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Dazzling Debuts at Sierre-Zinal

On a day of nail-biting racing in the Swiss Alps it was Mark Kangogo and Esther Chesang, both of Kenya and both in their first participation at the race, who claimed victory at the 6th Gold Label race of the Valsir Mountain Running World Cup.

Update: following the positive test and subsequent suspension of Mark Kangogo, Andreu Blanes is the Sierre-Zinal Champion 2022. Read more.

Despite strong performances, Kilian Jornet and Maude Mathys were unable to extend their winning streaks, finishing 5th and 2nd respectively.

With 6,100 participants making the 31km, 2,100m+ journey through the mountains of Valais, those in the Tourist category had been on the trails since 4:40am. The elite runners took off at 11am, straight into the race's infamous opening climb. With clear blue skies, it promised to be a hot, hot race and the bone-dry, dusty trails offered little traction on the route's fast, technical descents. Many runners were to come in to the finish covered in varying quantites of dust and blood.

Women's Race

SML DSC6575Esther Chesang was on the front from start to finish, though this race was anything but boring. Going out hard, she led by over 2 minutes at Ponchette, less than an hour into the race. Chasing behind were Maude Mathys, the Swiss winner of the last 3 editions, and Philiaries Kisang, the Kenyan winner of last weekend's Thyon-Dixence. They themselves were almost 4 minutes clear of the next group. This seperation of the front 3 would remain all the way to the finish in Zinal.

Through the middle third of the race the elastic between Chesang and Mathys stretched and contracted. With Kisang falling away behind, the leading pair took turns gaining time on the indulating trails up to Hotel Weisshorn, with both athletes at points running under Mathys' course record splits from 2019.

However, as the race entered its closing chapter after Hotel Weisshorn, it was Mathys and her superior descending skills that had the upper hand. Chesang, a 69 minute half marathon runner who reportedly only trained for her debut mountain race for 2 months, was by no means slow, but the Swiss champion's technical prowess saw her floating over the steepest terrain, bringing her closer and closer to the lead. In the tense final kilometres, there were times where she would have been able to look up and see Chesang, had she not been concentrating on the trail.

Ultimately, Mathys ran out of road. Esther Chesang crossed the line first, taking the win in her first attempt at this great race, in the end just 30 seconds ahead of the 3 time champion Mathys.

It was a lonely run in for Philiaries Kisang in 3rd. She came in over 5 minutes later but still 3 minutes ahead of Teresiah Omosa, also of Kenya, in 4th. Ireland's Sarah McCormack ran an 8 minute PB to finish 5th, having passed U.S.A.'s Bailey Kowalczyk on the final descent.

Men's Race

SML DSC6270In the men's race it was another Kenyan debutant who pushed the pace early on. Unlike Chesang, Mark Kangogo had company. Among those who kept up with the early pace were Kangogo's compatriots Patrick Kipngeno and Philemon Kiriago, the Run2gether pair who have been the standouts on the Valsir World Cup so far this year, and the great Catalan Kilian Jornet, 9 time champion of Sierre-Zinal.

Gradually that group broke as first Kangogo and Kipngeno pulled away from the rest, then as the gradients eased after Chandolin, Kangogo pulled away from Kipngeno. Running ahead of course record pace, his lead grew all the way to Hotel Weisshorn and although he slowed dramatically in the final kilometres and dropped behind the record, he was never in danger of being caught. His winning time, 2:27:31, is the 3rd fastest in the race's history; only Kilian Jornet and Petro Mamu, 1st and 2nd in 2019, have run faster.

But if there was a processional air to Kangogo's finish, behind there was frantic racing the very final metres.

Remarkable runs for 2nd place are becoming a tradition at Sierre-Zinal. After Robbie Simpson's incredible move through the field in 2021, this year it was the turn of Andreu Blanes. The Spanish orienteer was nowhere early on, over 4 minutes down on the leaders at Ponchette. Biding his time, he picked up a few places through the middle section of the race, then from Hotel Weisshorn to the finish he flew. No-one else was even close to his splits.

Where Mathys ran out of road, Blanes had just enough, passing Kipngeno on the final descent and giving himself just enough of a buffer to celebrate, falling to his knees as he crossed the line in 2nd, 14 seconds ahead of Kipngeno in 3rd.

SML DSC6330But if the race for 2nd was exciting, the race for 4th was a heart-stopper. Kilian Jornet and the Eritrean Petro Mamu, sparring partners at this race before, were also gaining hard. Metres apart, they passed a fading Kiriago, who took a horrible fall, in the closing minutes.

On the road into the finish the 9 time champion thought his 4th place was secure, but as Jornet was high fiving the fans Mamu was right behind, his footsteps hidden by the noise of the crowd, winding up to a ferocious finishing kick. By the time Jornet realised what was happening it was too late. Leaning for the line like he was racing on the track, Mamu snatched 4th place by a tenth of a second.

Philemon Kiriago did a commendable job of limiting his losses after his fall and crossed the line, covered in dust, just 28 seconds later to take 6th.

Full results can be found here.

World Cup standings after 9 races are here.

Photos by Marco Gulberti. Find a full album here