Author: Hector Rubio

Athletes and spectators are readying themselves for a fabulous 10 days competition from June 1-10 in Innsbruck

If you’re lucky enough to be in Innsbruck in early June, you’ll hear everyone telling you: “Ready, steady, trail run!” The excitement really is ramping up for an intense week of racing that will see the latest world champions crowned.

As we’ve reported, teams from around the world have started to name their squads for the World Champs, but what really makes this an event to remember is that it’s truly a festival of off-road running where runners of every level can take part in the races on the programme.

10 days of action

It all starts with the adidas TERREX Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Festival (IATF) on the 1-4^th June, which is open to all levels of runners – from trail running novices to experienced runners. Then it’s the big one, the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships 2023 from 6-10.

Further information: www.innsbruckalpine.at and www.innsbruck-stubai2023.com

Four years since winning his last mountain title Andy Good of Canterbury came out on top after traversing Mount Maunganui in hot conditions to win the national mountain running title. Sarah Douglas retained the women’s title and ruled supreme for a second year, reports Jack Snedden. 

This year’s course was unique to previous others, being held in the city to help grow the sport and increase popularity. However, despite these changes the course was just as tough with the hot conditions proving too much for some.

In the men’s senior race, runner up from last year, Toby Batchelor, of Pakuranga set the early pace from Michael Sutton of Tauranga, Good and Wellington’s Niam Macdonald. Mid way through the 11.6km up and down 710m climb Good was in control leading Sutton and Batchelor and placings remained the same to the finish. Good clocked in at 49:39, a minute ahead of Sutton with Batchelor recording 52:34. Good was proud of his achievement, “it would have been the hardest technical race that I’ve ever come out on in front of so I’m proud right now. It was damn hot to be honest, the first two climbs we were just back and forth amongst the three of us.”

Sarah Douglas retained the women’s title over the same course in 59:11 from Maia Flint of Wellington who ran 60:31, Kerry White of Wellington 60:57 and Andrea Peat of Wellington 65:28.

Douglas said that she didn’t know going into the race how she would go, “I prefer the all up hill, but today I felt pretty strong on the downhill. I probably went a bit harder on the first lap than I intended on doing, but I felt really good so I decided just to roll with it and hope that I would hang on okay.”

With the scenic Mount Maunganui as the backdrop for the mountain running championships, and the sun beating down, the weather played a key role in race outcomes. “The heat played a major factor today and with the up down format makes it really interesting being able to run hard up-hill after banging your head on the downhill makes it a really tactical race,” said Sarah Douglas.

In the shorter and faster junior races, Bella Earl took the junior women’s title, adding another national title following a triumph in the national Under 18 cross country won in 2021. The 17 year old from Owairaka led all the way tackling the 410m uphill with plenty of energy to hold a 10 second lead.

With the experience gained from competing at the recent world cross country championships in Australia Earl flew down the downhill to compete the 6.6km in 33:56. Defending champion Siena Mackley of Queenstown rallied on the descent but was unable to make ground on Earl and finished a minute and a half behind in second. Stella Hammond of Oratia was third in 36:26 and Boh Ritchie of Hamilton fourth in 38:01. Earl found it really hard but enjoyable, “it was hard on the up-hill but fun and there were such good views on the way,” she said.

Benjamin Rickerby of Auckland City Athletics successfully defended his junior men’s title, coming from behind to win the 6.6km up and down in 28:48. Jack Snedden of Oratia followed in 30:10, with early leader Josh Jordan of Trentham third in 30:54 ahead of Hamilton’s Louie Endres 31:06. Rickerby was content to settle at the rear of a leading group of four led by Jordan, Snedden and Endres. “I started out with the leading group of four and then used the technical downhill pass them on the first loop. I’m over the moon, two times national champ now,” Rickerby added.

Matthew Parsonage of Lake City Rotorua was the first master in 29:56 from compatriot Carl Fischer 31:30.

Athletics NZ are also sending a strong 12 person team to the World Mountain Champs to be held in Austria in June 6-10. The team contains 8 runners from Thailand’s champs last year.

*Pic: The leaders start the first climb, Tauranga Ramblers

With a little more than 50 days to go to the championships, WMRA council member Sarah Rowell and President Tomo Sarf checked out the course for June’s World Champs this week.

The working group spent a few days inspecting the course and confirm what everybody has reported so far – it’s perfect and will provide a fabulous test for the best runners in the world

Jonathan Wyatt, the seven-time World Mountain Running Champion and the former WMRA said: “When I heard that Innsbruck-Stubai would be hosting the WMTRC 2023, I thought: Wow, that’s perfect for our sport.”

Sarah Rowell, the technical delegate said: “Judging by everything I have seen so far I can definitely say that the organizational efforts are top-notch. They are doing a great job in promoting the sports beyond the mountain and trail running community, which is where Innsbruck has a very positive effect.”

Sarah, Tomo and Simon von Hubatius – LOC race director – checked the courses around Neustift in Stubaital, where is the start of the uphill race and the long trail race and the finish of the short trail race. The officials walked the uphill course and the last 8km of the short trail (descent to Neustift) which is also the one of the steep uphill parts of the long trail.

There was still lots of snow in the upper parts of the courses, but the WMRA representatives got a feeling how the courses look like in details.

Here are some impressions from the visit: on the

Uphill course; Trail short & long, climbing the steep trails in the first 3,5km to the water station at 5,2km. Still snow on the ground in April!

The championships

The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships will be held in Innsbruck-Stubai from June 6 to 10, as the main event and highlight of a 10-day festival starting on the first of the month with the IATF. Athletes from all over the world are going to compete for medals in four different contests – Vertical, Trail Short, Trail Long, Mountain Classic.

Follow all the action here or at www.innsbruck-stubai2023.com

Great Britain and Northern Ireland has named its first wave of athletes to run at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubia, Austria on 6-10 June 2023.

In the first wave of selections, eight athletes have been selected to represent the country in the long trail race, while four athletes have been pre-selected for the short trail race with the rest of the squad announced in May.

In the women’s event, Jasmin Paris will represent GB & NI for the first time since 2019 when she raced at the IAU Ultra Trail Championships in Portugal. In recent weeks she became only the second woman ever to complete four loops of the Barkley marathon (a 100-mile event in the USA), so will head into the race in strong form.

She will be joined by Meryl Cooper who represented the country at the World Championships in Thailand last November where she finished in 34^th position. Julia Davis and Fiona Pascall will make their debuts for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

In the men’s race, Harry Jones – who was GB & NI’s top finisher in the 2022 edition with an 11^th place finish in Thailand – is selected once again. He will be joined by George Foster (Martin Cox, Matlock), who also raced in Chiang Mai, and won the Trans Gran Canaria advanced race (85km / 4500m) in February in a course record.

Owen Davies and Thomas Joly De Lotbiniere earn their maiden call-ups to complete the men’s quartet. The duo finished third and fourth respectively at the Trans Gran Canaria race.

As per policy, athletes who achieved a top ten finish at the 2022 World Mountain and Trail Running Championship in the short trail race receive automatic selection. Therefore, world bronze medallist Jon Albon and Kristian Jones and Elsey Davis and Sharon Taylor have been pre-selected subject to fitness for the GB & NI team. The rest of the short trail team will be selected after the Trial race – the Three Peaks race – later this month.

Check out the course here:

https://vimeo.com/748782716

A great way to see and experience the World Champs routes. Enter the open races and discover for yourself just what the courses will be all about.

Entries are now open for the public races at the WMTRC 2023 in Innsbruck-Stubai, which involve racing over two of the routes that will see the best in the world battle it out for the gold medal. Choose either (or both!) the Krone Race to Höll on June 6, which is 6.6km and involves 313 metres or altitude or how about the Sportler Vertical which will see runners climb from Neustift im Stubai to the Elferhütte on June 7, covering 1,020 metres in altitude?

The races

The Krone Race to Höll, June 6

This starts just before the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships’ opening ceremony and will be a great way to get into the mood of the weekend! You’ll race over the same course which will see the future World Champions competing on, covering 6.6km and 313 metres of altitude on trails that are in close proximity to the city centre. Head to Gramart before descending along a passage nicknamed “hell” – technically very demanding! You’ll then finish in the heart of Innsbruck, ready to attend the WMTRC23 Opening Ceremony, which starts at 6pm.

Save the Date: June 6, 4:30 PM, KRONE Race to Höll (6.6 km, 313 metres in altitude)

The Sportler Vertical, June 7

Would you like to find out whether you have what it takes to participate in the WMTRC title races? Or would you like to know how much faster than you the elite runners are going to be? Or would you just like to make your way to the Elferhütte in order to find the best spot from where to cheer on the mountain running champs on their way to the finishing line?

 Whatever the case may be: On June 7, starting from 11am, anyone interested can participate in an open run leading from Neustift im Stubai via the Elferlift summit station all the way to the Elferhütte, located at 2,004 meters above sea level. Run over 7.3km, the route covers a whopping 1,020 meters in altitude and has all the ingredients to make for a demanding Vertical.

Save the Date: June 7, 11:00 AM, SPORTLER Vertical (7.3 km, 1,020 metres in altitude)

Registration is open at: my.raceresult.com

Consistency at the highest level will once again be rewarded as the World Mountain Running Ranking enters its third year.

This ranking – where the world’s mountain runners best accumulate points over the season – is all about clearly defining who deservedly earns the top ranked in the world in any one season. This 365-day rolling scoring system determines where runners are ranked globally at any one moment, meaning it’s not about enjoying a one-off amazing day, it’s more about understanding how to get the best from yourself week in week out over an action-packed summer.
It also provides added excitement and drama and kudos to the races named on the rankings calendar. Perhaps it’s no surprise that athletes such as the bronze medallist at the World Uphill Mountain Running championship and the 2022 Sierre-Zinal champion and course record holder Switzerland’s Maude Mathys shine, but it’s fantastic to see runners such as Nienke Brinkman from the Netherlands who has turned her fabulous road form to success in the mountains, Slovenia’s Timotej Becan, Austria’s Andrea Mayr, and the Ireland’s ever-improving Zak Hanna climb the rankings as the season unfolded. The rankings help them grow in strength and confidence and create a real buzz about who to look for.

It also helps identify new star names.

“Two names stand out in particular: Patrick Kipngeno, World Uphill champion, 2nd at the world up and down championships and winner of the 2022 Valsir Mountain Running World Cup, and Allie McLaughlin, world uphill champion, 3rd at the world up and down championships, who had an outstanding season in the Golden Trail Series and in a few other important US races,” says Francesco Puppi, the Ranking Secretary who is excited to see the system grow in importance.

Indeed, it’s already a key element in determining the international fields in the Valsir Mountain Running World Cup (https://worldathletics.org/news/news/wmra-2023-mountain-running-world-cup-calendar), but the goal now is to grow it further include more federations and races.

How it works

Created for Mountain Runners, by Mountain Runners, this ranking is based on four principles:

• A race directory for top mountain races all over the world. All the WMRA calendar races are there, but there are many more. Other top mountain races are recognised and included, to increase awareness of them among athletes and bring them to a wider audience. 
• A rolling 365-day ranking. With mountain running, you are only as good as your current form, whether you’re the world champion or a back of the pack runner.
• A transparent, easy to understand scoring system. No hidden algorithms, no secret formulas. Simplicity is an inherent part of the joy of mountain running, and we have tried to maintain that. Therefore, clear calculations can be made by any race director, sponsor, national team manager or runner about performance. 
• A work in progress. The sport is very dynamic and constantly evolving. We acknowledge this and will strive to learn from feedback in order to keep developing the resource, for the benefit of all.

*A final call to any federation reading this report: we encourage you to get in touch and let us know the dates and the details of your national mountain running championship, every year. We do our best to check the calendars and add these events from most countries, but it would be extremely helpful if you could help us in this process.

Argentina have named 45 runners for their team to compete in the World Mountain and Trail Running Champs in Innsbruck, Austria from June 6-10.

More than 1500 athletes from 63 nations will be taking on the four different races, the VERTICAL, TRAIL SHORT, TRAIL LONG and MOUNTAIN CLASSIC – all of which lead through some of the most stunning places in the Alps.

VERTICAL (7.3 km and 1,020 meters in altitude): This challenging route, which, after two initial rounds through Neustift im Stubai, leads along narrow and steep trails almost vertically to the finishing line at the Elferhu?tte.

TRAIL SHORT (44.6 km and 3,132 meters in altitude): After a mass start outside the state theatre in Innsbruck, the Trail Short follows a varied and challenging course along the steep and demanding trails of the Nordkette before reaching more alpine terrain on the otherside of the Inntal valley. The athletes will pass the Mutterer Alm on their way to the Kalkko?gel region and then start their steep descent to the finishing line in Neustift.

TRAIL LONG (85.6 km and 5,554 meters in altitude): After a mass start in Neustift, the Trail Long leads up into the high-alpine terrain of the Kalkko?gel mountains before passing the Adolf-Pichler-Hu?tte, the Hoadl and the Salfeiner See lake. The route then crosses the Inntal valley to climb the final 1,000 meters to the Nordkette before leading back down again in a technically challenging descent. The run ends at the finishing line outside the state theater in Innsbruck

MOUNTAIN CLASSIC (6.7 km and 374 meters in altitude): The course for the Mountain Classic has been laid out along the route that was used for the road cycling WMTRC.

For more information on team from Argentia, go to https://masaireweb.com/mundial-trail-argentina-definio-los-nombres/