Team Canada peaks at World Mountain Running Championships

Canada sent a strong contingent of 14 runners who were tasked with climbing the Rila Mountains, the highest range in the Balkans, at the World Mountain Running Championships. The championships, held in Sapareva Banya, Bulgaria, featured three Canadian teams in the junior men’s, senior women’s and senior men’s categories.

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All three teams equalled or bettered their result from one year ago. Adele Blaise-Sohnius, who finished 29th in the senior women’s category, was the top finisher of all Canadians and led her team to a ninth-place finish. Blaise-Sohnius improved 20 positions from her performance at the world championships in 2015. Canada also sent a young team of the next generation of athletes with four talented men competing.

Both the senior women’s and junior men’s teams had three runners in the top-50. There were 323 athletes competing from 35 countries. The junior men and senior women ran 7.3K while the senior men covered 12K.

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Austria’s Andrea Mayr won her impressive sixth senior women’s title at the World Mountain Running Championships. Joseph Gray of the United States was two minutes clear of the next best competitor in the senior men’s category.

Junior Men – 12th overall

Mitchell Cauchi – 37th
Gregory Hetterley – 49th
Aidan Doherty – 50th
Emmanuel Mercier – 58th

Senior Women – 9th overall

Adele Blaise-Sohnius – 29th
Marianne Hogan – 40th
Ashley Ramsay – 50th
Mirabelle Tinio – 63rd

Senior Men – 14th overall

Kris Swanson – 45th
Shaun Stephens-Whale – 69th
Mark Vollmer – 77th
Matt Setlack – 84th
Benoit Gignac – 101st
Michael McMillan – 106th

Full results can be found here.