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Mountain champions set for title defence in Annecy

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The upcoming European Off-Road Running Championships will see several intriguing rematches take place, with multiple medallists from the senior races in the 2022 edition in El Paso returning to the fray for the Classic Hill and Up and Down mountain running disciplines.

The Annecy-hosted event takes place on 31 May to 2 June featuring 10 races in trail and mountain in and around the French Alps across senior men, senior women and U20 classes. It will be covered live on the Eurovision Sport platform (with both English and French commentary) and on the European Athletics website. 

Maestri back for title defence

In the senior men's events, Cesare Maestri from Italy is the defending Classic Hill champion and was also the silver medallist at last year’s World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubaitalbahn, Austria.

Two years ago, Maestri outran Dominik Rolli from Switzerland and  Daniel Osanz from Spain who took silver and bronze. He will also renews rivalries with the fourth and fifth placed athletes from El Paso, Spain’s Miquel Corbera and Ireland’s Zak Hanna respectively. 

Austrian twins Hans-Peter and Manuel Innerhofer, first at the Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Festival (25km) and second at last year's Mayrhofen Ultraks Zillertal (30km), are also medal contenders. 

Britain’s Jacob Adkin, first at the Mozart 100 Half Marathon in Salzburg, could also be among the front runners. Italy's Henri Aymonod is currently fifth in the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) rankings, while compatriot Francesco Puppi has shown with wins at the Vertical Fenis and the Trofeo Valli Bergamasche that he is very much as home on the mountains, as he is on the trails. 

Then there is Timotej Becan, who won the Knap Trail in his home country of Slovenia in 2023, European U20 gold medallist from El Paso, Lukas Ehrle from Germany and Swedish star Petter Engdahl, who won the Eiger Ultra (50km) last year. 69 runners from 23 nations will be competing, with Italy looking to defend its team competition title.

Mathys eyes more gold

In the senior women's race, all eyes will be on Maude Mathys. The Swiss not only won the individual titles in the Classic Hill and Up and Down in El Paso, but also the team gold in the Up and Down discipline. An icon of the sport, she has held the European Classic Hill title since 2017. 

Her recent victory at the Golden Trails event in Kobe, Japan on 20 April proves that she's in top form. Her most likely rival Austrian World Champion Andrea Mayr, is absent, but Christel Dewalle  of France, Scout Adkin of Great Britain and Susanna Saapunki of Finland, who finished third, fourth and fifth respectively in 2022, will also be competing. 

Judith Wyder, the Swiss runner-up in the trail short race at the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships will also be in the pack, while Monica Madalina Florea of Romania, ranked ninth in the WMRA rankings, could also be in contention for a medal.

Another name to watch is Austria's Anna Plattner, who won the Ötzi Trail (30km) in Italy. Ida Waldal, two-time European U20 champion in 2022, will also take part. 63 runners from 24 countries are expected to start. Two years ago, Great Britain and Northern Ireland took the women’s title in this event.

Main contenders going for double

When the medals are awarded two days later in the Up and Down, 16km with 960 m of ascent and 1000 m of descent await the competitors. The start is in Menthon-Saint-Bernard and the finish in Annecy at the MaXi-Village, the hot spot of these European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships.

The reigning men’s Up and Down men’s champion Sylvain Cachard of France is not present, but many of the participants in the Classic Hill are also on the entry list for the Up and Down, including Maestri (2nd, 2022), Rolli (3rd, 2022), Manuel Innerhofer (4th, 20022), Hans-Pete Innerhofer (6th, 2022) and Puppi, Ehrle and Becan in the men’s race. 

Also fighting on twin fronts are Mathys (1st in 2022), Florea (2nd, 2022), Scout Adkin (3rd, 2022), Saapunki (5th, 2022), Waldal and Wyder in the women’s Up and Down race. 

Another name worth watching is Sweden's Emelie Forsberg, runner-up in the  prestigious Cap de Creus 2024 (22.5 km) and winner of last year's Eiger Ultra (50 km), who is focussing entirely on the Up and Down race. 

The starting fields include 68 male runners from 22 countries and 63 female runners from 23 countries, with Italy‘s senior men and Switzerland‘s senior women looking to defend their team titles. 

Across the full weekend, there are 457 athletes representing 31 nations in the entry-list. In 2022, traditional off-road running powerhouse Italy topped the medal table, taking five gold, five silver and three bronze.

Egon Theiner for European Athletics




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