Kenya's top mountain runners set for World Cup action this weekend
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 18.06.26. | 13:38
Demanding terrain will await the atletes as the season enters its second half
Kenya’s current World Cup leaders, Michael Saoli and Joyce Muthoni Njeru, will be among the athletes in action this weekend when the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup resumes in the United States for rounds six and seven of the series in California.
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Competition gets under way on Friday, 19 June, with the Ascent, the next uphill contest on this year’s circuit, before athletes return to the trails on Sunday, 21 June, for the 23 km, the next long-distance challenge of the World Cup season.
With valuable points on offer and demanding mountain terrain awaiting the athletes, the battles at the front of both races are expected to play a significant role in shaping the World Cup standings as the season enters its second half.
The ascent starts on the valley floor and climbs 914 meters over 4.8 kilometers to the summit of Washeshu Peak at 2708 meters. It takes on some brutally steep terrain, leading to the iconic Headwall Ridge and the ‘stairway to heaven’ bolted ladder to the summit of Washeshu Peak. Runners will experience steep rock slabs, snow, and scree.
The 23 km Skyrace features nearly 1400 meters of elevation gain across alpine ridges, snowfields, and technical descents. It starts in Palisades Tahoe Village, and most of the race takes place above the tree line on technical and demanding trails.
Saoli and Muthoni both face some tough opposition in Palisades Tahoe.
Last year’s Skyrace winner Elhousine Elazzaoui returns fresh from his recent triumph at Zegama, while Christian Allen and Anna Gibson, who claimed victory in the Ascent, are also back to defend their crowns.
Muthoni, who was second in the Ascent last year, will be joined this time by Madalina Florea and Jade Belzberg, while the men’s field features Elazzaoui, Allen, Philemon Kiriago, Patrick Kipngeno, and Cameron Smith, setting the stage for a series of high-profile rematches in the mountains.
The women’s races look equally enticing, with last year’s World Cup runner-up, Valentine Jepkoech Rutto, contesting both events, joined by exciting French talents Nelie Clement and Marie Nivet.