Not only is this the first time that this great international event will be held in the Pyrenees and in Spain, but the World Masters Mountain Running Championship in Canfranc already has 1,200 athletes registered, representing more than 30 countries, surpassing all historical records since the tournament was founded in 2001, and there is still a week left to take part in this great event. It will be held from 13 to 15 September.

©Jose Miguel Muñoz

Since 2001, the World Masters Mountain Running Championship has welcomed veteran mountain runners, aged between 35 and 79, who wish to share a few days discovering together great mountain routes around the world and, of course, to compete against each other representing their country.

The championship is contested with an open formula, competing. Athletes by block categories of 5 years of age, with no other additional requirement than to register for the event through its official website canfranc2024wmmrc.com and to be federated in athletics in any country in the world. As of today, it is still possible to sign up for the Championships taking advantage of the last available places.

Canfranc takes over from the World Masters held in Madeira 2023, which brought together 450 athletes from all over the world in the Portuguese islands.

Historically, the highest participation achieved in the more than 20 years of history of the World Veterans Championship took place in 2012 when Germany gathered 1018 participants. Therefore, the success of this WMMRC 2024 is a source of pride for the whole Pyrenees, with milestones such as eight south american federations crossing the Atlantic to compete in the mountains of Spain.

WORLD MASTERS PROGRAMME 2024

UPHILL

A unique ascent to Larraca via a spectacular forest trail. The route reaches the best viewpoint in the Canfranc Valley, and once at the finish line, much of the Pyrenees and France can be seen.

More information: https://canfranc2024wmmrc.com/esp.uphill6K.html

CLASSIC

17 kilometres that will take the athletes to discover and visit one of the most important forest works in the world. With 1,050 metres of positive ascent, they will reach one of the best views of the Canfranc Valley: “Buenavista”. From there, it’s all downhill to the finish line, a fast and impressive descent through the forest.

More information: https://canfranc2024wmmrc.com/esp.classic17K.html

LONG DISTANCE

A race that runs along both sides of the Los Arañones mountain. Its highest points include the Buenavista refuge and the Estiviellas pass. Athletes will have 8 hours to cover the 34 kilometres and 1,900 metres of positive elevation gain, with the highest point of the race being the Buenavista refuge at 2,162 metres.

More information: https://canfranc2024wmmrc.com/esp.longdistance34K.html

Behind the entire organisation are the people of Canfranc, the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation, and the World Mountain Running Association, who are joining forces to create an unforgettable experience.

Alex Varela, WMMRC 2024 director together with Sarah Rowell, WMRA technical delegate WMMRC 2024

CANFRANCCANFRANC: A PIONEER IN MOUNTAIN RACES

The Canfranc World Masters Mountain Running Championships will also feature a historic mountain running programme. It will be the first time that the World Masters Championships will host the three WMRA Mountain Running modalities, with Uphill (6km), Classic (17km) and LongDistance (34km) races. The Aragonese proposal is based on the confidence and solidity of a project backed by a long experience in the organisation of sporting events such as the CanfrancCanfranc, with 17 editions behind it, and which has already hosted three editions of the World Cup and several Spanish Championships, both absolute and for veterans and juniors.

The organisation of the World Masters 2024 combines sport, culture and nature. Canfranc is fully aware that technical excellence is an essential requirement for organising an international competition such as the World Masters. With this in mind, the courses have been carefully planned, taking into account the international requirements as reflected in several field inspections, while offering the experience of running in a unique environment.

The municipal effort to maintain the Canfranc Canfranc popular mountain races (6-8SEP) as a prologue to the celebration of the World Masters (13-15SEP), means that in 2024 there will be no less than 2,600 mountain runners, as well as their families and friends, who will have the opportunity to walk and make their own the more than 500 km of marked trails in the mountains of Canfranc-Pyrenees.

A network based on the recovery of the local historical and natural heritage, which is now signposted and available to all visitors any day of the year from the Espacio Trail Canfranc website. This model is a successful fusion of environmental education, mountain races and sustainable development for the whole of the Jacetania region of Huesca.

CANFRANCPIRINEOS, A MODEL OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SINCE 1911

Canfranc is a world example of mutual reinforcement and improvement between man and nature. Its mayor Fernando Sánchez reminds us that: “From 1911 to the present day, Canfranc has provided the Pyrenees with more than twelve million trees in its mountains, as part of the legacy of the forestry engineer Benito Ayerbe for the creation of the international station. As well as places of great beauty such as the splendid Ibón de Ip in the heights. All this is living testimony to 113 years of sustainable development in Canfranc, a corner of Upper Aragon that is today a model for international study”.

These sports projects for Canfranc are part of an uninterrupted tradition of sustainable municipal development since the inauguration of its iconic International Station on 18 July 1928, the annual recreation of which was the star of a Belle Epoque festival a few weeks ago, celebrating an architecture as beautiful as it is harmonious, perfectly integrated into the valley.