The 2024 Mountain Operating World Cup culminates this weekend with the Kilometro Verticale Lagùnc and the Val Bregaglia Path, in northern Italy, and iRunFar can be there to share the motion first-hand.
This yr’s 12-race collection kicked off within the U.S. in June, with the Damaged Arrow Skyrace and Damaged Arrow Vertical Kilometer, earlier than the circuit continued round Europe, taking in revered mountain races such because the Grossglockner Mountain Run in Austria and Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland. The collection contains three uphill races, 5 basic mountain races, and 4 lengthy races, with the Kilometro Verticale Lagùnc within the uphill class and the 23-kilometer Val Bregaglia Path within the lengthy class. As is frequent for these mountain operating occasions, a number of athletes on the finals can be doubling right down to contest each races.
The Kilometro Verticale Lagùnc takes place on Saturday, October 12, at 9:15 a.m. CEST, working as a time trial, with runners beginning each 30 seconds. That is the longest-standing vertical-kilometer (VK) course on the planet and has been run since 1986. It begins within the city of Chiavenna, on the backside of the Val Bregaglia valley, and finishes 3.3 kilometers with 1,000 meters of climbing later, within the mountainside village of Lagùnc.
The path race, the Val Bregaglia Path, kicks off on Sunday, October 13, at 9:30 a.m. CEST. The purpose-to-point, net-downhill course runs from the village of Promontogno, Switzerland, to Chiavenna, Italy. It takes in 850 meters of climbing, and 900 meters of descending, on a largely runnable course.
The Mountain Operating World Cup presents collection factors to the highest 18 finishers in every race, with total collection prize cash going 10 deep, and a complete prize pot of €30,000.
Lots of the acquainted names we’ve been seeing on the lads’s podiums on this yr’s mountain operating circuit can be current, in a final push to safe world cup collection factors. It’s arduous to argue towards Kenya’s Patrick Kipngeno because the star of the present and favourite for each races, however he must outrun teammate and compatriot Philemon Ombogo Kiriago, who can be a robust contender for the lengthy path race specifically.
Final weekend’s Šmarna Gora winner and course file holder Richard Omaya Atuya of Kenya can be again and trying to proceed his profitable streak. Outdoors of a robust Kenyan contingent, the U.S. can be effectively represented by Joseph Grey, and there can be loads of native expertise from Italy and wider Europe additionally.
The 2024 Damaged Arrow Skyrace 23k males’s podium (l-to-r): 3. Philemon Ombogo Kiriago, 1. Patrick Kipngeno, and a pair of. Eli Hemming. Photograph: Nancy Hobbs
We’ll be offering protection of each races this week, so keep tuned.
Because of the World Mountain Operating Affiliation for supporting iRunFar’s protection of the 2024 Mountain Operating World Cup Finals.
You’ll want to try our in-depth ladies’s preview as effectively.
Listed here are the lads we count on to compete for the highest spots at one or each the Kilometro Verticale Lagùnc and Val Bregaglia Path.
Patrick Kipngeno
- Mountain Operating World Cup Rating: 1st
- High 2024 World Cup Performances: 1st Damaged Arrow VK; 1st Damaged Arrow Skyrace; 1st Vertical Nasego; 1st Trofeo Nasego
Patrick Kipngeno of Kenya is the recent favourite for no less than the VK, and doubtless additionally the path race this weekend. Kipngeno is presently main the world cup standings, and has been a power in mountain operating since he first converted from the roads in 2020. He was topped the 2022 and 2023 Mountain Operating World Champion within the Uphill self-discipline, and received six of his seven races in his debut world cup in 2022. To date in 2024, he has contested 5 world cup races and received 4, together with the back-to-back Damaged Arrow VK and Damaged Arrow Skyrace.
Patrick Kipngeno, the 2024 Trofeo Nasego males’s winner. He’s a heavy favourite for this weekend’s races. Photograph: World Mountain Operating Affiliation
Philemon Ombogo Kiriago
- Mountain Operating World Cup Rating: 2nd
- High 2024 World Cup Performances: 2nd Sierre-Zinal; 2nd Trofeo Nasego
At the moment second on the planet cup standings is Patrick Kipngeno’s teammate and compatriot, Philemon Ombogo Kiriago. Ombogo Kiriago can also be contesting each the VK and path races this weekend, and shouldn’t be too far off the entrance in both. Though persistently ending on the rostrum, Ombogo Kiriago typically finds himself enjoying second fiddle to Kipngeno.
To date on this yr’s world cup, he has accomplished seven races and scored three second-place finishes. His standout run of the yr was when he narrowly misplaced out to Kilian Jornet in a dash end to take second on the 2024 Sierre-Zinal, a race he received in 2023. At Sierre-Zinal this yr, Ombogo Kiriago additionally bested Kipngeno who took third, displaying that Kipngeno can’t at all times outrun him.
Philemon Ombogo Kiriago on his option to profitable the 2023 Trofeo Nasego. Photograph: Marco Gulberti
Josphat Kiprotich
- Mountain Operating World Cup Rating: third
- High 2024 World Cup Performances: 1st PizTri Vertikal; 4th Sierre-Zinal
Josphat Kiprotich, additionally of Kenya, is ranked third in world cup standings, and can also be contesting each races. Kiprotich, who positioned eighth in final yr’s World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race, appears to be on an enhancing development this yr. To date this yr, he received the PizTri Vertikal race in August, had a handful of second-place finishes within the Montée du Nid d’Aigle, Grossglockner Mountain Run, and Vertical Nasego, and likewise positioned fourth within the ever-competitive Sierre-Zinal.
Josphat Kiprotich (proper) and different runners early within the 2023 World Mountain Operating Championships Uphill race. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Michael Selelo Saoli
- Mountain Operating World Cup Rating: 4th
- High 2024 World Cup Performances: 1st Giir di Mont; third Grossglockner Mountain Run
Michael Selelo Saoli of Kenya is ranked fourth within the present world cup classification, and can also be contesting each races. The 2024 season is his first time contesting the Mountain Operating World Cup, and he obtained off to a certain begin. He positioned third within the Grossglockner Mountain Run and the Montée du Nid d’Aigle, after which went on to win the Giir di Mont. Outdoors of world cup racing, he additionally received the 2024 Fletta Path in Italy, up from second place in 2022.
Michael Selelo Saoli, 2024 Giir di Mont winner. Photograph: World Mountain Operating Affiliation/Marco Gulberti
Richard Omaya Atuya
- Mountain Operating World Cup Rating: fifth
- High 2024 World Cup Performances: 1st Grossglockner Mountain Run; 1st Montée du Nid d’Aigle; 1st Šmarna Gora
Richard Omaya Atuya of Kenya is coming off a robust win ultimately weekend’s Šmarna Gora race, the place a course-record-setting efficiency noticed him outrun each Selelo Saoli and Kiprotich, and transfer up into fifth on the world cup standings. This was Atuya’s third win of the collection, he additionally completed first on the Grossglockner Mountain Run and the Montée du Nid d’Aigle. He’ll contest each this weekend’s VK and path race, and will have a shot at a podium in no less than one.
Richard Omaya Atuya profitable the 2024 La Montée Du Nid D’Aigle. Photograph: World Mountain Operating Affiliation/Elisa Gheza
Joseph Grey
- Mountain Operating World Cup Rating: n/a
- High 2024 World Cup Performances: n/a
The U.S.’s Joseph Grey, though he hasn’t competed in the remainder of the world cup this yr, will nonetheless be a robust contender within the VK this weekend. He’s received many of the races he contested this yr, together with the U.S. Mountain Operating Championships Uphill race and Pikes Peak Ascent — that former end result was his twenty fifth profession nationwide title in mountain operating and path operating. He positioned fifth within the 2023 World Mountain Operating Championships Uphill race, up from sixth the earlier yr.
Joseph Grey, first U.S. male within the 2023 World Mountain Operating Championships Uphill race. Photograph: iRunFar/Sarah Brady
Extra High Males to Watch on the 2024 Mountain Operating World Cup Finals
And these are the lads we’ll be watching to complete within the prime 10 on the VK and/or path race this weekend.
- Jacob Adkin (U.Okay.) – 4th 2024 Snowdon Worldwide Race; 2nd 2024 European Off Street Championships Uphill race
- Vender Alberto (Italy) – seventeenth 2024 European Off Street Championships Up and Down race; 4th 2024 Italian Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race
- Christian Allen (U.S.) – 1st 2024 U.S. Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race; 4th 2024 Damaged Arrow Skyrace VK
- Henri Aymonod (Italy) – third 2024 PizTri Vertikal and Vertical Nasego
- Andrew Douglas (U.Okay.) – twelfth 2024 Trofeo Nasego; seventh 2024 Damaged Arrow Skyrace
- Andrea Elia (Italy) – fifth 2024 Šmarna Gora; third 2024 Montemuro Vertical Run
- Marcelo Gonçalves (Portugal) – 14th 2024 Montée du Nid d’Aigle; ninth 2024 Montemuro Vertical Run
- Théodore Klein (France) – third European Off Street Championships Up and Down race; sixth 2024 European Off Street Championships Uphill race
- Luciano Rota (Italy) – seventh 2024 Trofeo Nasego; tenth 2024 Vertical Nasego
- Paul Machoka (Kenya) – 1st 2024 Italian Mountain Operating Championships Uphill race; 4th 2024 Grossglockner Mountain Run
- Tyler McCandless (U.S.) – 2nd 2024 U.S. Mountain Operating Championships Uphill race; tenth 2021 U.S. Mountain Operating Championships
- Liam Meirow (U.S.) – ninth 2024 U.S. Mountain Operating Championships Uphill race; sixth 2023 Šmarna Gora
- Alric Petit (France) – 2nd 2024 Fletta Path; sixth 2024 Montée du Nid d’Aigle
- Michael Sutton (New Zealand) – sixteenth 2024 Montée du Nid d’Aigle; 1st 2024 Tarawera Ultramarathon 21k
- Frederic Tranchand (France) – seventh 2024 Marathon du Mont Blanc; seventh 2024 European Off Street Championships Up and Down race
- Andy Wacker (U.S.) – 4th 2024 U.S. Mountain Operating Championships Uphill race; fifth 2024 GoPro Mountain Video games 10k
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Henri Aymonod, 2021 Kilometro Verticale Lagùnc champion. Photograph: World Mountain Operating Affiliation/Marco Gulberti