Philaries Jeruto Kisang on her way to Trofeo Nasego victory (© Marco Gulberti / WMRA)
Philaries Jeruto Kisang claimed a race weekend double while Richard Omaya Atuya set a course record to win the Vertical Nasego on Saturday (24) and Philemon Ombogo Kiriago clinched the Trofeo Nasego crown on Sunday (25) in Casto, Italy.
This double header weekend forms part of the Mountain Running World Cup. The Vertical Nasego climbs 1000m over the course of 4.2km, with a fast start on roads and good, runnable trails, while the Trofeo Nasego is a long distance event of 20.6km with 1330m of ascent. It starts fairly gently, slowly ascending 300m over the first 10km, with some fast, runnable, undulating sections. Athletes then climb 700m over 7km as they make the long ascent up to the highest point of Rifugio Nasego at 1300m. After an initially steep descent, it becomes a fast downhill to the finish in Famea.
The women’s Vertical Nasego race set off first and with five-time winner Andrea Mayr, the 2023 and 2024 runner-up Kisang and defending women’s World Cup champion Scout Adkin on the start line, the competition promised to be fierce.
At the halfway point it was Kisang who led, and she was closely followed by Adkin. A little further back Mayr loomed ominously. Just behind Mayr at that point was Francesca Ghelfi.
There was an interesting battle for the win between Kisang and Adkin, and an equally exciting clash between Mayr and Ghelfi for third. As the runners emerged for the final part of the cruelly steep ascent, it was Kisang who led.
She took the win in 38:55 and Adkin took a very strong second place in 39:23. It was Ghelfi who won the contest with Mayr for third place just over a minute behind in 40:37. Mayr was fourth, with Sara Willhoit just behind for fifth.
Next up was the men’s race, starting 45 minutes after the women’s. Patrick Kipngeno was not defending his title but the list of men queuing up to take it from him was formidable. The line-up included two-time winner Henri Aymonod, Andrea Elia, Andrea Rostan, Kiriago and Atuya.
At the halfway point it was Atuya who was leading, but just a few seconds back was a pack of four athletes attempting to hunt him down. This group consisted of Kiriago, Elia, Rostan and Luciano Rota. At that point it really was anybody’s race once the steeper terrain began.
Atuya did manage to hold off this impressive group of challengers and he took the win in 33:23, a course record. Just 14 seconds separated second and fourth, with Kiriago making it a 1-2 for Team Run2gether with Elia just two seconds behind him in third. Rostan took fourth and Aymonod came through to take fifth.
Many of the leading athletes returned for the Trofeo Nasego the following day and it was a tantalising prospect to see a rematch between Kisang and Adkin. Kisang struck out for the front right from the start but Adkin stuck right to her heels.
Kisang remained in the lead at Piano di Alone at 5km, but Adkin was just five seconds behind her. A further 30 seconds back was Valentine Jepkoech Rutto, then a group including Joyce Muthoni Njeru, Mayr, Alice Gaggi and Elle Twentyman.
As they approached the aid station at 12km at Pannelli, where the runners have started the long climb but the steep section is yet to kick in, Kisang was holding her lead but Adkin was still just 10 seconds behind. Rutto remained in third, with the same group of chasers on their heels.
When they hit the foot of the tough climb up to Rifugio Nasego, which marks the highest point of the race, Kisang remained in command and she had opened up the gap on Adkin to 18 seconds. But the key change by this point was that they had moved away from Rutto, Mayr and Njeru.
Kisang took the win in 1:46:16, after a nail-biting sprint finish which saw Adkin finish just six seconds behind. The gap to third stretched out further on the descent as they battled it out and it was Njeru who was next to finish in 1:51:33, with Rutto in fourth and Mayr in fifth.
As expected, the pace was fast from the off in the men’s race as the runners left Parco della Fucine. It was clear that Kiriago was not going to give up his title from 2024 without a fight as he struck out into the lead. At the 5km point he had already opened a gap of 40 seconds over second placed Rota. Behind Rota sat Michael Saoli, Saturday’s winner Atuya and Roberto Giacomotti.
At Pannelli, at the 12km point just before the runners began the big climb, Kiriago held on to his lead and had in fact extended it to around a minute. Rota maintained second place and Paul Machoka had worked his way up to third, but it was still very close from second to sixth with Theodore Klein, Saoli and Atuya still within reach.
Kiriago continued to stretch out a gap at the foot of the final part of the climb up to Rifugio Nasego, and Machoka was in second, with Atuya in third.
Kiriago managed to increase his lead to two minutes by the time he reached Rifugio Nasego and it started to look doubtful that he could be caught. Machoka remained in second, and Atuya in third, just 20 seconds behind. The race for second and third was where the battle was.
Eventually Kiriago took the win in 1:31:41. Machoka maintained second place and finished in 1:34:17. Saoli and Atuya both finished in 1:34:43, with Saoli given the nod for third.
Kirsty Reade (WMRA) for World Athletics
