Countdown to Smarna Gora Race
Our next Valsir Mountain Running World Cup race is the Smarna Gora Race on 7th October. This is a silver label event, which is our next classic mountain race and it’s a race steeped in history.
For over 40 years the Smarna Gora Race has provided the setting for some incredibly competitive racing. In 2020 it was voted the Greatest Mountain Race of All Time in a WMRA poll and it has been included as a World Cup race more than 20 times.
The race takes place on the outskirts of the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. It may not be in the high mountains – the highest summit, Grmada, stands at just 676m above sea level and less than 400m above the city below – but the area is stunning and perfect for running.
The event starts on Friday night (6th October) with the Smarna Gora Record, an associate member partner race for the World Cup. This is a fast and furious race of 1.85k
with 360m of ascent, taking the most direct route from the start in Tacen to the top of the hill. The records for this race are 12.36 for the women (set by Andrea Mayr in 2022) and 10.59 for the men (Filimon Abraham, 2020).
Then the following day it’s the Smarna Gora Race. At 10k with 710m+ and 350m-, the course is a blend of tough climbs, fast running and technical trails. The summit of Grmada is reached first, just after the 4 kilometre mark, before a 2 kilometre descent brings the runners back down to begin the final climb, spiraling anti-clockwise around the mountain to finish outside the Gostilna Ledinek inn at the summit.
Andrea Mayr holds the record for the women, 47:50 set in 2017 in the fastest of her 7 wins (the first of which was in 2008). The men’s record is from 2012, when Alex Baldaccini just pipped Azerya Teklay in a photo finish, with both athletes recording 41:32. This year, as ever, there are some strong contenders.
In the women’s race Susanna Saapunki (FIN), who is currently lying in 6th place in the women’s World Cup standings after strong results at La Montee du Nid d’Aigle and Vertical Nasego and a win at Primiero Dolomiti Trail last weekend, is a favourite, but she will face strong competition from hotly tipped Adela Vetcha (CZE), Lydia Van Vleet (USA) and some strong Slovenian athletes.
For the men, Remi Leroux (CAN) is having a great season, with second places at the Canfranc vertical uphill race and Montemuro Vertical Run, and will be among the favourites. He is currently sitting in fourth place in the men’s World Cup standings with 138 points. Liam Meirow (USA) could be one to watch, as could Lengen Lolkurraru (KEN). There are some strong Italian runners too, including Michael Galassi and Isaaco Costa, and last year’s winner, Timotej Becan (SLO), can’t be discounted.
There is a financial incentive for breaking the current course record: €250 plus €10 for every second under the old record. The race website features a search engine with full results of both the Record and Šmarna Gora races, searchable by year, nationality, gender, position.
Current World Cup standings
With the points removed from runners who have done more than six races it’s Joyce Muthoni Njeru (KEN) and Philemon Kiriago (KEN) who lead, with 280 and 250 points respectively. For the women Philaries Kisang (KEN) is second with 195 points, Andrea Mayr (AUT) with 190, Lucy Murigi (KEN) with 160 and Scout Adkin (GBR) just behind with 156. For the men Patrick Kipngeno (KEN) is just behind Kiriago with 230 points, then Joe Steward (GBR) is third with 140, then Remi Leroux (CAN) with 138 and Andrea Rostan (ITA) with 106. It’s going to be an exciting final few races here at Smarna Gora and then at Gran Canaria. See full results and standings here: World_Cup_Results.pdf (wmra.info)
Follow the race
Smarna Gora Record starts at 4.50pm (women) and 5.10pm (men) on Friday 6th October
Smarna Gora Race starts at 10.10am (men and women) on Saturday 7th October.
Live tracking will be available at //www.youtube.com/@timingljubljana6770“>Timing Ljubljana – YouTube
athletes took the lead, then Henri Aymonod from Valle D’Aosta, winner of the Overall Cup ranking in 2021, opened the gas in the direction of Sante Caterine where the GPM was located. At the first passage of Fiera di Primiero, the Kenyan Lengen Lolkurraru was first, behind Chevrier and Aymonod and the other Kenyan Timothy Kimutai Kiriu controlled the situation. The big jolt came from two-time world champion Chevrier who, unleashed, took the lead. A perfect push on his boots and an impeccable technical action allowed the star from Valle d’Aosta to gain immediately a good margin. Behind him, the race was very close between Aymonod, the Canadian Remi Leroux and Alberto Vender from Trentino. The Kenyans, who perhaps started too strongly, lost some ground, while the experienced Alex Baldaccini, Michael Galassi and Liam Meirow came up. 
The women’s race was more or less similar: Finland’s Susanna Saapunki took the reins of the race straight away, edging out the Kenyan favourite Lucy Murigi, England’s Sara Willhoit and the newly crowned Italian champion Vivien Bonzi. The multi-sport athlete Saapunki, who is as fast on the run as she is on the narrow skis, stretched out on the last lap, with the Kenyan Murigi suffering a 10-second delay, followed by a brilliant Bonzi, who wanted to be part of the games at all costs. Susanna Saapunki literally pulled away, celebrating at the finish line after 51′ of the race. 1’33” behind for the experienced Murigi, while Sara Willhoit completed the podium. Slipping off the podium was the Italian Bonzi, who suffered an attack by the Briton in the final.
with Murigi (pictured, credit Marco Gulberti) five minutes behind. At this point Magliano was 90 seconds behind Murigi, so the race for second and third was still very much alive, even if the victory seemed in little doubt. Behind them lay Bel Calero (ESP), Cotton and Ainara Alcuaz (ESP).
At the summit of La Moleta it was still all very close. Leroux hit the summit first, in 1.03.49, but Osanz was right on his heels. Behind them there was a gap of just under a minute to Hernandez (pictured, credit Marco Gulberti) and then a small gap of 20 seconds to Marcelo Goncalves (POR), with Adil Moussaoui (MOR) just behind. A further minute behind lay Alric Petit (FRA) and Ondrej Fejfar (CZE). It was all going to come down to the technical and slippery descent.
Applications for the Athletes Commission Candidacy will be accepted from 21st August 2023 to 21st September.
Sierre Zinal is an iconic race in so many ways. It was first run in 1974 and men and women have always raced over the same distance here. Over the years it has seen some epics duels between the greats of the sport, with the list of winners reading like an international who’s who of mountain running. But perhaps the most iconic aspect of all is the route.
combines great climbing ability (she won Zegama in 2022) with speed on the flat (her marathon PB is 2.22). Our runner-up from last year, Philaries Kisang (KEN) is having a great season with a second place in the uphill race at the World Championships, a second at La Montee du Nid d’Aigle and a third place at Fletta Trail. The runner-up from 2019, Judith Wyder (SUI), will also be on the start line, having recently won Dolomyths.
Philemon Kiriago (KEN) was 5th here last year and is having a very successful year, with a win at Fletta Trail and 2nd places at La Montee du Nid d’Aigle, Piz Tri Vertical and the classic race at the World Championships. Likewise Remi Bonnet (SUI) is in form, having won the Mont Blanc Marathon this year and placed 4th at Zegama. He was 8th here in 2022. Davide Magnini (ITA) was 5th at his last attempt at Sierre Zinal in 2021 and he’s had 2nd places at Mont Blanc and Zegama in the meantime, so could well be one to watch. Robert Pkemoi (KEN) will also be exciting to follow here, having finished 6th in 2022 and having also achieved a 5th place at Zegama this year.
Excitingly, Njeru and Kisang were neck-and-neck almost the whole race. Coming up to the timing point at the 12km point it was Kisang who just edged it, with a small lead of just 11 seconds over Njeru. At that point Saapunki was two and a half minutes behind them in third, with Murigi 90 seconds further back, then another 90 seconds to L’Hirondel. But we knew this could all change over the second half of the race.
The men’s race was quite different to the women’s in that Kipngeno opened a lead early on. By the timing point he had stretched out a lead of 2.20 over Kiriago in second. At the point it was an all-Kenyan top three with Kirui sitting 80 seconds behind Kiriago. But Chevrier and Angermund were right on Kirui’s heels and the main battle looked for third in the race.
Also on the start line were Elisa Sortini (ITA), 2020 winner; Sara Bottarelli (ITA), 2016 winner; Susanna Saapunki (FIN); Alessia Scaini (ITA); Norwegian Eli Anne Dvergsdal, former winner of Zegama; Vivien Bonzi (ITA); Andie Cornish (USA), Sarah Carter (USA), Lucy Murigi (KEN), Emma Clayton (GBR) and Maddalena Somà (ITA). This was quite some line-up!
Malonno. And the race for third was still very open with six athletes (Kisang, Florea, Adkin, Saapunki, Murigi and Bottarelli) still very much in with a chance. 
From the start Kiriago seemed determined to better his second place from 2022 and he struck out in the lead. But try as he might the gap to the next few places remained narrow for the first half of the race. He was chased hard by Abraham, Cachard, and then an ever-changing group close together including Steward, Maestri, Filosi and Rota. At this point it seemed as though the men’s and women’s races were playing out in a similar way and it was all going to come down to that long, fast downhill to Malonno.
But the depth of the women’s field was such that any number of runners could have made that podium. Scout Adkin (GBR) was coming into the race straight off a 
Last year’s runner-up, Philemon Kiriago (KEN), who was seventh in the recent vertical uphill race at the World Championships, and took silver in the classic race there, would certainly be a runner to watch. But with a field that also included Henri Aymonod of Italy, (third at the Broken Arrow VK, third here last year), Joe Steward of Great Britan (tenth in the uphill race at the World Championships), Timotej Becan (SLO), Filimon Abraham (GER) and Sylvain Cachard (FRA), this was going to be quite a race.
By the end of this weekend, which is a double header in Malonno with Fletta Trail tomorrow, we may well see some big changes in the World Cup standings. After today’s race the main changes are that Scout Adkin is now in the joint lead with Anna Gibson in the women’s competition with 90 points, and Andrea Rostan moves into the lead in the men’s competition with 75 points. Henri Aymonod loses his lead but remains in a close second. Joyce Njeru moves up to third place and Andrea Mayr ties on 50 points with Allie McLaughlin and Sara Willhoit, while Kipngeno starts his World Cup campaign to tie with Alexandre Ricard and Eli Hemming on 50 points. But everything could change after Fletta Trail tomorrow!