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EUROPEAN OFF ROAD RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS: HOW TO WACH & TOP FAVORITES
EUROPEAN OFF ROAD RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS: HOW TO WACH & TOP FAVORITES. Our MOUNTAIN RUNNING sections travels today to Annecy, with multiple medallists from the senior races in the 2022 edition in El Paso returning to the fray for the Classic Hill and Up and Down mountain running disciplines.
The results of the best three athletes from each participating nation are added together for the team ranking. Two years ago, France won gold in both the men’s and women’s events – and it they will be keen to repeat their success in front of a home crowd.
EURO MOUNTAIN RUNNING CHAMPS: Leelo en español
Foto RFEA
EUROPEAN OFF ROAD RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS:
HOW TO WACH & TOP FAVORITES
The Annecy-hosted event takes place on 31 May to 2 June featuring 10 races in trail and mountain in and around the French Alps across senior men, senior women and U20 classes. It will be covered live on the Eurovision Sport platform and on the European Athletics website.
It is the second edition of the championships, which first took place in El Paso, La Palma, Spain two years ago.
The Annecy-hosted event takes place on 31 May to 2 June featuring 10 races in trail and mountain in and around the French Alps across senior men, senior women and U20 classes. It will be covered live on the Eurovision Sport platform (with both English and French commentary) and on the European Athletics website.
69 runners from 23 nations will be competing, with Italy looking to defend its team competition title, with champions Cesare Maaestri and Maude Mathys among its top stars., while Spain will strive to defend it 2022 results, as achieved in La Palma.
UPHILL
Cesare Maestri back for more gold.
In the senior men’s events, Cesare Maestri from Italy is the defending Uphill champion and was also the silver medallist at last year’s World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubaitalbahn, Austria.
Two years ago, Maestri outran Dominik Rolli from Switzerland and Daniel Osanz from Spain who took silver and bronze. He will also renews rivalries with the fourth and fifth placed athletes from El Paso, Spain’s Miquel Corbera and Ireland’s Zak Hanna respectively.
Austrian twins Hans-Peter and Manuel Innerhofer, first at the Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Festival (25km) and second at last year’s Mayrhofen Ultraks Zillertal (30km), are also medal contenders.
Britain’s Jacob Adkin, first at the Mozart 100 Half Marathon in Salzburg, could also be among the front runners. Italy’s Henri Aymonod is currently fifth in the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) rankings, while compatriot Francesco Puppi has shown with wins at the Vertical Fenis and the Trofeo Valli Bergamasche that he is very much as home on the mountains, as he is on the trails.
Then there is Timotej Becan, who won the Knap Trail in his home country of Slovenia in 2023, European U20 gold medallist from El Paso, Lukas Ehrle from Germany and Swedish star Petter Engdahl, who won the Eiger Ultra (50km) last year.
Uphill Women: Maude Mathys defending champion
In the senior women’s race, all eyes will be on Maude Mathys. The Swiss not only won the individual titles in the Classic Hill and Up and Down in El Paso, but also the team gold in the Up and Down discipline. An icon of the sport, she has held the European Classic Hill title since 2017.
Her recent victory at the Golden Trails event in Kobe, Japan on 20 April proves that she’s in top form. Her most likely rival Austrian World Champion Andrea Mayr, is absent, but Christel Dewalle of France, Scout Adkin of Great Britain and Susanna Saapunki of Finland, who finished third, fourth and fifth respectively in 2022, will also be competing.
Judith Wyder, the Swiss runner-up in the trail short race at the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships will also be in the pack, while Monica Florea of Romania, ranked ninth in the WMRA rankings, could also be in contention for a medal, as well as the spaniard Ondiz Iturbe
Another name to watch is Austria’s Anna Plattner, who won the Ötzi Trail (30km) in Italy. Ida Waldal, two-time European U20 champion in 2022, will also take part. 63 runners from 24 countries are expected to start. Two years ago, Great Britain and Northern Ireland took the women’s title in this event.
CLASSIC RACE (Up & Down)
When the medals are awarded two days later in the Up and Down, 16km with 960 m of ascent and 1000 m of descent await the competitors. The start is in Menthon-Saint-Bernard and the finish in Annecy at the MaXi-Village, the hot spot of these European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships.
The starting fields include 68 male runners from 22 countries and 63 female runners from 23 countries, with Italy‘s senior men and Switzerland‘s senior women looking to defend their team titles.
The reigning men’s Up and Down men’s champion Sylvain Cachard of France is not present, but many of the participants in the Classic Hill are also on the entry list for the Up and Down, including Maestri (2nd, 2022), Rolli (3rd, 2022), Manuel Innerhofer (4th, 20022), Hans-Pete Innerhofer (6th, 2022) and Puppi, Ehrle and Becan in the men’s race.
The spanish team might arguably be the most consistent, with Alex García Carrillo, Miquel Corbera and young talent Jan Torretlla.
Also fighting on twin fronts are Mathys (1st in 2022), Florea (2nd, 2022), Scout Adkin (3rd, 2022), Saapunki (5th, 2022), Waldal and Wyder in the women’s Up and Down race.
Another name worth watching is Sweden’s Emelie Forsberg, runner-up in the prestigious Cap de Creus 2024 (22.5 km) and winner of last year’s Eiger Ultra (50 km), who is focussing entirely on the Up and Down race. Spaniards Onditz Iturbe and Julia Font also gun for the podium
The starting fields include 68 male runners from 22 countries and 63 female runners from 23 countries, with Italy‘s senior men and Switzerland‘s senior women looking to defend their team titles.
Across the full weekend, there are 457 athletes representing 31 nations in the entry-list. In 2022, traditional off-road running powerhouse Italy topped the medal table, taking five gold, five silver and three bronze.
TRAIL RUNNING (58K/D+3571m)
The trail races provide a thrilling spectacle and leg-sapping test for running, who will face 57.64km distance, 3509m in total ascent and 3571m descent and will take place on Saturday 1 June.
BENJAMIN ROUBIOL LEADS MEN
From the start in Faverges, the course will loop through Sambuy to the host city of Annecy, with some technically challenging terrain and significant differences in altitude. Right at the start of the race, runners must climb 800m in 7km, and at 16km, they will see themselves in front of another 500m climbing to cover in just 1500m of running.
The big favourite in the men’s trail race is also the local hero. Benjamin Roubiol from Annecy knows the area like the back of his hand. Plus he’s the reigning world champion, having taken gold in the trail discipline at the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships.
His triumph in Austria’s Innsbruck-Stubai region saw his relegate Italy’s Andreas Reiterer to silver. Reiterer returns to renew their rivalry in Annecy. Among the other 85 participants, there are names that could be in contention for the top spots, including another Frenchman, Thomas Cardin, third in El Paso two years ago.
Plus another Italian, Francesco Puppi, who has impressed with victories at the Chuckanut 50K in Bellingham, Washington, USA and the Lake Sonoma 50 mile race in Healdsburg, California, USA in recent months.
The Greek challenge is led by Fotios Zisimopoulos, three-time winner of the Spartathlon, and Konstantinos Paraseidopoulos, winner at last year’s Trail du Saint-Jacques by over 50km. At last year’s World Championships, Great Britain’s Thomas Roach finished second in the individual short trail event and cannot be ruled out.
BLANDINE L´HIRONDEL LEADS WOMEN
As in the men’s race, the role of favourites in the women’s event seem to rest on the shoulders of two runners in particular. Blandine L’Hirondel is the defending European champion and her France compatriot Clementine Geoffray is the reigning world champion in the trail – short discipline. Spanish runner Gemma Arenas was bronze at Thailand world champs 2022 and proves to be always consistent as well. Same goes for its teammate Oihana Kortazar 7h at Innsbruck World Champs and in superb shape this season
But there are 61 others who could make life difficult for the home heroines. including Marcela Vasinova of Czechia, who was on course for a medal two years ago, before fading to sixth due to injury.
Camilla Magliano of Italy, winner of the traditional Maremontana (55km) and runner-up at the Chianti Trail (42km), and Esther Fellhofer of Austria who won the 160km race at this year’s Ultra Trail Vipava Valley in Slovenia are likely contenders.
Or will Switzerland’s Ariane Wilhelm, who has shown great performances with victories at Madeira Island Ultra Trail (85 km) and at the Trail du Petit Ballon (54 km) upset the favourites?
EUROPEAN MOUNTAIN RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS
HOW TO WATCH
You can watch all the action live across featuring 10 races from 31 May-2 June on the European Athletics website, with English commentary. Please note registered users of the European Athletics website will need to logout and login again to view the stream.
You will also be able to view the stream with English or French commentary at Eurovision Sport, broadcast partner of European Athletics. Please note that the stream will be geo-blocked in France. French users can watch the stream on Athlé TV or follow the broadcast on TV 8 Mont Blanc.
