It wasn’t exactly a surprise when American ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter claimed the title of Gran Canaria World Trail Major (WTM) series champion; she’s widely regarded as one of the best in the history of the sport. But while many were focused on her victory, Canadian women claimed five of the top 15 spots in the WTM series rankings—and their impressive performances deserve attention.
The rankings
The series uses the same ranking system as the International Trail Runners Association (ITRA), with points granted for a runner’s finishing placement. While runners are encouraged to take part in as many races as they wish, only the top two best finishes are used in the final tally. In the case of a tie, like that of Canada’s Anne Champagne with Dauwalter, the runner with the better ITRA ranking will be crowned the winner.
Canadian women shine
Champagne finished in second place in the women’s category, after winning the QMT 100-miler in July and claiming first place at Grand Raid des Pyrenees in France. Her remarkable accomplishments were followed by New Brunswick-based Kelsey Hogan in fifth place; Hogan took second at QMT behind Champagne, and was 11th at Madeira Island Ultra-Trail in Portugal. In eighth position, Quebec’s Geneviève Asselin-Demers placed sixth at Arizona’s Black Canyon Ultras, eighth at Madeira Island Ultra-Trail and eleventh at UTCT. Fresh off her win at UTCT 100K, B.C.’s Jazmine Lowther claimed the 11th overall position, followed by Quebec native Marianne Hogan (no relation to Kelsey Hogan), who won Swiss Canyon Trail.
Not to be forgotten, Canadian men also performed well on the global stage, with Quebec’s Jean-François (Jeff) Cauchon, who won the overall 100-mile race at QMT in July, in seventh place, followed by Fernie, B.C.’s Ethan Peters in 14th place, who was 27th at Black Canyon Ultras and 16th at Madeira Island Ultra-Trail.
What is the World Trail Major series?
There are a lot of acronyms runners toss around when discussing events, making the ultra world seem complicated. The WTM series is positioned as the antidote to that, with an emphasis on simplicity and grassroots racing at its core. The nine-race series wrapped up at Ultra-Trail Cape Town last weekend, and included stunning and challenging courses worldwide in an effort to provide runners with elite competition at non-UTMB venues.
Quebec Mega Trail, in Mont Sainte-Anne, Que., was the sole Canadian stop in the series, which kicked off in Hong Kong in January and continued with races in Arizona, Spain, Japan, Portugal, Switzerland and England before its conclusion at UTCT.
To learn more about the World Trail Major series, head here.
