Athletes in action in Chiavenna (© Marco Gulberti / WMRA)
The leading athletes in the Valsir Mountain Running World Cup head the stacked fields for the finale of the season taking place this weekend (12-13) in the Lombardy region of Italy in Chiavenna, a town steeped in mountain running history.
On Saturday (12) athletes will contest the final World Cup short uphill race with the 25th edition of Lagunc KM Verticale and the following day the last long race, Val Bregaglia Trail, will take place.
Both races are point to point. The vertical race starts in Chiavenna and climbs to Lagunc, while the Val Bregaglia Trail starts just over the border in Switzerland and finishes in Chiavenna.
With 100 points on offer for an athlete winning both races, it is a crucial weekend for the World Cup. The current rankings show it’s possible that any one of six men could emerge World Cup champion, as could any one of three women.
In the women’s race the World Cup leader Joyce Muthoni Njeru of Kenya spearheads the competition, following her double win at Broken Arrow as well as Trofeo Nasego and Smarna Gora just last weekend. She has a good buffer between her and Britian’s Scout Adkin with 288 points to Adkin’s 244, but the latter has also had a consistent season with wins at Montemuro Vertical Run and La Montee du Nid d’Aigle plus a second place at Sierre Zinal. Similarly, the third placed runner in the women’s World Cup, Kenya’s Philaries Jeruto Kisang, has also had an extremely strong season, with podiums in four out of six races, and just two points separate her and Adkin. Kisang won both races here last year, which could be important.
But with such a deep field, the race is still wide open. Susanna Saapunki is currently in fifth place after strong performances at Montemuro, Vertical and Trofeo Nasego and Smarna Gora. There’s little doubt she will overtake Gloria Chebet, who is currently in fourth and does not appear to be racing here, and she will be one to watch in both races.
Some strong runners are travelling from the US, which will add another dimension to the competition. Lauren Gregory, who was sixth at Vertical Nasego, will be taking on the vertical race, as will Rachel Tomajczyk, who achieved two sixth places at Broken Arrow this year. US-based Australian athlete Lara Hamilton will be taking on both races.
There will also be a formidable Italian contingent. Alice Gaggi, who was second in the Val Bregaglia Trail last year and had a strong run at Smarna Gora, will race both days. Vivien Bonzi will be racing the vertical, and she was second here last year. Camilla Magliano will be doubling up and is always one to watch.
Other women to look out for include Sara Willhoit, who was third at Giir di Mont and is currently seventh in the World Cup standings, and Amairei Ioana Madalina, the winner of Giir di Mont, both of whom take on both races.
The men’s line-up is equally strong and it’s very close at the top of the World Cup rankings. Kenya’s Patrick Kipngeno leads with 235 points, after two wins at Broken Arrow and two at Nasego. His compatriot Philemon Ombogo Kiriago is just eight points behind him after an incredibly consistent season, including that unforgettable duel with Kilian Jornet at Sierre Zinal. Just 11 points behind Kiriago is Josphat Kiprotich, who achieved second places at Grossglockner, La Montee du Nid d’Aigle and Vertical Nasego. All three athletes are entered into both races.
There’s also another trio of Kenyan athletes in contention for the World Cup. Michael Selelo Saoli won Giir di Mont and has had a string of strong results. Richard Omaya Atuya has won all but one of the World Cup races he has entered this year – Grossglockner, La Montee du Nid d’Aigle and Smarna Gora, with just Sierre Zinal eluding him. He is on 151 points, so a long way behind Kipngeno, but two wins this weekend isn’t out of the question based on his season. Just behind him is Paul Machoka, who could also be a contender. Again, all three runners are entered in both races.
As with the women’s race, there is a strong team of US runners. Joseph Gray, who won the World Championships in 2019, will be in the vertical race. He will be joined by Christian Allen, who won the USA National Running Championship (up and down race) earlier this year, and Liam Meirow, who achieved a number of top 10 places in the World Cup last year, including a third place at Sky Gran Canaria. Tyler McCandless and Andy Wacker will double up.
There will of course be a number of top Italian runners competing on home turf. Henri Aymonod won the vertical race last year, as he has multiple times. He was third at both PizTri Vertical and Vertical Nasego this year, and can never be bet against in a short, uphill only race. Andrea Elia is currently eighth in the World Cup rankings and a strong run here in the vertical race could see him improve on that. Alberto Vender could do well in the vertical race and Luciano Rota is one to watch in both.
Others to keep an eye on include Jacob Adkin, who won the vertical race here in 2022 and was second in the European Championships uphill race earlier this year, and Michael Sutton from New Zealand.
The action starts on Saturday at 9:15am local time with the Lagunc KM Verticale. On Sunday Val Bregaglia Trail starts at 9:30am.
The Lagunc KM Verticale will see runners start at 352m in the historic centre of Chiavenna. This vertical kilometre course is about as pure as they come, with no flat or downhill sections, making the profile a perfect sloping line up to the finish in the small mountain village of Lagunc at 1352m. Along the way the runners will follow ancient, steep and sometimes technical tracks.
Val Bregaglia Trail begins in Promontogno in Switzerland at 856m, then it picks up the Via Bregaglia trail, following it through stunning woodland tracks over the border into Italy at Castasegna. After following the river for a short time, the runners pop out at Lago di Villa di Chiavenna before a long, gradual climb up to Savogna and a final downhill or flat 7km into the finish at Chiavenna.
Kirsty Reade (WMRA) for World Athletics
