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.
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.
Off road community enthused
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.
“It has been hard work and a challenge to get the European Championships off the ground”, said Patrick Gimenez, President of the Organising Committee. “We started two years ago and, to be honest, I thought the work would be less intense.
"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.“
He also revealed the extraordinary demand for the mass participation races. “When we open registration in October, some of the races are sold out within two hours," says Gimenez proudly.
Mass participation success
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.
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‘s ranking, regardless of whether they are elite or amateur runners.
Slovenia beckons
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).
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 from Ljubljana's Jože Pučnik Airport.
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 Šarf, the current president of the World Mountain Running Association, as a senior expert in their team.
“We are aiming for more national federations and more athletes to take part in two years' time than this year”, says Šarf, thinking of 32 to 34 nations that could compete in Slovenia. “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.”
Slovenia failed to win a medal at Annecy 2024 and it is unlikely that the 2026 hosts will follow in France's footsteps.
“Ten or 15 years ago, we had a golden generation and were regularly winning medals at the World Championships in Mountain Running”, says Šarf, looking back.
“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.”
Egon Theiner for European Athletics