German Olympian Anna Hahner is seeking new challenges on the trails in El Paso

Mathys sets sights on more gold in El Paso ahead of dual Olympic ambitions

Martin Dematteis: "I’ll bring all my courage and determination to the starting line in El Paso"

<h2>European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships</h2>
<p>The European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships is the forerunner to the European Mountain Running Championships and&nbsp;combines the disciplines of trail and mountain running with races for both elite and recreational athletes.</p>
<p>The first edition of the European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships took place in El Paso on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands on 1-3 July 2022 and the 2024 edition took place in Annecy, France from 31 May-2 June 2024.</p>
<p>At the 2024 edition, France topped the medal table thanks to their exploits in the trail races in which the swept all eight medals. The French took clean sweeps in both the individual races and the team titles as well.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The 2026 edition is due to take place in Slovenia.&nbsp;</p>

Results

News

Team & Media Information

Past Editions

Next Editions

Press Accreditation

Final Entries

European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships

European Off-Road Running Championships

Medal Table

Timetable (at 12 April 2024)

Team Manual

Course map – Uphill U20

Course map – Uphill Senior

Course map – Up/Down U20

Course map – Up/Down Senior 

Course map – Trail Race

Countdown to the European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships

https://reventonelpaso.com/eaorch/

<p><strong>Thursday (25) marks one year to go until the third edition of the European Off Road Running Championships, which takes place on 25-27 June in Ljubljana-Kamnik.&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>Slovenia has previously hosted the Ljubljana 1997 European Athletics U20 Championships, the Velenje 2011 SPAR European Cross Country Championships and twice hosted the European Mountain Running Championships at Cerklje 2001 and Kamnik 2017, a predecessor of this event.</p>
<p>The Balkan nation is also set to stage the Maribor 2025 European Athletics Team Championships 2nd and 3rd Division on 25-29 June.</p>
<p>Consisting of mountain running and trail running disciplines for senior and U20s, the European Off Road Championships provides a uniquely scenic experience for endurance runners.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1749041315/Maximilien_Drion_du_Chapois.jpg"></p>
<p>The inaugural edition in El Paso, La Palma, Spain in 2022 saw 283 runners from 24 countries compete, with Italy topping the medal table. Last year saw the event take place in Annecy, France with 480 entries representing 30 countries. The host nation France topped the medal table.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Next year&rsquo;s event will traverse the stunning landscape of the Kamnik&ndash;Savinja Alpine region in Slovenia. Like with the inaugural European Running Championships, the event will be open to mass participants.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.offroadrunning2026.si/&nbsp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Register here</a></li>
</ul>

One year to go until Ljubljana-Kamnik 2025 European Off-Road Running Championships

2024 Review | French scale the heights and British women blaze a trail in thrilling off road year

<p><strong>As the dust settles on the second edition of the European Off-Road Running Championships, organisers are reflecting on a successful hosting of the event in Annecy, France.</strong></p>
<p>With the host nation also topping the medal table, there is a contentedness in the home camp. Thousands of spectators enjoyed three days of top-class off-road running. A total of 542 athletes took part in the ten elite races, with the men's trail race attracting the most participants with 83.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Off road community enthused</h2>
<p>As part of the event, around 7,000 outdoor and trail enthusiasts took part in the five races of the Maxi-Race mass participation events in Annecy, which were held on the same days.</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1717413735/EuropeanOffRoadAnnecy_-_J4-135.jpg"></p>
<p>&ldquo;It has been hard work and a challenge to get the European Championships off the ground&rdquo;, said Patrick Gimenez, President of the Organising Committee. &ldquo;We started two years ago and, to be honest, I thought the work would be less intense.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"But when you leave a stadium environment and have to find tracks in the countryside that meet the International Federation's specifications in terms of length and metres of altitude, it becomes difficult.&ldquo;</p>
<p>He also revealed the extraordinary demand for the mass participation races. &ldquo;When we open registration in October, some of the races are sold out within two hours," says Gimenez proudly.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Mass participation success</h2>
<p>Following the inaugural event in El Paso, La Palma two years ago and Annecy 2024, the combination of elite and mass participation events is becoming the established model. Similar models will be rolled out at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, where recreational runners will take part in the Roma 10k in the wake of the elite half marathon runners.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1717413679/Alanis_Duc_FFA_Europe_OffRoad_Annecy_18-39.jpg"></p>
<p>And mass participation will have an even stronger presence at the European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven in April 2025. When the national teams compete for the 10km, 21km and 42km titles, with mass participation events over all three distances. Plus the best 25 runners will be counted for their nation&lsquo;s ranking, regardless of whether they are elite or amateur runners.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Slovenia beckons</h2>
<p>But as far as mountain and trail running is concerned, attention now swtiches to the third European Off-Road Running Championships, which will be held in Kamnik/Ljubljana in June 2026 (date TBC).</p>
<p>The town on the outskirts of the Slovenian capital has a population of around 14,000 and is logistically conveniently located close to the motorway and just 16 minutes &nbsp;from Ljubljana's Jože Pučnik Airport.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The local organisers have a wealth of experience, having hosted the 2010 World Mountain Running Championships and the 2017 European Mountain Running Championships. They also have Tomo &Scaron;arf, the current president of the World Mountain Running Association, as a senior expert in their team.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We are aiming for more national federations and more athletes to take part in two years' time than this year&rdquo;, says &Scaron;arf, thinking of 32 to 34 nations that could compete in Slovenia. &ldquo;We will organise two open races in addition to the medal events, one uphill and one trail, and we hope to welcome about 2000 participants.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Slovenia failed to win a medal at Annecy 2024 and it is unlikely that the 2026 hosts will follow in France's footsteps.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Ten or 15 years ago, we had a golden generation and were regularly winning medals at the World Championships in Mountain Running&rdquo;, says &Scaron;arf, looking back.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Times have changed, in Annecy, Tine Zizmond was our best in the U20 men's Up and Down race, finishing fifth. But in two years he will be too old for the juniors and maybe too young for the elite. In any case, we hope to have a strong team at the event.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Egon Theiner for European Athletics</strong></p>

Successful championships close at Annecy 2024

<p><strong>Germany&rsquo;s Nina Engelhard claimed a superb mountain double as she won Up and Down senior women&rsquo;s race to add to the Classic Hill race title she won on Friday (31 May), as the Annecy 2024 European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships came to a successful conclusion on Sunday (2).</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.euro.maxi-race.org/blog/live-and-result/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></li>
</ul>
<p>And just like two days earlier, her success was unchallenged from the start of the climbs. The 27-year-old, who started cautiously, let a group of three initially get away, but by the time she reached the Chemin de Rampon after 4.5km she was in the lead and by the Mont Baron (8.4km) she had a clear advantage of around 40 seconds.</p>
<p>By Chez Chappet (12.7km), her nearest rival was 58 seconds adrift and Engelhard never relinquished this comfortable lead. She won in 1:22:44, with silver and bronze going to the fast-finishing Judith Wyder of Switzerland - who was fourth with a kilometre to go - in 1:23:09 and Monica Madalina Florea of Romania in 1:23:12.</p>
<p>In this three-way battle for two medals, Great Britain's Scout Adkin finished an agonisingly close fourth in 1:23:15, for Florea - who was second in this event two years ago at the inaugaral&nbsp; European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships in El Paso, Spain - it matched her result from the Classic Hill Race two days ago.</p>
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<p>But Adkin, silver medallist in the Classic Hill race, after so many near misses at getting a gold medal, had the consolation of the team title with her Great Britain team-mates Naomi Lang (fifth) and Eve Pannone (11th), one point ahead of Switzerland with Romania taking the bronze medals.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>"I was away and gone"</h2>
<p>Engelhard later reflected: &ldquo;The early stage was too fast for me, and I don't like flat sections anyway. But I felt good and when the climb started, I was in a group with Adkin and Florea. When the Romanian fell over on the descent I was away and alone.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I was happy to be in the lead for the last flat kilometre [into Annecy and along the city's quayside], so it was good enough. I'm sure the medal expectations from the outside were higher than my own [after Friday], but I didn't let the pressure get to me. I achieved everything I could during these days - it will probably take me months to realise that!</p>
<p>&ldquo;How my career will continue has to be discussed and planned, but the 2025 World Championships in these disciplines are definitely a goal.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Battle for the ages in men's race</h2>
<p>The senior men&rsquo;s Up and Down race delivered a memorable head-to-head duel over the closing stages of the 16km race.</p>
<p>One is a star of the Golden Trails and World Skyrunning series, the other looks to be the future of mountain running with 26-year-old Roberto Delorenzi from Switzerland and 19-year-old Lukas Ehrle from Germany fighting battle right all the way to the line.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Three seconds separated the two at the finish, with Delorenzi coming out on top. His winning time was 1:11:28 to Ehrle's 1:11:31. Third place went to Theodore Klein of France in 1:11:49.</p>
<p>Delorenzi was among a group of athletes who took a wrong turn in the early stages of the race and had to make up ten seconds. But by the highest point of the race, the Mont Baron after 8.4km, he led a group of three runners that included Friday&rsquo;s Classic Hill winner Joe Steward of Great Britain and Klein while Ehrle was 15 seconds behind.</p>
<p>On the descent, the German was able to overtake Steward while Klein crashed, later to cross the line caked in mud.</p>
<p>After 10.1km at the Creux du Loup, Ehrle was seven seconds behind Delorenzi but 2.5km later, with the teenage German flying down the road section of the descent, at Chez Chappet the two were level.</p>
<p>However, on the final technical off-road section of descent, Delorenzi managed to gain a few seconds on his opponent and held on to his lead until the finish line.</p>
<h2>Special feeling</h2>
<p>Following his fourth place in the Classic Hill race, it was sweet redemption for the Swiss runner.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I was in the lead most of the time because nobody wanted to attack and overtake,&rdquo; said Delorenzi &ldquo;The descents worked in my favour, I was in great shape and had good legs. I expected to be on the podium and today I was the best. Winning is something special with all the good European runners on the start line.&rdquo;</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1717329549/Alanis_Duc_FFA_Europe_OffRoad_Annecy_22-47.png"></p>
<p>Runner-up Lukas Ehrle, who also won bronze in the Classic Hill said: &ldquo;It was a tough race, the downhills were extremely technical. Unfortunately, the gap was too big at the end.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Would I have won if the race had been 200 or 300 metres longer? I don't know, Delorenzi is also strong on the road. Anyway, it's incredible to come home with two medals!&rdquo;</p>
<p>The team competition was won by France through Klein, Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Tranchand (seventh), Romain Discher, by just two points from Great Britain with Italy third.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>French shine in U20 races</h2>
<p>The U20 races brought yet more French success in a glittering event for the host nation. In the men&rsquo;s U20 Up and Down race, France filled the first four places, headed by gold medallist Antoine Paydebois, who won in 27:46 ahead of compatriots Jules Mongellaz (28:02), Mael Henric (28:18) and Jules Barriod (28:26).</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1717329451/Alanis_Duc_FFA_Europe_OffRoad_Annecy_21-21.png"></p>
<p>The route had been changed by the organisers the night before - the planned downhills were deemed too dangerous for the safety of the young athletes.&nbsp;</p>
<p>On the alternative course, which had similar characteristics as the original one, Paydebois, who also competes in road and stadium races, did not hold back.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I started strong, was careful on the climbs and pushed hard on the descents,&rdquo; he revealed. &ldquo;And then I switched off my brain all the way to the finish line.&rdquo; In the team competition, France won ahead of Italy and Spain.</p>
<p>Less than ten minutes later, the winner of the U20 women's race crossed the line, and once again France was celebrating. Margot Dajoux won in 31:50, ahead of Norway's Ingeborg Synstnes Hole (32:07) and Great Britain's Eve Whitaker (32:18). While the eventual winner was still in the lead group on the climb, she was able to break away on the final small climb.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1717329487/Alanis_Duc_FFA_Europe_OffRoad_Annecy_21-34.png"></p>
<p>&ldquo;The change in the course took us a bit by surprise," said Dajoux, who is also a French U20 international on the track and cross country</p>
<p>&ldquo;Three weeks ago, we had a training session on the racecourse and our experience from then was not valid today. The last 200 metres on the course were pure joy, to win both the U20 Up and Down titles is just wow, we will remember these races for a very long time!&rdquo; added Dajoux.</p>
<p>In the team competition, Dajoux, Alice Mugnier (seventh), Lila Andre (10th) ensured France took yet another title from Great Britain and Italy.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Egon Theiner for European Athletics</strong></p>
<p><strong>Photos courtesy of Alanis Duc &amp; Gwendal Hamon (FFA)&nbsp;</strong></p>

Engelhard becomes Queen of the Mountains

<p><strong>France swept all before them on second day of the Annecy 2024 European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships as the host nation dominated the women's and men's trail events in unprecedented style.&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>France won all three individual medals in both races, as well as both team titles. The superiority of the French athletes was evident from the start in Faverges. All four formed the leading group in both the men's and women's races.</p>
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<h2>Cardin leads French home</h2>
<p>In the men's race, British runner Thomas Roach and the Italian Christian Minoggio were able to keep pace in the early stages, with Minoggio in fifth place after 5.7km in La Motte, fourth after 12.9km in Parfeu and leading a five-man breakaway on the second turn in Faverges.&nbsp;</p>
<p>But on the second ascent of the race, a 500-metre climb over two kilometres to Le Chenai, Thomas Cardin, Benjamin Roubiol and compatriot Hugo Deck took control. Only Roach was able to keep up with the French.</p>
<p>Although the names at the front remained the same, the time gaps grew.</p>
<p>Cardin delivered a consistent race at the highest level, leading Roach by 1:19 after 22.8km in Montmin, by 59 seconds at the Col de Nantets (28.8km) and holding the leadsby by 43 seconds at the Col de l'Aup 1200m later, but this time over his compatriot Roubiol.</p>
<p>At Villard-Dessus (35.8km) the duo were level, but the 2023 world long trail champion and Annecy hometown hero Roubiol had to let Cardin go again. At the feed station in Menthon at 41km a one-minute gap had been established, but, when one went out and the other went in, they met on the course and the two Frenchmen exchanged friendly high-fives.</p>
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<p>The next time they saw each other was at the finish. At the Chemin de Rampon (46.1km), Cardin had a 3:31 lead, by Chez Chapet (54.3km) on the long descent into Annecy after they had passed the summit of Mont Baron at 50km it was four-and-a-half minutes, and Cardin's advantage kept on growing. At the finish, it was 5:39 as Cardin took the gold in 4:58:22, Roubiol the silver in 5:04:01.</p>
<h2>Bronze battle</h2>
<p>But while the two big favourites - Roubiol is the reigning Long Trail World Champion, Cardin was third at the inaugeral European Athletics Off Road-Running Championship two years ago - secured the first two places, a fierce battle for bronze ensued behind them.</p>
<p>Thomas Roach, runner-up at the 2023 World Championships in the Short Trail, seemed on course to prevent the Frenchmen from taking the whole medal set. He was in third place between the Col de l'Aup and Chez Chapet, but was overtaken by Loic Rolland on the highest point of the final climb at Mont Baron.</p>
<p>When Roach tried to re-pass the Frenchman on the descent, he fell hard and suffered abrasions to his hand and forearm. His chance of a medal was gone and he finished fourth. Rolland took bronze in 5:07:38 while Roach's clock stopped at 5:09:51.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It meant France also collected the team title with the minimum six points. with Poland taking team silver led by fifth-placed Rafal Matuszczak and Czechia grabbed bronze headed by 12th-placed Tomas Macecek.</p>
<h2>"the top result I've been working for"</h2>
<p>The new champion Thomas Cardin was delighted his hard work had paid dividends. &ldquo;It's been seven years that I've been improving step-by-step,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Now I've got the top result I've been working for.</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1717253859/Alanis_Duc_FFA_Europe_OffRoad_Annecy_18-24.jpg"></p>
<p>&ldquo;I took a conservative and cautious approach to the race and was actually surprised when I found myself in the lead. Then I made sure to keep the pace and keep the gap to others.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was only towards the end of the race, on the final climb, that I got some information about my lead and realised that I could actually win the championship. But the big emotions came on the final straight.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The high five between Benjamin and me was a sign of what makes us tick, it's our state of mind. We're not just running for ourselves, but also for the success of the team. Three people have been the most supportive in my career: my wife, my little daughter and my coach - and when I saw them out on the trail, I loved kissing them!&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Looking to the future, he said: &ldquo;Next goals? A cycling tour of Europe this summer and, in the medium term, the 2025 World Championships [in Canfranc, Spain].&rdquo;</p>
<p>Unheralded bronze medallist Loic Rolland added: &ldquo;I didn't think I could finish on the podium in the individual race, but after a cautious start I got a perfect race for me. At the last aid station, I was told I was minutes behind Thomas Roach and I thought I couldn't catch him anymore. I caught Roach at the very end of the last climb, passed him and when he attacked he crashed.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Thomas Roach, fourth, said &ldquo;It was the last descent that decided third place, I tried to overtake and fell hands first. It was all my fault. I have mixed feelings, I'm proud of what I've achieved, I've had a great race, but I'm unhappy because the medal was within reach.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The French supporters on the course were very kind to me, the performance of their athletes is just incredible.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Geoffray adds European gold to world title</h2>
<p>In the women&rsquo;s race, Clementine Geoffray added the European crown to the world title she gained last year. In this instance, the hosts dominated the women's race even more than the men, with the first four women being <em>Les Bleus</em>.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1717254247/Alanis_Duc_FFA_Europe_OffRoad_Annecy_18-65.jpg"></p>
<p>Geoffray won in 5:44:37, ahead of Blandine L'Hirondel in 5:53:49 and Adeline Martin in 5:56:44. The quartet was completed by Julie Roux finishing fourth in 6:02:15. About eight minutes later, Ioana Madalina Amariei of Romania crossed the line in fifth.</p>
<p>L&rsquo;Hirondel, 2019 world champion, made the early running. At La in La Motte (5.7km), Parfeu (12.9km), Prafeu (12.9km), Faverges (14.2km) and also Montmin (22.8km), L'Hirondel was more or less a minute ahead of Geoffray, but the picture changed at the Col des Nantets (28.8km) and Col de l'Aup (30km), where last year's world trail short champion came within a few seconds of the leader.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Stomach problems meant that Geoffray again lost half a minute by Villard-Dessus (35.8km), but she dictated the pace in the second half of the race.</p>
<p>At the Menthon support station, L'Hirondel was just 15 seconds in front, but by the Chemin de Rampon (46.1km), Geoffray had overtaken her and was 55 seconds away.&nbsp;</p>
<p>She never relinquished this lead. At Mont Baron (50km) the gap was just under five minutes, at Chez Chappet (54.3km) over six minutes and at the Passarelle almost nine minutes. At the finish line, 9:12 minutes separated the two best trail runners in Europe.</p>
<p>It meant also France took the team title ahead of Spain whose leading runner was eighth-placed Oihana Kortazar, whilst Italy grabbed bronze with Camilla Magliano their leading light in 12th place.</p>
<p>Afterwards Geoffray said: &ldquo;I have had a difficult time over the last few months and missed the French Championships due to injury. So my expectations weren't too high, I just wanted to give a solid performance and contribute to the team classification.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Before the race I was impressed by the climbs, but I felt very comfortable on them. I think I won the championship more on those sections than on the descents. But above all I was mentally strong. &ldquo;I prefer technical descents, but most of them here in Annecy were easy and didn't really suit me.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&nbsp;&ldquo;When I passed Blandine I thought to myself: OK, you're in the lead, but the race is still a long one, so stay with yourself and make sure you keep the pace. &nbsp;Stomach problems slowed me down, I also had to go to the toilet and risked losing time.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I became world champion in 2023, which was unexpected. That year I doubted my form, my strength, I didn't know if the distance was too long for me and I wasn't confident. Therefore, my success in 2024 was also unexpected.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Proud L'Hirondel</h2>
<p>Runner-up L'Hirondel said &ldquo;I started with the aim of winning, I started fast and pushed very hard, as I usually do. &ldquo;The length of the course is very difficult, you can never rest. Leg problems didn't make it any easier, but when I knew Clementine was behind me, I forgot about them and did my best.&rdquo;</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1717254285/Alanis_Duc_FFA_Europe_OffRoad_Annecy_18-18.jpg"></p>
<p>&ldquo;I'm proud of myself because I rode a very good race. Someone else was stronger than me today, luckily it's a friend and I'm happy for her. &nbsp;No, there is no disappointment. I had a goal and I didn't achieve it. But I'm happy with myself.&rdquo;</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.euro.maxi-race.org/blog/live-and-result/#5_49729B" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Egon Thiener for European Athletics</strong></p>
<p><strong>Photos courtesy of Alanis Duc (FFA)</strong></p>

French sweep trail medals in Annecy

<p><strong>The Annecy 2024 European Off-Road Running Championships began in snow and rain but brought sunshine smiles to the faces of the winning athletes. Competitors from Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland and from host France dominated the senior and U20 Classic uphill races.</strong></p>
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<h2>Steward shows the way</h2>
<p>In the men&rsquo;s race, Britain&rsquo;s Joe Steward led at 2.4km, 14 seconds clear of Swiss runner Roberto Delorenzi, living up to his role in the group of pre-race favourites.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Steward was able to extend his lead, with his compatriot and 2019 European mountain running champion Jacob Adkin, rather than the tiring Delorenzi, his closest rival.&nbsp;</p>
<p>By the finish his advantage was 1:18 and Steward was cheering in the rain as he crossed the line at the end of 7.6km of attritional running on narrow paths with stony sand muddy surfaces underfoot in 42:37.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The whole group got off to a very fast start,&rdquo; said the Steward, &ldquo;and I stayed in the lead group. About a quarter of the way through, where the toughest section is, I attacked and opened up a gap. My lead then increased as my plan was to go hard from the halfway point.&rdquo;</p>
<p>''Last year I finished eighth at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Austria, so I was really hoping to win a medal and knew that with a good run I could be right up there.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;The weather conditions and the muddy parts of the course suited me and the other British athletes, I personally love rain and mud!&rdquo;</p>
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<p>Behind Steward and silver medallist Adkin (43:55), Germany's 19-year-old Lukas Ehrle (44:23) finished third, with Delorenzi fading to fourth (44:41). For Ehrle, it was a second successive medal at the event, two years ago he won gold in the U20 event in El Paso, La Palma.</p>
<p>Great Britain (Steward, Adkin and 10th-placed Kristian Jones, allied just 13 points) to win the team competition ahead of Switzerland (Delorenzi, Jonathan Schmid, Jonas Soldini, 21 points) and hosts France (Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Tranchand, Theodore Klein, Quentin Meyleu, 24 points).</p>
<h2>Engelhard surprises herself with gold</h2>
<p>The women's race followed a similar pattern to the men's. After a brisk start, Germany's Nina Engelhard and Great Britain's Scout Adkin took the lead.</p>
<p>After about two kilometres, the unheralded Engelhard overtook her rival and was never headed with 1:35 separating the two in the end, the German finishing in 50:08 on the 7.6km climb.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It meant the Adkin, fourth in this same discipline two years ago siblings both came away with silver in the senior races. Romania's Monica Madalina Florea finished third in 52:33.</p>
<p>Engelhard said: &ldquo;I was going to take my time and see how the race went, but suddenly I was alone in the lead; from then on it was very lonely and felt a bit like a tough training run. It's my first international start, so it's a success for me just to be there, and the goal was to have fun.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I don't like wet and cold weather, I prefer running in the heat and in the dry. So I can say that the package I put together was a complete surprise. But what a surprise!'</p>
<p>The team title was won by France, with Christel Dewalle fourth, Elise Poncet fifth and Marie Nivet ninth packing well for a total of 18 points), followed by Great Britain (Adkin, Sara Willhott, Scarlet Dale, 22 points) and Switzerland (Judith Wyder, Selina Burch, reigning champion Maude Mathys, 34 points).&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Swiss dominate U20 men's race</h2>
<p>The big day for Switzerland had begun with the men's U20 race, the opening race of the championships, over a 5.6km course climbing 830m. Matthieu B&uuml;hrer and Loic Berger teamed up and led at the halfway point.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The two kept up the pace in the second part of the race to maintain the lead they had gained. B&uuml;hrer, arguably the pre-race favourite, had the stronger finish and secured gold, 21 seconds clear of Berger in second place with 36:09. Jules Mongellaz of France finished third in 37:06.</p>
<p>&ldquo;After winning an individual bronze medal in the U20 mountain race at the World Championships in Innsbruck last year, my declared goal was to finish on the podium here,&rdquo; said B&uuml;hrer. &ldquo;Tactically, our race went well, Loic (Berger) and I knew that we were the two strongest in the field.''</p>
<p>&ldquo;I won't be doing the Up and Down race on Sunday because I want to continue my training for the Junior Orienteering World Championships, the Up and Down doesn't fit in, it's too hard."</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1717170408/Alanis_Duc_FFA_Europe_OffRoad_Annecy_12-24.png"></p>
<p>The team competition was won by Switzerland (B&uuml;hrer, Berger, fifth-placed Fiorillo Camesi) with just eight points points ahead of France (Mongellaz, Noe Descombe, Simon Bibollet, 18 points) and Great Britain (Edward Hobbs, Thomas Hilton, Alexander Poulston, 20 points).</p>
<h2>Siblings success in the mountains</h2>
<p>As well as two silver medals for the Adkin siblings, there was another family affair in Annecy.</p>
<p>When Lukas Ehrle celebrated his third place in the men's race, his sister Julia was the first to throw her arms around his neck. &ldquo;What place did you achieve?&rdquo;, her brother asked her. &ldquo;I won,&rdquo; she replied smiling bright.</p>
<p>Julia Ehrle, just 16 and whose track speed may see her wearing a German vest at the Banska Bystrica European Athletics U18 Championships in July, stayed well adrift of the early leaders of the women&rsquo;s U20 race, but as the going got steeper at about the two-kilometre point she took the lead, and never relinquished it until the finish line which she reached in 41:50. &nbsp;Eve Whitaker of Great Britain, a silver medallist in the U20 up-and-down race two years ago at the first edition of the championships, was second in 43:40 while Lili Beck of France was third in 44:19.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I did really well today, I was able to follow my strategy as planned,&rdquo; said Ehrle. &ldquo;I'm incredibly happy with this win and can't really believe it. It's unbelievable that we could win medals as sister and brothers, it's something very special."</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1717169726/EuropeanOffRoadAnnecy_-_J2-32.jpg"></p>
<p>France won the team classification (Beck, Margot Dajoux, (5th), Luna Beck (9th), 17 points) ahead of Great Britain (Whitaker, Isla Hedley, Lauren Russell, 18 points) and Italy (Licia Ferrari, Anna Hofer, Silvia Boscacci, 35 points).</p>
<h2>Favourites toil in slippery conditions</h2>
<p>The bad weather and low temperatures may have favoured some, but may have disadvantaged others. Some of the bigger names toiled in the conditions.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In the senior men&rsquo;s race, Italy's defending champion and world silver medallist Cesare Meastri was down in 41st place while 2022 bronze medallist Daniel Osanz (Spain) was 29th and the prolific winner on the off-road running scene, Austria's Hans-Peter Innerhofer, finished 25th</p>
<p>In the senior women&rsquo;s race, four-time winner Maude Mathys was not quite at her best, finishing 17th and over six minutes adrift of the individual medals; their attentions now turns to Sunday and an opportunity for revenge and redemption in the up-and-down races, as the trail runners take centre stage in Saturday&rsquo;s races over 57km through the mountains to the east of the host city Annecy and alongside Lake Annecy.<br><br><strong>Full results <a href="https://www.euro.maxi-race.org/blog/live-and-result/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Egon Theiner for European Athletics<br></strong><strong>Photos courtesy of Alanis Duc and Gwendal Hamon (FFA)</strong></p>

Surprises and sibling successes in mountain races

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