Favourites prove victorious.
235 mountain runners took part in the first WMRA 2007 Grand Prix event, organized in the famous Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana.

235 mountain runners took part in the first WMRA 2007 Grand Prix event, organized in the
famous Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana. The race, which was also a Swiss national championships, started in the Rhone Valley in the town Sierre. The picturesque 12.7 km long course with 1040 m altitude difference took the runners passing vineyards and through the medieval village of Venthone (the women starting point) All runners finished the race in the centre of Crans-Montana

European champion, Marco Gaiardo (ITA) and World Silver medallist, Martina Strachl (SUI) maintained their fine 2006 form, both justifying their positions as pre race favorites .
Gaiardo had a comfortable winning margin of more than two minutes over 25 year old David Schneider, a Swiss orienteering international, in a winning time of 60 minutes 35 seconds.
Twenty year old Strachl won by 50 seconds from fellow countrywoman Bernadette Meier and Italian international Maria Roberti three minutes behind in 3rd position. The ladies course was 8.5km with 600m of ascent.

Marco Gaiardo praised the race organization and the course. He classed the route difficulty as moderate, with a mixture of some very steep and fairly flat sections, requiring athletes to manage many rhythm changes. He thinks that the winning time in the 2008 World Trophy over the same course will be between one and two minutes faster.

The second WMRA Grand Prix event will be on 15th July in Austria on the famous Grossglockner mountain.

The second WMRA Grand Prix event will be on 15th July in Austria on the famous Grossglockner mountain.

WOMEN
1. STRÄHL Martina / 87 / SUI / 46.35
2. MEIER Bernadette / 72 / SUI / 47.25
3. ROBERTI Maria / 66 / ITA / 49.31
4. ROMANENS Marie-Luce / 73 / SUI / 49.51
5. WILKINSON Victoria / 78 / GBR / 50.26
6. RUEDA OPPLIGER Fabiola / 63 / SUI / 50.48
7. BUCKLEY Anne / 67 / GBR / 51.09
8. OBERSON Estelle / 86 / SUI / 51.25
9. ROBINSON Rebecca / 82 / GBR / 51.48
10. HREBEC Laura / 77 / SUI / 52.01

MEN
1. GAIARDO Marco / 70 / ITA / 1:00.35
2. SCHNEIDER David / 81 / SUI / 1:02.43
3. KRÄHENBÜHL Jacques / 64 / SUI / 1:02.50
4. ABATE Gabriele / 79 / ITA / 1:03.49
5. GEX-FABRY Alexis / 73 / SUI / 1:04.39
6. SYMONDS Joe / 83 / GBR / 1:05.06
7. MEYSSAT Emmanuel / 80 / FRA / 1:05.17
8. SUTZ Andy / 81 / SUI / 1:05.42
9. EPINEY Sébastien / 67 / SUI / 1:05.45
10. ZARNIK Sebastjan / 77 / SLO / 1:06.17