMRA to make meaningful investments in supporting clean sport, with WADA-accredited anti-doping at all Gold Label World Cup races in 2023.

Wyatt continues, “The spirit of respect for sport in nature is something we share with Valsir who are based in the Northern Italian mountains and who have embraced what we do and our vision for encouraging participation through the inspiration that the events we partner with in the World Cup provide.”

By continuing to improve media and communications around the World Cup, we hope to persuade new athletes to try mountain running and experience the powerful experiences that the sport has to offer. World Cup events are all open races, which means that mountain running presents a unique opportunity for everyday runners to rub shoulders with the world’s best off-road athletes, racing in stunning locations with the passionate support of local communitues.

Mattia Gandini, director of marketing at Valsir, sees significant overlap in the values and motivations of Valsir and those who test themselves through sport: “The passion that moves and drives all runners to reach the top and push their limits – whoever they are, professional or amateur, it makes no difference – is the common value that binds WMRA and our company: aiming to improve ourselves and become better people living in a better world.

“We look forward to the 2023 season, hoping that many new participants will join the show: let’s race and have fun!”

Follow along and join the fun on social media with #ValsirWorldCup!

 Photos by Marco Gulberti.

The 39^th annual WMRA Congress took place in Chiang Mai last week, prior to the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships.

At present the WMRA has 37 Member Federations, 32 of which were in attendance at the World Championships in Thailand. Of those, 23 participated in the congress, as well as 2 observers from non-member federations, Indonesia and Mauritius.

WMRA President Tomo Šarf gave an overview of the Council’s work in the 9 months since the last Congress, held virtually in February this year. Following some difficult years, in 2022 there was a full calendar of events, including the International Under 18 Cup, World Masters Championships and a World Cup season comprising 17 races across 14 venues. The new partnership with the World Cup’s title sponsor, Valsir, has allowed an increase in prize money and travel support for athletes, as well as increased media support.

Alessio Punzi, representing World Athletics, gave a report on the collaboration between WMRA, IAU and ITRA in delivering the new combined World Mountain and Trail Running Championship.

Passion, energy, and drive of the council and delegates to the LOC of the combined World Championships is much appreciated. The steering committee – IAU, ITRA, WMRA under the support of WA, has worked well together. The hosting fee from the WC will be used to support the range of activities from the various organizations – ITRA, WMRA, and IAU. Mountain running is not yet an official WC for the WA, but there is much value in the program for commercial reason, benefits of promotion. The management of the discipline lies with the three partners presently. The anticipated success of 2022 WC and 2023 WC will lend to further discussion in the future with WA and the relationship moving forward. Trail running and mountain running combined provide elevation for off-road disciplines.

A proposal to approve Wolfgang Münzel as an Honorary Council Member received unanimous support. Wolfgang served on the council for 25 years, from 1997 to early this year, and continues to work with the WMRA, being the Technical Delegate to the World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Clonmel, Ireland earlier this year.

This year brought 2 tragic events, with the deaths of 2 ex-Council members. Adrian Woods from Great Britain, who served for many years as a Council member and even as Secretary, and Andy Puchacz from Poland, who also served on the Council for several years. However we are happy that Pierre Weiss, our long-time supporter and secretary, is getting better after having serious medical problems.

Looking forward, there was a review of the upcoming racing season, including;

• 2^nd W.M.T.R.C. in Tyrol, Austria from 6th-10th June
• 22^nd World Masters Championship, which takes on a new 2-race format, in Madeira on 16^th and 17^th September
• 16^th International U18 Mountain Running Cup in Annecy, France from May 27th-28^th
• 2023 World Cup, which shall continue to grow and evolve under the direction of the recently appointed World Cup Manager, Jonathan Wyatt.

Photo by Sergio Mayayo.

There’s a massive medal haul for Uganda on the final day of competition at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The Classic Up and Down mountain races brought the curtain down on 3 days of phenomenal racing at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand this morning.

Full results of all races can be found here.

JUNIORS 

The first races of the day were the Junior Men and Junior women, both competing over a 6.4km, 224m+ course.

Uganda dominated the Junior Men’s race, filling the podium and taking 4^th place as well for good measure; Leonard Chemutai is World Champion, Caleb Tungwet takes the silver and Denis Kiplangat the bronze, with Silas Rotich 4^th.

Finlay Grant came in 5^th, helping GB&NI to secure team bronze just one point behind France.

In the Junior Women’s race it was a 1-2 for GB&NI as Jessica Bailey lead home Rebecca Flaherty, with Italy’s Axelle Vicari in 3^rd. Bailey and Flaherty have already had international success this year, taking bronze and silver respectively at the International U18 Mountain Running Cup in Saluzzo, Italy in June.

GB&NI came away clear winners in the team competition as Ellen Weir finished 4th, with Italy comfortably second ahead of France.

SENIOR MEN

The Senior races were 11,2km, 475m+, with a steep, technical loop sandwiched by flat, fast running in and out of Chiang Mai.

Just as they did in the Junior Men’s race, Uganda set their stall out early. They were 1st through 4^th as the race left the tarmac for the trails with only Everado Moreno of Mexico willing to stick to their heels. The rest of the field were some 30m behind, Friday’s Uphill gold and silver medalists Patrick Kipngeno and Philemon Kiriago of Kenya leading the chase.

Eight kilometres later it was Samuel Kibet who emerged first from the trees, holding a 19 second advantage over his teammate Timothy Toroitich and Kipngeno who were locked together in 2^nd and 3^rd. Kipngeno faught tooth and nail, pulling away from Toroitich and narrowing the gap to the leader, but it wasn’t enough.

Kibet swept across the line to take the title, the 6^th for a Ugandan Senior man in the last 8 World Championships. Kipngeno was 10 seconds behind, becoming the first double medalist in the new expanded Championship format. Toroitich held on for bronze ahead of his teammates Leonard Chemonges and Eliud Cherop in 4^th and 5^th. Spain’s Andreu Blanes came agonisingly close to breaking the African monpoly on the top 5, giving up the chase on Cherop just metres from the line.

Athletes flooded in, with desperate sprint finishes the norm well beyond the podium positions. The depth was remarkable, with the first 22 all coming in within ten percent of Kibet’s winning time.

Uganda were, obviously, runaway winners in the team competition. Spain took silver with Blanes 6^th, Oriol Cardona 8^th and Alejandro Garcia 15^th, with Italy just a single point behind; Alberto Vender 7^th, Cesare Maestri 9^th and Xavier Chevrier 14^th.

SENIOR WOMEN

The theme of the day continued in the final race of the Championship; the entire Ugandan team of Rispa Cherop, Rebecca Cheptegei and Annet Chelangat Chemengenich pushed the pace from the gun with only Saturday’s Uphill World Champion Allie McLaughlin able to hang on.

With the precedent of the Junior and Senior Men’s races it was just a question of which of the Ugandan women would take the title. Rebecca Cheptegei flew into the race’s final kilometre with a 20 second gap over her teammate Annet Chelangat Chemengich. Cheptegei looked as smooth on the run in as she had on the run out and was jubilant as she tore across the finish line, flag in hand, to become the 2^nd Ugandan woman to win a mountain running World Championship.

Annet Chelangat Chemengich was no less ecstatic in 2^nd and the pair had time pose for the cameras before McLaughlin came in to take bronze, the second medal in a remarkable weekend for the American.

Romania’s Monica Florea, bleeding from both knees, came in 4^th, just as she did on Friday’s Uphill. She may be frustrated to have missed out on a medal but Florea has confirmed herself as one of the strongest, most consistent performers in mountain running. So too has GB&NI’s Scout Adkin, who finished just a few seconds further back in 5^th.

With Rispa Cherop unable to finish, the door was open for someone else to claim the team title. That someone else was Switzerland, adding to the two sets of team medals that they took in the Uphill race on Friday; Judith Wyder 6^th, Maude Mathys 13^th and Rea Iseli 15^th.

Not far behind were GB&NI, with Adkin followed by Holly page in 8^th and Naomi Lang in 25^th. U.S.A. put the finishing touch to a tremendous championship with bronze, Rachel Tomajczyk in 19^th and Corey Dowe in 23^rd backing up McLaughlin’s 3^rd.

LOOKING FORWARD TO INNSBRUCK-STUBAI

It’s been 3 days of sensational off-road running in Chiang Mai, with athletes from 6 continents, medals won by 13 different countries and the crowning of 10 individual World Champions. But this is only the beginning and already thoughts turn to the future! Next year the championship heads to Europe and the spectacular trails of the Austrian Alps.

The 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships will take place in Innsbruck-Stubai, Austria from 6th-10th of June! We’ll see you there.

Photos by Marco Gulberti, see more here.