Results from the Olla de Nuria
Norway's Stian Angermund finally broke out of his fourth-place rut, while Swiss runner Maude Mathys crushed the field on the women's side
The Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) kicked off yesterday with the first of seven upcoming events, the Olla de Nuria in Spain. The race saw more than 600 runners complete the 21.5K race, which takes runners into the Pyrenees Mountains, climbing close to 4,000m from start to finish. The GTWS attracts the world’s best ultra and trail runners, and this race was no exception.
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The men’s race
The big result of the day goes to the men’s winner, Stian Angermund of Norway. Last year, the 34-year-old struggled to do any better than fourth place in any race, and this year he was back with something to prove. In the first race of the series, he emerged victorious, covering the challenging course in 2:04:16, more than a minute ahead of the next competitor. This is an excellent start for Angermund, and trail running fans will no doubt be watching to see what he does in upcoming races.
Second place went to Swiss runner Rémi Bonnet, who crossed the finish line in 2:05:48, followed by Davide Magnini of Italy in 2:06:05.
The women’s race
On the women’s side, it was Maude Mathys of Switzerland who took the win in 2:21:52, finishing nearly 13 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. The 34-year-old has been dominant in the trail running scene for years and owns several course records, so this win will not come as a surprise to trail fans.
The second-place finisher was fellow Swiss athlete Judith Wyder, who crossed the line in 2:34:24, followed by Oihana Kortazar Aranzeta of Spain in 2:35:25.
Next up in the GTWS is the Marathon du Mont-Blanc in Chamonix, France, on July 4, followed by the Dolomyths run in Italy on July 18.
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