No extra surprises on the World Mountain Running Scene: Mayr and Muthoni winners.
09/06/2014
“Almost 200 runners form 12 countries took part on the first race of the 16 WMRA World Cup running an excellent and challenging course at Bludenz (AUT).
The running conditions were good for the runners, maybe just too hot forthis part of the year when the runners are not used to the summer heath yet.
Austrian doctor Andrea Mayrdominated at the first stage of the Mountain Running World Cup. Andrea left heropponents behind soon after the start and joined the second group of the men.Her advantage was growing from kilometre to kilometre and was at the finish 2minutes before the second and unbelievable 5 minutes before the third. Hersuccess is not a surprise – in her long and reach sport career she got 6 goldmedals at World and European Championships (mostly in uphill events, also ECh2013), she was also the WMRA Grand Prix winner in 2010. Besides she is anexcellent steeple chess and marathon runner. With this convincing victory sheannounced her attack to the next gold world&rsquo,s medal.
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“In the men&rsquo,s race the situation was not too easy for the winner.
A small group headed by Alex Baldaccini from Italy, who finished second at European Champs and WMRA Grand Prix 2013, separated in the middle part of the course. At km seven, 1,5km and 300m elevation to the finish, they got small advantage of 15 seconds. The three chasers were nearby at this point, where the real race begins &ndash, this past part is a real mounting running on a steep, narrow trail.
In the last 500m Kenyan runner Simon Muthoni, who is running for Austrian club Run2gether, squeezed some more energy from his body and crossed the finish line 23 seconds before the more experienced Italian Runner.
The organizers, chaired by local mountain running enthusiast Hubert Rö,dhammer, celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Muttersberglauf on the new designed course. It starts in the old city centre, after 1km the already steep road turns across the beautiful meadows to the forest. Nice narrow trails parts are exchanging with the road from km 1 &ndash, km 3. The middle part of the course follows the macadam road with stabile 10% gradient and the last 1,8km of almost 9km long course with 1150 elevation is on picturesque trail with beautiful vies to the Bludenz Valley and surroundings more than 3000 metres high peaks dominated by 3312m high Piz Buin in famous Silvretta group.
The organizers have done great job &ndash, the organisation was excellent in all parts including the victory ceremony, where new named World Cup was promoted in a good way.
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Edited from Tomo Sarf (WMRA
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Source of the pictures:
on front page (by Tomo Sarf):
- ,Andrea Mayr on the track, ,
on second page (by Tomo Sarf):
– Baldaccini in front of Muthoni during the race.
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