There were the Olympics and Sierre-Zinal, and both were pretty remarkable.
We’re excited to talk about the gold medals and course records this Monday, and we hope you are too.
Sierre-Zinal – Zinal, Switzerland
iRunFar earlier captured the greater race dynamics.
The historic race ran 31 kilometers and with 2,200 meters of elevation gain. That’s 19 miles and 7,200 feet, and it was again part of the Golden Trail World Series and the World Mountain Running Association World Cup.
Men
Kilian Jornet (Spain, living in Norway) added another chapter to his amazing career. Jornet fought off Josphat Kiprotich (Kenya) through the middle of the race and held off a fast-closing Philemon Ombogo Kiriago (Kenya) late. Jornet won in 2:25:34 and it was his 10th Sierre-Zinal victory. The time marked a new course record too, a single second better than his 2019 former best. Jornet first won in 2009 as a 21-year-old in 2:35:30.
Kilian Jornet and Philemon Ombogo Kiriago embrace at the finish of the 2024 Sierre-Zinal, where they took first and second. Photo: World Mountain Running Association/Marco Gulberti
Ombogo Kiriago, the 2023 champion, had his finest race since last year’s Sierre-Zinal. He vaulted from fifth at halfway into a finish line sprint with Jornet. Ombogo Kiriago was two seconds behind the winner in 2:25:36, and that’s almost two minutes better than his time at last year’s race.
Third-place Patrick Kipngeno was part of the strong Kenyan contingent that would place five runners inside the top 10. Kipngeno ran 2:26:59.
The top 20 men were:
- Kilian Jornet (Spain, lives in Norway) – 2:25:34
- Philemon Ombogo Kiriago (Kenya) – 2:25:36
- Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) – 2:26:59
- Josphat Kiprotich (Kenya) – 2:31:35
- Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland) – 2:32:26
- Paul Machoka (Kenya) – 2:32:35
- Sylvain Cachard (France) – 2:32:45
- Jonathan Castillo Sáenz (Columbia) – 2:32:45
- Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland) – 2:33:57
- Ezekiel Rutto (Kenya) – 2:35:21
- Daniel Pattis (Italy) – 2:36:56
- Alex Garcia Carrillo (Spain) – 2:37:21
- Robbie Simpson (U.K.) – 2:37:44
- Christian Allen (U.S.) – 2:37:47
- Francesco Puppi (Italy) – 2:38:03
- Tom Spencer (U.K.) – 2:39:36
- Henri Aymonod (Italy) – 2:39:56
- Richard Omaya Atuya (Kenya) – 2:41:23
- Stephen Wenk (Switzerland) – 2:41:55
- Leonard Mitrica (Romania) – 2:42:34
Women
The women’s race was not at all close. Joyline Chepngeno (Kenya) was unstoppable from start to finish and finished over eight minutes ahead of her closest chaser. Both a Sierre-Zinal and a trail rookie, Chepngeno’s supercharged run was a surprise. It was the 25 year old’s first race of any distance and any terrain in several years.
Joyline Chepngeno closes in on the finish, as the 2024 Sierre-Zinal women’s winner. Photo: World Mountain Running Association/Marco Gulberti
Chepngeno’s first-place 2:54:06 finish was just about a minute slower than Sophia Laukli’s 2023 winning time and almost five minutes slower than the course record.
Second- and third-place Scout Adkin (U.K.) and Monica Mădălina Florea (Romania) got on the podium in 3:02:21 and 3:04:29.
The top 20 women were:
- Joyline Chepngeno (Kenya) – 2:54:06
- Scout Adkin (U.K.) – 3:02:21
- Monica Mădălina Florea (Romania) – 3:04:29
- Philaries Jeruto Kisang (Kenya) – 3:05:52
- Cristina Simion (Romania) – 3:07:51
- Anna Gibson (U.S.) – 3:08:39
- Sophia Laukli (U.S.) – 3:09:36
- Oria Liaci (Switzerland) – 3:10:46
- Julie Lelong (France) – 3:12:11
- Caitlin Fielder (New Zealand) – 3:12:54
- Elisa Desco (Italy) – 3:13:15
- Joyce Muthoni Njeru (Kenya) – 3:13:30
- Marion Leiberich (Germany) – 3:15:10
- Theres Leboeuf (Switzerland) – 3:18:20
- Selina Burch (Switzerland) – 3:19:18
- Takako Takamura (Japan) – 3:19:41
- Cecilia Basso (Italy) – 3:19:45
- Camilla Magliano (Italy) – 3:19:58
- Alice Bausseron (France) – 3:21:38
- Eef Van Dongen (Netherlands) – 3:21:50
[From 2010 to 2012, Elisa Desco served a two-year doping ban from the IAAF after she tested positive for EPO at the 2009 World Mountain Running Championships.]
The Golden Trail World Series comes back next weekend with the Tatra Skymarathon in Poland, and the World Mountain Running Association World Cup has two races the weekend of August 31 at Trofeo Nasego in Italy.
Olympic Marathon – Paris, France
A challenging course featured on the 26.2-mile road run around Paris. The men ran on Saturday, August 10 and the women’s race concluded the Olympics on Sunday, August 11. There were a few crossover runners in the race, lots more in the women’s race than the men’s.
Victor Kiplangat (Uganda), the 2017 World Mountain Running Champion, was 37th in 2:11:59.
In the women’s race, Stelle Chesang (Uganda) ran 2:26:01 to finish eighth. In 2015, she was the World Mountain Running Champion.
Tereza Hrochová (Czech Republic) was 26th in 2:30:00. She was eighth at the 2023 World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race in Austria.
Some 29th in the Olympic Marathon in 2:30:14 was Dominika Mayer (Germany). She was fifth at the 2023 World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race.
The 2024 Two Oceans Marathon runner-up Irvette Van Zyl (South Africa) was 37th in 2:31:14, and Laura Hottenrott (Germany) was one spot behind in 2:31:19. Hottenrott was fourth at the 2023 World Mountain Running Championships Uphill race.
Comrades Marathon course record holder Gerda Steyn (South Africa) was 45th in 2:32:51.
Additional Races and Runs
Swiss Alps 100 Mile – Oberwallis, Switzerland
Stefano Rinaldi (Italy) and Giulia Saggin (Italy) conquered the 100-mile mountain challenge in 25:52 and 28:41. David Haunschmidt (New Zealand) and Leah Yingling (U.S.) were tops in the accompanying 50k in 5:38 and 6:30. Full results.
Stefano Rinaldi takes the win in the 2024 Swiss Alps 100 Mile. Photo: Swiss Alps 100
Giulia Saggin recuperates after winning the 2024 Swiss Alps 100 Mile. Photo: Swiss Alps 100
Fat Dog 120 Mile – Manning Park, British Columbia, Canada
The race goes point to point on mostly remote trails that total 26,000 feet of elevation gain. Pau Rius and Jessica Temple won in 25:18 and 34:18. Tracking.
Bigfoot 200 Mile – Mount St. Helens, Washington
Area wildfires kept the race off its traditional point-to-point course, but the show went on via an alternate route. The race instead ran as a double out-and-back from the normal finish line. Vernon Palm did it the fastest, running 44:57, and Jessica Schiller won the women’s race in 56:37. Tracking.
Prospector’s 50k – Cooke City, Montana
Michael Klein and Josie Walters led the field in 5:27 and 5:47. Full results.
Wyoming Range 100 Mile – Hoback, Wyoming
The race goes 105 miles point-to-point with 24,000 feet of climbing in southwest Wyoming. Zachary Cohen and Andrea Purtzer won it in 27:10 and 36:33. Tracking.
Call for Comments
- Were there any other trail running and ultrarunning connections to the Olympics?
- Breaking made the Olympics this year. What trail runners or ultrarunners might be most competitive at breaking?
