Kiriago breaks Trofeo Nasego record

Philemon Kiriago broke the Trofeo Nasego record and Ruth Mwihaki Gitonga continued her classic race reign, while Nina Engelhard and Patrick Kipngeno won the Vertical Nasego in Casto, Italy, on Saturday and Sunday (5-6).

The demanding double-header, part of the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup, kicked off with the Vertical Nasego. Conditions matched the intensity of the racing, with temperatures climbing into the 30s and testing athletes across both fields.

The 4.2km course starts gently enough, but gradient increases sharply in the closing stages – nearly half of the route's 1000 metres of elevation gain comes in the final kilometre alone.

Nina Engelhard, as world champion in the uphill race, was a favourite on paper but she was making her return after injury. She proved that she was back to fitness, looking strong throughout and taking the win in 39:29 after a dominant performance.

Kirsty Skye Dickson led the chase and finished second in 40:19. Seven-time world champion Andrea Mayr, a three-time Vertical Nasego winner, took third in 40:59. Mayr still holds the record of 38:39, set in 2019. 

World Cup leader Mwihaki Gitonga was hot on Mayr’s heels, finishing just eight seconds behind in fourth. Rising star Miriam Chepkirui added another strong result to her impressive 2026 World Cup campaign by taking fifth, maintaining a 30-second gap from Christel Dewalle.

The men’s race was similarly set up for a fascinating battle. As it played out the main duel was between three-time winner Kipngeno and last year’s winner – and record-holder – Richard Omaya Atuya. Kipngeno won in 33:31, just eight seconds off Atuya’s record. Atuya took second in 34:11. 

The battle for third was between two Italian greats of uphill races – Andrea Elia and Henri Aymonod. Elia took third for the second year in a row, finishing in 34:40, with Aymonod just 20 seconds behind him. 

The Trofeo Nasego took place on Sunday and with many of the same athletes lining up for both races, there was little doubt that it would be fiercely contested.

The crux of the 21.5km race is the climb of more than 700 metres from Ponte Vrenda up to Rifugio Nasego (1300m). It starts at the 10km point and gets steeper until it reaches the rifugio at 16km. Then there is the 4km downhill section to the finish at Famea.

Kiriago decided to take the lead, reaching the Piani di Alone 6km mark ahead of Elija Kamau Kariuki and Michael Selelo Saoli. By Pannelli, the checkpoint at 11km that comes just before the runners begin the big climb to Rifugio Nasego in earnest, the men’s top five remained the same with very little separating them. Kipngeno made his move as they reached Rifugio Nasego, arriving just a few seconds behind Kiriago. 

Kiriago held him off and reached the finish line at Famea first, breaking Kipngeno’s course record in 1:30:08. Kipngeno held on to second (1:31:10) and Saoli held off the challenge from Kariuki and Paul Machoka to keep third. 

“I was dreaming about breaking the course record,” said Kiriago, “and I’ve managed today to break it.”

Mwihaki Gitonga started having won every classic race she had entered in the competition this year, but she faced another battle with Engelhard.

Mwihaki Gitonga hit the front early and at the 6km point at Piani di Alone she was chased by Engelhard, with Chepkirui, Joyce Muthoni Njeru and Chebet making up the top five. 

Before the start of the major climb, at Pannelli at 11km, the top five was unchanged, but Chebet had overtaken Njeru.

Gitonga emerged at Rifugio Nasego (16.5km) first, maintaining a 22-second buffer ahead of Engelhard. Chepkirui remained in third but was two minutes back. Dickson made her move on the climb, arriving in fourth place just over a minute behind Chepkirui, and Arianna Dentis moved into fifth. 

The last, long downhill proved decisive and Gitonga won in 1:47:06, with Engelhard taking second in 1:47:33. Chepkirui maintained her third place. Dentis continued to push, finishing in fourth, with Chebet fifth.

The World Cup now heads to Poland on 19 September for the last long distance race of the competition, Maraton Trzech Jezior: Three Lakes Marathons.

Kirsty Reade (WMRA) for World Athletics