Tag: World Long Distance Championships

Cancellation of 2020 World Championships

Written by Tomo Sarf on 02/09/2020. Posted in Latest News.

We are sad to bring you the following announcement from WMRA President Jonathan Wyatt about this year’s World Mountain Running Championships and World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships in Lanzarote.

“It is of course a difficult thing to take away the World Championships this year but in the end the decision to do it was not difficult. We have to make sure that our sports event does not contribute to any sort of worsening of the global pandemic we are facing and we have not seen a big enough improvement to take away these doubts. Therefore, together with our friends in the organisation team (Arista events), the local Haria government on Lanzarote and the Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA) we have decided that this is the best action to take.

We do feel sorry we can not provide a competition in 2020 for our athletes and their chance to shine on a world stage. It is regrettable that our Mountain Running community and family can not meet and share the experiences together that we have grown to love over the past 36 years of WMRA competitions.

I would like to thank everyone on the team who have worked so hard during the past 12 months on this event including WMRA’s own technical delegates to the event Tomo Sarf and Sergio Mayayo. We encourage every mountain runner to enjoy running while respecting safe social distancing practices and the regulations in your area.”

News On The World Mountain Running Championships 2020

Written by Tomo Sarf on 01/05/2020. Posted in Latest News.

Here’s a statement from Haria Extreme Lanzarote, hosts for this November’s World Mountain Running Championships:

“In an especially tough year, focusing on our passion and staying positive is something that helps us to maintain our mood, our mental health and our physical health. 2020 has not started as expected, but we want to end it in a very special way with an amazing World Mountain Running Championship.

This is why we are working hard and full of hope, keeping in mind that we have a spectacular objective for November. Trusting that the health situation is normalized by then, the 36th World Mountain Running Championships – Haría -Lanzarote – Spain – on November 13th and 14th 2020 will become a powerful race for the season ending and most likely the only off-road world championship in the year.

This event will land for the first time in Spain, and it will be held in the wonderful town of Haría, located in the north of Lanzarote, a volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean. The organization has stayed on track to offer an unforgettable event and has already confirmed with the WMRA some of the most relevant matters for the World Championships: courses, logistics, ceremonies, the closure party… Everything is getting ready for this unique event for the island.

The distances and routes offered for Haría – Lanzarote – Spain, Nov. 2020 will be exactly the same for the Mountain Running World Championships and for the Open race after adjusting them for 2020. On the morning of Friday, November 13th, the classic race of the World Championships will be held, a race with a predominantly uphill course that will be divided into two distances: 5 kilometers for juniors and 12 kilometers for seniors.

The 5 kilometer event will host the World Championship junior category and will have an Open event called HXL 5. The race will start from the town of Haría and has the finish line at Peñas del Chache.

Alongside this, the 12 kilometer race will host the Classic World Mountain Running Championship and in its Open modality it will give any participant the opportunity to run the same course, with the start in Caleta de Famara and the finish line in Peñas del Chache.

For Saturday, November 14th, one of the greatest highlights of the year will be with the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championship, which will use the traditional route of the Haría Extreme Lanzarote Marathon with the lava climbing on the way to Guinate as an iconic image of the race.

This special event which will have a big party for an unforgettable ending and which will give the chance to the athletes and delegations to discover the unique island of Lanzarote.”

From the WMRA side we can see that the organisation team are on schedule where the local Covid-19 pandemic situation for them fortunately has only very lightly touched their area. They have been able to contain it so far allowing the work to continue on organising the events. WMRA will of course keep abreast of any restrictions that may still affect travel or the hosting of the championships over these coming weeks and months.

Find more information about the 2020 World Championship courses and schedule HERE.

Walmsley and Simion Crowned World Champions at the Long Distance

Written by Tomo Sarf on 16/11/2019. Posted in Latest News.

The World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships enjoyed better weather than the classic distance the day before. The sun shone, but a nice cool Patagonian breeze stopped it from being too hot.

The men’s and women’s fields started together from the centre of Villa La Angostura, with a road section, before heading north along a dirt track and into the forest. The first 2.5k were quite flat, but then it started to climb up through the forest, becoming steep in places. The runners had to endure a fairly high river crossing twice, which proved tricky for some.

The second part of the course then took runners on a long but gradual climb up to the Cerro Bayo ski station, and then the really hard work began. The long, steep and arduous climb up to the summit of Cerro Bayo. A tough snow section at the top must have been energy sapping, then once they reached the summit they had a technical ridge section to deal with on tired legs. This then led onto a faster, very runnable path, taking them down to the street which headed to the finish line.

Both the men’s and women’s races were fast at the front. Jim Walmsley struck out into an early lead but he never really opened much of a gap on Francesco Puppi. The next few positions in the men’s race constantly changed, with Hayden Hawks, Oriol Cardona and Jonathan Albon, making it a thrilling race to follow. For the women Blandine L’Hirondel was the early leader, with Ayde Lozoya behind and Sara Willhoit of Great Britain up there, along with Adeline Roche and Cristina Simion. It was all to play for in both races.

Approaching the second half of the course Jim Walmsley still looked comfortable, though he wasn’t able to open a gap of more than a minute on Puppi. By the time they reached the summit of Cerro Bayo they were almost together. It would all come down to who was the better descender. Behind them the race for 3^rd place was still on. In the women’s race Cristina Simion had now taken the lead, with Adeline Roche in 2^nd place and Blandine L’Hirondel, but they were all close. Again, the descent was going to decide the race.

Jim Walmsley’s speed allowed him to maintain the lead once they hit the flat and he eventually won in 3.12.16, though Puppi never gave up chasing and he was close behind in 3.13.04. They had opened up a gap on the chasing bunch and Oriol Cardona completed the podium in 3.20.24.

Likewise, Cristina Simion couldn’t be caught in the women’s race, and she brought home the gold in 3.49.57. She looked completely overwhelmed with the victory and it clearly meant a lot to her. There was then a 2 minute gap back to Adeline Roche, who took the silver in 3.51.56. Blandine L’Hirondel completed the women’s podium in 3.52.07.

It was a hugely exciting and successful day for mountain running. Patagonia showed that it has a bit of everything for runners, which made for a stunning backdrop for these thrilling races.

Race Website Results: http://www.wmrch2019.com.ar

World Mountain Running Championships Preview

Written by Tomo Sarf on 09/11/2019. Posted in Latest News.

The World Mountain Running Championships and World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships are being held together at Villa La Angostura on 15^th and 16^th November. The best mountain runners in the world, juniors and seniors, will take on the stunning courses in Patagonia. 450 runners are expected from 42 countries.

On Friday 16^th the junior men will set off at 9.45am and the junior women at 10.15am. They will race over a route of 6.6k with 393 metres of ascent. Then at 11.45am the senior men’s race will start, and the women’s at 12.15pm. The seniors course is up and down this year, on a 14k course with 754 metres of ascent.

On Saturday 17^th it’s all about the long distance race. They set off at 8.40am on a 41.5k route, which has 2,184m of ascent.

Find out more about both race routes here http://www.wmra.info/news/latest-news-from-the-wmra/769-two-weeks-to-go-to-the-world-championships

All the events have incredible fields and we are certain to see some really exciting racing. We will mention just a few of the runners to watch (based on the start lists available at the moment).

Women’s senior race

The 2019 World Cup winner, Sarah McCormack, will be running for Ireland. After a very successful season, where she won the Snowdon Race and was second at the MaXi Race, Drei Zinnen and Smarna Gora, she must be one of the favourites. She will face strong competition from many women. Firstly, the World Cup winner from 2017 and 2018 (second this year), Lucy Murigi, proved that she will be a contender, winning Smarna Gora a few weeks ago in a thrilling race with McCormack.

Sarah Tunstall of GB will also be a favourite, having finished 3^rd in the world championships in 2017 and having won Grossglockner and Drei Zinnen this year. Her compatriot Emmie Collinge must also be one to watch. She was 2^nd in the world championships in 2015 and won the European Mountain Running Championships the following year.

Other women to watch include Italy’s Elisa Sortini and Alice Gaggi, France’s Elise Poncet and Grayson Murphy, who won the US trial.

Men’s senior race

The men’s World Cup winner, Andrew Douglas, will also be in Villa La Angostura, and will be among the favourites, having had an incredible 2019 season. Joe Gray won the US trials and as 2016 world champion and 17 time national champion, he must also be one to watch. Ireland’s Zak Hannah, who finished 6^th in the World Cup this year, will also be a strong competitor, as will Slovenia’s Timotej Becan, who finished 5^th.

The Italian team is strong as ever with Xavier Chevrier, Luca Cagnati and Casare Maestri among others who could well feature in the top 10. The French team is also very strong with Julien Rancon and Alexandre Fine. The Kenyan team contains Robert Panin Surum and Timothy Kimutai Kirui, who could feature.

Other runners to watch include Hans-Peter Innerhofer of Austria and GB’s Jacob Adkin, this year’s European Champion, is a favourite to be up there.

Women’s long distance race

Over the longer distance the women’s race should also be really exciting. One of the most interesting athletes to watch will be Laura Dahlmeier of Germany, who has famously swapped an incredibly successful career as a biathlete for mountain running. France’s Blandin L’hirondel won this year’s Trail World Championships, so it will be interesting to see how that translates to mountain running. Judith Wyder of Switzerland should also be a strong favourite, having had a hugely successful season in Skyrunning. Her compatriot Maude Mathys will also be a strong contender.

Spain are fielding a very strong team, with Sheila Aviles (who was 3^rd at this year’s Trail World Championships) and Azara Garcia de los Salmones (4^th at the Trail World Championships, 2^nd at this year’s OCC), among others expected to feature.

Other runners to watch include Italy’s Sylvia Rampazzo, Adeline Roche of France, Kellie Emmerson of Australia,

Men’s long distance race

The men’s long distance race has had a couple of big names pull out – Luis Alberto Hernando of Spain and GB’s Tom Evans – but it still has plenty of incredible athletes. The 2019 World Trail Champion Jonathan Albon from GB will be among the favourites, as will Italy’s Francesco Puppi. But it’s perhaps the US team which has aroused the most interest. Jim Walmsley, Hayden Hawks and Mario Mendoza are strongly expected to feature in the race.

Other runners to watch include Switzerland’s Stephan Wenk, GB’s Seb Batchelor and France’s Nicolas Martin.

Junior races

The junior races will be hotly contested and the future of mountain running is looking very bright. Among the runners are the British junior Joe Dugdale, who won this year’s European championships, and Joslin Blair of the US, who won the 2018 WMRA International U18 Mountain Running Championships.

Follow all the action from the championships on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Two Weeks To Go To The World Championships!

Written by Tomo Sarf on 01/11/2019. Posted in Latest News.

The World Mountain Running Championships and World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships are fast approaching – they take place on the 15^th and 16^th November.

In just two weeks the world’s best mountain runners will be in Villa La Angostura in Argentina, contesting the World Mountain Running Championships and World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships.

There are three events taking place: the junior and senior World Championship races on Friday 15^th and the World Long Distance race on Saturday 16^th . The courses are based around the K42 Adventure Marathon course and take in some stunning highlights of the Province of Neuquen in Patagonia.

The juniors will race over a route of 6.6k with 393 metres of ascent. The course will initially take them north into the forest with a steep and technical climb. When it reaches the highest point of the race (1246 metres) the runners turn south and begin a steep descent. They will then have to contend with a stream crossing (with ropes), before a fast, runnable descent on a wide path all the way down to the finish.

The seniors World Mountain Running Championships will take place over a 14k course with 754 metres of ascent. They will start in the streets of Villa La Angostura and head north along a dirt track and into the forest. The first 2.5k are quite flat, but then it starts to climb up through the forest and becomes steep and technical. This is followed by a section of technical descent, before the runners head to the Inacayal Waterfall, then start to descend again on a faster path. This takes them down to the street which heads to the finish line.

The World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships takes place the next day and the course is 41.5k with 2,184m of ascent. Again, it starts in the streets of Villa La Angostura and then starts a climb on forest tracks. It climbs steadily until around 7k, then there’s a long, fast descent. The middle section is generally flatter, but with some technical sections and a creek crossing, then the big climb begins just after 20k. This long climb will take the runners up to the summit of Cerro Bayo at 1785 metres, where they will be in snow. They will then begin a long and fast descent, mainly on dirt tracks, back down to Villa La Angostura.

Countries who will take part include the USA, Kenya, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, France and Spain, who have all featured heavily in this year’s World Cup. So competition will be fierce.

The courses look fantastic and varied and should test any runner. The championships are going to be really exciting and we look forward to bringing you all the news as it happens live from Patagonia. Follow our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for updates.

See what happened at last year’s ‘warm-up race’ at the K42.

WORLD MOUNTAIN RUNNING ASSOCIATION