World Mountain and Trail Running Championships: Canadian team ready to face the heat

A 17-member Canadian team is ready to run in some sweltering temperatures at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Previously held as two separate events (World Mountain Running Championships and Trail World Championships), this first-ever combined event has faced several postponements due to COVID.

The event, held from Nov. 3–6, features an uphill-only race, a classic mountain race, a 40-km trail race and an 80K trail race. Each event also has individual and team categories–the team race can have up to six runners, with the top three counting toward the team’s score. Team Canada will field athletes in the women’s and men’s categories in all four of the championship’s senior-level events, with several athletes competing in multiple events, like Squamish, B.C.’s Alexandre Ricard and 2022 Canadian vertical climb champion Sasha Gollish.

Scenes from the opening ceremonies of the 2022 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand. #WMTRC pic.twitter.com/eR9A3IOmVR

— iRunFar (@iRunFar) November 3, 2022

Along with the warm temperatures, expected to rise above 32 C each day of competition, athletes will be tackling a challenging course with the uphill-only course spanning nearly 9 km, and the 80K trail race boasting more than 5,000m of elevation.

The top three runners in all races will receive official world championships medals, and winners will receive trophies. A total of $66,000 USD in prize money will be distributed among the top finishers of the four senior world championship races.

Team Canada boasts some accomplished athletes and well-known names–on the men’s side, Calum Neff previously held the Canadian 50K record, and is known for his record-breaking stroller-pushing marathons, as well as for being a pacer to the elites. Neff paced U.S. marathoner Keira D’Amato in the 2022 Houston Marathon, where she set a new U.S. record (since bested by Emily Sisson). Teammate Ricard recently won the 23K race at the Squamish 50 trail event. “Ricard is an unstoppable force on uphill races at the moment, It will be interesting to see how he stacks up against the best in the world,” said head coach Adrian Lambert.

On the women’s side, Sasha Gollish will head to the event after a remarkable master’s season. Already the women’s over-40 indoor mile world record holder, and a Team Canada member at the 2022 NACAC Half-Marathon championship, Gollish demonstrated her wide-ranging skill set in September by winning the vertical climb event at the Canadian Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Vernon, B.C.

Hello from the @wmtrc2021th @WMRAmountainrun championships!
Let’s do this #TeamCanada pic.twitter.com/9qfsUFRp5b

— sasha gollish (@SGollishRuns) November 3, 2022

Lambert expressed hopes that the Canadian contingent will finish inside the top 10 in their events, adding that “Canada has historically competed well in both the Trail and Mountain Running Championships at the World level, and we are hoping to continue that at the combined championships.”

Team Canada athletes and their events

Men:
Alexandre Ricard  Men’s Classic Uphill & Classic Up & Down
Calum Neff  Men’s Short Trail (40km)
Dany Racine Men’s Short Trail (40km)
David Jeker Men’s Long Trail (80km)
Jean-Philippe Thibodeau Men’s Long Trail (80km)
Jeffery Campbell Men’s Long Trail (80km)
Kris Swanson Uphill & Classic Up & Down
Mathieu Dubé Men’s Long Trail (80km)
Matt Tribe Men’s Long Trail (80km)
Remi Leroux Men’s Classic Uphill & Classic Up & Down
Shaun Stephens-Whale Men’s Classic Uphill & Classic Up & Down

Women:
Joannie Desroches Women’s Long Trail (80km)
Kelsey Lepard Women’s Short Trail (40km)
Kerri Labrecque Women’s Vertical Uphill
Maika Lamoureux Women’s Long Trail (80km)
Sasha Gollish Women’s Classic Uphill & Classic Up & Down
Shannon Penway Women’s Classic Uphill & Classic Up & Down

Find information on the World Mountain & Trail Running Championship Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as on the World Mountain Running Association website here. Some events will be streamed live on YouTube here.