June
05
Tags
WMTRC INNSBRUCK 2023 SHORT TRAIL RACE PREVIEW
WMTRC INNSBRUCK 2023 SHORT TRAIL RACE PREVIEW. Our special WMTRC23 section bring us today the race preview and favourites for the Short Trail race.
We’re now just 2 days away from the start of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck, Austria!
WMTRC INNSBRUCK 2023
SHORT TRAIL RACE PREVIEW
A packed 10 day programme has already kicked off in Innsbruck and the first mountain running race – the uphill race on Wednesday 6th June – is fast approaching.
Around 1500 athletes from 70 countries will be descending on Innsbruck and Stubai in the coming days to contest the four races which make up the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships. Runners have travelled from Australia, Mexico, China and South Africa, among many other countries, making this a truly global event.
Innsbruck and Stubai will provide the perfect backdrop to the mountain running, with their long history in Alpine sport and huge experience of organising major events.
WMTRC INNSBRUCK 2023 TRAIL SHORT: THE RACE
The Marathon will arrive on 7 JUN on the second day of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships with a varied route of 45 kilometers long and 3,132 meters of altitude, starting from the Landestheater in Innsbruck to the finish line at the Neustift im Stubai venue.
WMTRC INNBRUCK 2023 TRAIL SHORT: THE FAVOURITES
The men’s field is exceptional. Fourteen athletes have an ITRA Performance Index of over 900. As at the previous World Championships, Great Britain’s Jonathan ALBON looks like the race favourite with an ITRA Performance Index (ITRA PI) of 938.
The 2019 Trail World Champion and bronze medallist at the inaugural Short Trail World Championships in Thailand, he will be back with a view to reclaiming his Short Trail World Champion title.
The race will be marked by the first participation of Italian Davide MAGNINI, second in the rankings with 925 ITRA PI, a specialist in steep terrain and the Short Trail format.
The battle will be fierce with Short Trail World Champion Stian ANGERMUND (916 ITRA PI), who will be defending his title no matter what.
In the top 15 of the world’s fastest runners, the Italians are four strong with Davide MAGNINI (925 ITRA PI), Cristian MINOGGIO (911 ITRA PI), Luca DEL PERO (903 ITRA PI) and Francesco PUPPI (899 ITRA PI), runner-up at the Short Trail World Championships, who will be doing everything in his power to climb onto the top step of the podium.
The French are also present in large numbers, with four in the Top 15 of the world’s best athletes. Orienteering specialist Frédéric TRANCHAND (912 (ITRA PI), followed by Thomas CARDIN (908), then Thibault BARRONIAN (904 ITRA PI) and Loïc ROBERT (904 ITRA PI) will battle it out at the top of the rankings, heralding a fierce battle at the head of the race.
On the Austrian trails, we mustn’t forget Sweden’s Petter ENGDAHL with an astronomical ITRA Performance Index of 923, nor American Seth RUHLING (905 ITRA PI). In the men’s category, the competition will be tough, with the steep, demanding trails promising an epic race with plenty of twists and turns, where predictions will be hard to make.
Twenty-three other athletes follow in the rankings with ITRA Performance Indices above 870. Look out for athletes such as Poland’s Andrzej WITEK (890 ITRA PI), China’s Juwei ZI (884 ITRA PI) and Austria’s Hans-Peter INNERHOFER (876 ITRA PI), who, with home advantage, is one to keep an eye on.
Short Trail Podium at World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, Thailand 2022. Photo: NanoOnTrails
On the women’s side, the Short Trail race is very competitive. The big favourite at these Short Trail World Championships is South Africa’s Toni MCCANN with an ITRA Performance Index of 781, followed by a very tight field of athletes of almost similar ability, including the American Brittany CHARBONEAU (771 ITRA PI), Spain’s Nuria GIL (770 ITRA PI) and New Zealand’s Caitlin FIELDER (768 ITRA PI). Similarly, among the world’s fastest athletes, Mauritania will be represented by the incredibly pacey Marie PERRIER (758 ITRA PI).
Great Britain’s Eleanor DAVIS (756 ITRA PI), eighth at the inaugural Short Trail World Championships and 3rd in the team competition, is a good bet for another top-10 finish.
The Czech Republic’s Barbora MACUROVA (745 ITRA PI) came second and Sweden’s Emilia BRANGEFÄLT (751 ITRA PI) was third at the inaugural Short Trail World Championships. Both will be keen to top the podium this year
Among the women, the level is high and there are many athletes with performance levels between 730- 750 (ITRA PI). The demanding Austrian course will offer an ultra competitive spectacle where, once again, predictions are difficult to make.
WMTRC 2023 SHORT TRAIL TEAMS FAVOURITES
MEN
Last year’s Short Trail World Team Champions were the Italians, followed by the French and the British.
If we look at the ITRA Performance Index for all the athletes, we find exactly the same ranking, with the Italians in the lead, followed by the French and then the British. Will there be any changes? Or will this year’s event confirm Italy’s domination of the Short Trail discipline? The predictions also include the presence of the Americans in fourth place, followed by the Spanish and Chinese respectively. A place on the podium of the world’s fastest Short Trail nations is a real possibility for each of theseteams.
WOMEN
In the women’s category, the first Short Trail World Champions were the Spanish, followed by the Americans in second place and the British in third.
This year, the predictions are that the Spanish will be the strong favourites for the Short Trail Team Championships, followed by the Americans.
The change comes in third place, where we find the Italians. Will the Spanish be able to confirm their supremacy in the Short Trail discipline? Or will other nations spring a surprise? The Swiss, the French and the Italians are right behind them and will be doing their utmost to win the team World Champion title. We can’t wait to watch the action unfold.
Spain wins the gold medal in the Short Trail Teams at World Mountain and Trail Running Championships , Thailand 2022. Photo: RFEA
IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU READ,
CLICK THIS BUTTON TO SUPPORT US IN PATREON.COM/MAYAYO
