Canada seventh, Kenya takes gold and silver at World Mountain and Trail Running Championships
Alexandre Ricard of Squamish, B.C., and Remi Leroux of Bromont, Que., led the way for Team Canada in the classic uphill race
Photo by:
Remi Leroux/Strava
Team Kenya struck gold and silver this morning in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (WMTRC). Patrick Kipngeno won the men’s classic uphill 8.5 km race (around 1,000m of vert) in 46:51, with his compatriot Philemon Kiriago taking second in 48:24.
The inaugural WMTRC is a collaboration between World Athletics, the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) and the International Trail Running Association (ITRA).
Kipngeno went into the race as a favourite after dominant performances during the Mountain Running World Cup circuit, where he won the prestigious Thyon-Dixence and finished second at Sierre-Zinal. Kipngeno won by a comfortable margin of a minute and a half ahead of Kiriago, who only started mountain running during the pandemic. Spain’s Alejandro Garcia settled for bronze in 49:03.
Kipngeno and Kiriago will hope to replicate their performance when they take part in the classic up-and-down 11.2 km race on Sunday.
Alexandre Ricard of Squamish, B.C., was the top Canadian finisher, cracking the top 10 in 50:04. Remi Leroux of Quebec finished four spots back of Ricard for 14th, in 50:56, helping the Canadian men’s team to a seventh-place finish overall.
In the women’s race, Allie McLaughlin of Team USA won gold in 55:15, only a week after winning the Golden Trail World Series Finals in Madeira, Portugal. Austria’s Andrea Mayr took silver in 55:41 while ultratrail runner and two-time Golden Trail World Series champion Maude Mathys was third in 56:00.
McLaughlin, 32, was in a pack late with Mayr and Mathys, and made a move with one kilometre to go and never looked back to win her second World Mount Running individual title. (In 2014, she was the world champion in the long-distance race).
Allie McLaughlin led @USATF to a women’s team title, while Kenya’s Patrick Kipngeno followed his World Cup win with a global gold on the first day of the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai ?? on Friday.
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— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) November 4, 2022
They are all entered for both of the mountain races in Chiang Mai, so will clash again in the classic up-and-down race on Sunday.
Kerri Labrecque of Ottawa was the lone Canadian woman in the race, finishing 30th, in 1:04:59.
More than 900 athletes from 46 member federations are taking part in five races for men and women, including one for U20 athletes.
You can view the results from the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships here.
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