Muthoni Njeru and Kipngeno complete Broken Arrow double

Kenya’s Joyce Muthoni Njeru and Patrick Kipngeno followed their VK victories on Friday with Skyrace success on Sunday (23) to complete a Broken Arrow double in Palisades Tahoe, California.

The 23km Broken Arrow Skyrace is the first gold label long race of this year’s Valsir Mountain Running World Cup, taking in many of the highlights of the area including KT-22 and the iconic Washeshu Peak.

Held on a loop which climbs 1533m over the course of the race, it starts in Palisades Tahoe Village and most of the event takes place above the tree line on technical and demanding trails. 

After last year’s snow-affected race, where the course was amended to be two laps, this year Palisades Tahoe couldn’t have delivered better weather. Warm conditions, blue skies and a mostly snow-free course awaited the runners.

Just as she did in Friday’s VK, Muthoni Njeru led the race out from the front. She reached the first timing point – Snow King, 4.6 miles in – in 40:23, and there was an almost two minute gap to the second woman, Tabor Hemming. Last year’s winner Allie McLaughlin was another minute back, closely followed by Jade Belzberg and Daniella Moreno.

Little had changed by the next timing point at 7.8 miles. Muthoni Njeru had stretched her lead over Hemming to just under three minutes, and Hemming maintained her buffer of around a minute over McLaughlin. Belzberg was just 30 seconds back and Moreno, while maintaining fifth place, had lost contact with Belzberg a little.

It was no surprise to see Muthoni Njeru arrive at High Camp (10.5 miles) with her lead intact. She had increased it slightly to two and a half minutes, but Hemming remained in contention and the race was very much on for third place, too. Belzberg had overtaken McLaughlin in this section and arrived at the timing point 38 seconds ahead of her. Moreno was three minutes behind by this point, so it looked very much as if the second two podium spots would come from Hemming, Belzberg and McLaughlin, and it was all still to fight for.

The final downhill section was an exciting one for the women. Muthoni Njeru did hang on and won in 2:11:52, but in the end it was close and it was Belzberg who stormed through from third to overtake Hemming and take second in 2:12:29. Hemming held on to third and finished in 2:13:31, with McLaughlin fourth in 2:14:53 and Moreno fifth in 2:17:04.

Just as the women’s VK winner, Muthoni Njeru, struck out early in the Skyrace, so did the men’s VK winner, Kipngeno. He hit the first timing point in 32:49, with a minute’s lead over last year’s men’s winner Eli Hemming. Philemon Ombogo Kiriago was 30 seconds behind him in third, with Taylor Stack and Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau, who finished third in Friday’s VK, just behind. 

Behind them were Hawk Call, Christian Allen, Remi Leroux and Darren Thomas.

At the next timing point, Kipngeno had increased his lead over Hemming to just under two minutes. Ombogo Kiriago was 90 seconds behind him, closely followed by Stack and Beaudoin-Rousseau.

There wasn’t a lot of change in the men’s top 10, but notably Andrew Douglas, a previous World Cup winner, had moved up to 11th.

Kipngeno’s two minute lead remained consistent at High Camp, the 10.5 mile point. It was still looking likely that he could do the double, but it wasn’t out of the question that Hemming could reel him in. The battle for third was looking interesting, with Ombago Kiriago, Stack and Beadudoin-Rousseau still in contention. Again, the men’s top 10 was mostly the same as it had been throughout at this point, but Douglas had now moved into ninth.

Hemming chased Kipngeno hard in the last downhill section and he did claw back some time, but it was Kipngeno who took the win in 1:45:37. Hemming took second in 1:47:00 and Ombogo Kiriago took third in 1:50:23, completing the men’s podium. Stack was fourth in 1:51:12 and Beaudoin-Rousseau fifth in 1:52:16.

The next race in this year’s Valsir Mountain Running World Cup is the first classic race of the series, at Grossglockner in Austria on 7 July.

Kirsty Reade (WMRA) for World Athletics