Austrian Andrea Mayr takes home Gold in the Vertical

The Vertical kicked off the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships Innsbruck-Stubai (WMTRC) with a bang on the first race day. A cheering crowd carried the athletes from the start in Neustift all the way to the finish line at the Elfer hut, where Andrea Mayr won Gold for Austria. Among the men, the WC title went to Kenyan Patrick Kipngeno.

“A literal athletic firework was set off in the Stubaital valley to ring in the start of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships. Against the stunning backdrop of the Stubai Alps, the Stubaital valley was once again able to prove its competence in all things mountain running. The “Vertical Uphill Race” from Neustift to the Elfer hut stretched the world’s best runners to their limits. The facts speak for themselves: Course length 7.1 km, 1,020 vertical meters. My congratulations go to all the athletes but especially to our very own Andrea Mayr on winning the Gold medal in Neustift. On Thursday, June 8, the World Championship will continue with the “Trail Short Race”, starting in Innsbruck and an expected finish at the Freizeitzentrum (leisure center) Stubai around 12.00 PM. Roland Volderauer, Managing Director of the Stubai Tirol Tourism Association."

VERTICAL women 

Record-holding World Champion Andrea Mayr from Austria has once again demonstrated her mastery; at the WMTRC in her native country, she won her seventh Gold medal, and the event’s first one for the host country. Mayr prevailed against Philaries Jeruto Kisang from Kenya and Grayson Murphy from the US. 

Just like their male counterparts, the leading women started with a fast pace on the tar section right after the start of the Vertical. The runners from Kenya and Uganda were the first to pass the bottleneck in the lower part, from where the route led into the forest where the American defending champion Allie McLaughlin took the lead with an intermediate sprint. Andrea Mayr was still further back at this point, completing the first climb in eighth or ninth place. After the short flat section, the 43-year-old physician played to her strengths and took the lead. At the split time at the Autenalm (km 3.9), Mayr was already 33 seconds ahead. On the flat section that followed, Philaries Jeruto Kisang really pushed the pace and was able to catch up with Mayr, going into the final steep section as the leader.

The final 800 meters were dominated by nail-biting action. Even though Kisang was able to increase the gap initially, Mayr managed to close up the steeper it got, passing her competitor about halfway up the climb and winning her seventh World Championship title. While Mayr was able to run to the finish, Kisang had to walk the last remaining meters. Grayson Murphy crossed the finish line just over a minute after Mayr, while defending champion Allie McLaughlin had to pay the price for her sprint early on in the race, and finished in 13th place.

Andrea Mayr on winning the race: “I knew that the race would start for me as soon as we hit the steep section. I felt great and took the lead early on. Knowing that I was being ‘chased’ pushed me. The flatter passages are not my forte, which is why I was overtaken by the Kenyan. The atmosphere along the finishing straight was amazing; so many people, my family among them, were there to cheer me on. The final steep passage was extremely tough but I am overjoyed to have won.” 

VERTICAL men

The first title race at the 2nd World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubai has been concluded, and Gold goes to Patrick Kipngeno. The Kenyan runner won with a time of 40:38 minutes, 1:33 minutes ahead of Ugandan Levi Kiprotich and 1:46 minutes ahead of fellow Kenyan Josphat Kiprotich. Joseph Gray from the US, who came fifth, was the best non-African, and Manuel Innerhofer, who finished in 29th place (+5:19 minutes), best Austrian. Kenya also takes home Gold in the team ranking, ahead of Uganda and Switzerland, with Austria in 11th place.

The leaders set an extremely high pace right from the start of the 7.1-kilometer route with a climb of 1,020 meters. After the initial 800 meters on relatively flat tarmac, the athletes had to pass through a narrow gate onto an equally narrow path, and only the first 20 runners were able to pass this bottleneck without some waiting time. The leading trio managed to set itself apart from the rest of the field as early on as the bottleneck, and the two Kenyans and one Ugandan distanced themselves further on a short flat gravel section. 

Defending champion Kipngeno, who recently moved to Austria, was able to further extend his lead on the way to the first split time at the Autenalm (km 3.9). Coming second, Josphat Kiprotich had to let Levi Kiprotich from Uganda pass him in this section. The final steep section from the Elferbahn cable car station to the finish line at the Elfer hut was a triumph for Kipngeno, who by this time had clearly distanced himself from his pursuers and was able to high five the fans along the route. At this point in time, Manuel Innerhofer, who finished as the best Austrian, was approx. three minutes behind the leader, ranking 30th.

The distance between second and third was less pronounced, and Levi Kiprotich kept looking back to keep track of his pursuers but ultimately won silver with a 13-second lead on the third. American Joseph Gray finished as the best non-African in fifth place, right behind Eliud Cherop from Uganda. Spaniard Daniel Osanz, as the best European, finished in sixth place. As the best Austrian, Manuel Innerhofer came 29th, with a time of 45:37 minutes.

All results can be found here.