Announcement from the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA). The American Trail Running Association is a WMRA media partner and will be providing coverage of all sixteen events in the 2021 Mountain Running World Cup. ATRA founder Nancy Hobbs is a member of the WMRA Council. Photos: Corsa in Montagna.
For our final Mountain Running World Cup race of 2021 we head to the north of Italy for Chiavenna-Lagunc. On Sunday, October 10th, runners will take part in this famous short uphill race, starting in the historic old town of Chiavenna and finishing in Lagunc.
Chiavenna Lagunc is a very fitting race to act as a grand finale for this year’s World Cup. It would be hard to find a town that’s as steeped in mountain running history and tradition. Sunday’s course winds up from Chiavenna at 1150 feet to Lagunc at 4435 feet was actually the world’s first official, certified vertical kilometer (VK).
We’re asking all our races this year about what they’re doing to promote sustainability. Chiavenna Lagunc is quite unique in this regard as it’s part of the ‘orange flags’ initiative, which recognizes its sensitivity to sustainability. The ‘orange flag’ status is awarded to towns which preserve their historical areas and also make their architectural, artistic and naturalistic resources accessible to and usable by the people. Essentially it celebrates uniqueness and preservation.
As well as the short uphill race there’s also a series of trail races in the area and one of these, Val Bregaglia Trail, will serve as the venue for this year’s WMRA Nations Cup race on October 31st.
Chiavenna Lagunc. Photo: Corsa in Montagna
Going into this final (of 3) short uphill race of this year’s World Cup it’s Allie McLaughlin and Andrea Mayr who lead the women in this race category, both with 100 points from 1 race, and Ondrej Fejfar leads the men’s ranking with 110 points from 2 races. Darren Thomas and Henri Aymonod are on 100 points from 1 race each. And let’s not forget that this race will also decide the overall World Cup winners. But who will we see in action in Chiavenna?
In the women’s race we will see all of the top 5 runners in the World Cup rankings. These are (in order) Joyce Njeru (KEN), Charlotte Morgan (GBR), Alice Gaggi (ITA), Lucy Murigi (KEN) and Timea Merenyi (HUN). But we will also see Andrea Mayr (AUT), who seems in unbeatable form this year, Francesca and Erica Ghelfi (ITA), Charlotte Cotton (BEL), Mojca Koligar (SLO), Camilla Magliano (ITA) and Kitti Posztos (HUN).
In the men’s race we will also see the full top 5 on World Cup points: Sandor Szabo (HUN), Henri Aymonod (ITA), Geoffrey Ndungu (KEN), Raul Criado (ESP) and Petro Mamu (ERI). We will also see Timotej Becan (SLO) and Alberto Vender (ITA), among many others including great runners from this local area.
So it looks like it’s going to be a fantastic race, with many of the top short uphill mountain racers in the world taking part, and a very exciting finale to the World Cup, deciding who will be crowned overall champions. Remember that there are still rules and bonuses to be applied to the athletes’ scores (additional points are available for runners taking part in Chiavenna-Lagunc, for those taking part in 5 or 8 races, and for those taking part in at least 1 race in each category). Final winners will be announced as soon as possible after Chiavenna-Lagunc.
Find all the current World Cup rankings, and information about the rules regarding final scores on the WMRA website.
Chiavenna Lagunc. Photo: Corsa in Montagna
About the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup:
Races take place between June 2021 and October 2021 in 8 countries. There are 12 event locations and 16 races in 3 categories: short uphill; classic mountain race; long mountain race. Runners can take part in as many races as they want, and they get points for their finishing positions. Their best 7 results in the World Cup races count towards their final ranking. The points scoring format is cumulative. Finishing positions in a WMRA World Cup race range from 100 points for first to 1 point for 30th. There are separate competitions for men and women and athletes must compete in at least two races in order to be considered in the final rankings. See full calendar for World Cup races at: https://www.wmra.info/calendar/2021-major-events
The current, reigning World Cup champions are Sarah McCormack and Andrew Douglas.
About the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA):
Formed in 1984, we are the global governing body for mountain running and we have the goal of promoting mountain running for all ages and abilities. As well as the World Cup we organize Masters, U18 and regional championships and this year we will work in partnership with the World Athletics, International Trail Running Association (ITRA) and the International Association of Ultrarunners IAU to deliver the first World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand. More information at: www.wmra.info
