Announcement from the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) Supported by American Trail Running Association member Salomon. Above photo credit: Athlete Rachel Drake | GoldenTrailSeries | Azores Trail Race | Martina Valmassoi.
The countdown to the first race of the 2021 Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) series has started and elite trail runners are ready to toe the starting line in Spain on Sunday June 13th.
The starting list for the GTWS 2021 is now confirmed. Elite trail runners from around the world are gearing up to compete at The Olla de Núria in the province of Girona in Catalonia (Spain), replacing Zegama this year, for the first stage in the Golden Trail World Series 2021.
The 9 am start, in Olla de Núria will feature a race route of 13 miles with 6300’ of vertical elevation and zero asphalt. The race starts and finishes at Santuari de Núria (6300’) climbing over some of the Pyrenees’ most iconic peaks including: Puigmal (9500’), Pic del Segre (9100’), Pic de Finestrelles (9100’), Pic de Noufonts (8700’) along the border between Spain and France.
72% of the race takes place above 8700′ in a remote natural environment that you can only reach by train or on foot. Wild, unique, beautiful – a hidden jewel. This high-altitude, fast and furious, lung-buster set in the extraordinary backdrop of the Catalan Pyrenees will be an exciting first race of the season.
The course records to beat were set by Kilian Jornet (2h 14 min 56s) and Mireia Miro (2h 36 min 00s).
Dani Moreno winning the 2019 USATF 50 km Trail Championships. Photo credit: Richard Bolt.
The elite women’s field includes:
- Rachel Drake (Nike Trail, USA), 2nd overall at the 2020 Golden Trail Championship and member of the 2019 World Mountain Running Championship team.
- Dani Moreno (Hoka One One/Rabbit, USA) is the USATF 50 km Trail Champion and member of the 2017 and 2019 World Mountain Running Championship team.
- Maude Mathys (Salomon, Switzerland), the current Sierre-Zinal and Pikes Peak Marathon record holder, and 2020 Golden Trail Championship winner.
- Judith Wyder (Salomon, Switzerland), 2019 GTWS title holder, Dolomyths Run and Ring of Steall record holder who’s back after her second baby.
- Blandine L’Hirondel (Hoka One One, France) snatched up by a new sponsor, 3rd overall 2020 GTC & 2019 Trail World Champion.
- Denisa Dragomir (Red Bull/Merrell, Romania), 2019 European Skyrunning Champion.
- Holly Page (Adidas Terrex, UK) 2nd in 2019 Ring of Steall.
- Nuria Gil (Salomon, Spain), Spanish trail running champion and 3rd at Olla de Núria 2019, this is her first international trail runnning competition.
Andrew Douglas on his way to winning the 2019 Broken Arrow Skyrace. Photo credit: Richard Bolt.
The elite men’s field includes:
- Davide Magnini (Salomon, Italy) 2019 Mont-Blanc Marathon and Dolomyths Run winner, 2nd overall 2019 GTWS.
- Nadir Maguet (La Sportiva, Italy) is the 2019 Ring of Steall winner.
- Bart Przedwojewski (Salomon, Poland), 2020 Golden Trail Championship (GTC) winner,
- Stian Angermund (Salomon, Norway) Zegama record holder, 5th overall in the 2020 GTC.
- Jan Margarit (La Sportiva, Spain).
- Nicolas Martin (Hoka One One, France) 10th overall at the 2020 GTC.
- Rémi Bonnet (Salomon, Switzerland) 8th overall at the 2020 GTC.
- Thibaut Baronian (Salomon, France)
- Andrew Douglas (Hoka One One, UK), winner of the 2019 WMRA World Cup Series.
- William Boffelli (Team Crazy, Italy) 1st place in the 2020 Matterhorn Ultraks – Extreme.
You can follow the race LIVE, starting 8:45 am (Central European Time) on Sunday 13th June, on the goldentrailseries.com homepage, filmed by TV3 – the primary Catalan TV channel –, with English and Spanish speakers, and on TV3 in Catalan + LIVE stories during the race on GTS Instagram. Daily fresh new content on GTS social media (Instagram + Facebook) starting Monday June 7th to get you revved up for race day.
ABOUT:
The Golden Trail World Series stands out in the modern sports world respecting unique values like parity, equity, transparency and honesty. The races have been chosen to highlight the most iconic events in this sport today. The Series aims to promote professional trail runners as the world-class athletes that they are, to showcase and protect the awe-inspiring nature and environments where we play and compete, and to acknowledge the amazing, passionate fans as an essential ingredient in the sport. Each of the six races in the Series has been specifically selected because of the scenery, challenges, history and atmosphere that they offer to both the runners and the public. These are the races that every runner wants to experience and some of the first written on any runner’s bucket list.
