WMTRC Trail Short: Norway and France take home gold medal
On the second race day of World Mountain and Trail Running Championships Innsbruck-Stubai 2023 (WMTRC), Norwegian Stian Hovind Angermund defended his title and took home gold in the men’s Trail Short. The race started at the Landestheater (Tyrol State Theater) in Innsbruck and passed through alpine terrain, with the Kalkkögel being one of the highlights on the way to the finish line in Neustift im Stubai. Among the women, Clementine Geoffray from France took home the victory.
The second day of racing at the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships began at 9 a.m. local time on Thursday, June 8, in downtown Innsbruck, Austria. Women and men took off together to reach the finish line in the Stubai Valley after 45 kilometres and 3121 meters.
The course itself proved challenging, with temperatures in Innsbruck up to 23 degrees Celsius. In the end, due to adverse weather conditions, the race was interrupted at the 35th kilometre, and the last 37 runners were unable of continuing.
2023 Trail World Championships Short Trail Women’s Race
For the second day in a row, it was the women's race that was decided in the final stage.
French runner Clementine Geoffray won the Trail Short for the women after an extremely strong finish, crossing the finish line before Judith Wyder from Switzerland, who dominated the race over long periods. Third place goes to Theresa Leboeuf, a fellow Swiss.
Jennifer Lichter from the USA took fourth place with a time of 5:11, and Emilia Brangefält from Sweden finished fifth with a time of 5:15.
As was the case with the women's Vertical, there was a nerve-wrecking duel for victory in the Trail Short. After the first kilometres, Swiss runner Judith Wyder took the lead and kept leading the field for a good 30 kilometres. Clementine Geoffray was able to steadily reduce the gap as the race progressed over 45.2 kilometres and 3,132 meters in altitude. After 4 hours and 13 minutes she passed her opponent just a few meters below the highest point of the route on a narrow path, keeping her lead during a strong downhill to Neustift im Stubaital, in the end even taking two minutes off Wyder. The two frontrunners built a big gap on the rest of the field. It was over 14 minutes before third-place Theres Leboeuf of Switzerland finished next in 5:09.
Clementine Geoffray is overjoyed and obviously proud to celebrate her first WC title: “It was incredible. I started off at a fast pace, but I felt good. Once I got overtaken, I started to have doubts. But the last climb wasn’t all that steep, and I saw Judith ahead of me, which really motivated me to follow her as I knew I could still pass her.”
France won team gold in a combined 15:35. Switzerland was second with 15:44, and the U.S. women earned bronze with 15:54.
Photo credit: WMTRC 2023 Innsbruck-Stubai
2023 Trail World Championships Short Trail Women’s Results
Clémentine Geoffray, FRA – 4:53 (833 ITRA Score)
Judith Wyder, SUI – 4:55 (827 ITRA Score)
Theres Leboeuf, SUI – 5:09 (789 ITRA Score)
Jennifer Lichter, USA – 5:11 (775 ITRA Score)
Emilia Brangefält, SWE – 5:15 (772 ITRA Score)
Daniela Oemus, GER – 5:16 (772 ITRA Score)
Oihana Kortázar, ESP – 5:18 (766 ITRA Score)
Emelie Forsberg, SWE – 5:18 (766 ITRA Score)
EmKay Sullivan, USA – 5:19 (764 ITRA Score)
Louise Serban-Penhoat, FRA – 5:20 (763 ITRA Score)
2023 Trail World Championships Short Trail Men’s Race
In a gripping race over 3,121 vertical meters on 45 kilometers from Innsbruck to Neustift im Stubaital, Norwegian Stian Angermund defended his title with a time of 4:19 hours, coming in first before Briton Thomas Roach and Italian Luca del Pero.
Angermund and Roach took the lead soon after the start in the centre of Innsbruck, running the first 14, 15 kilometers in a trio with Roach's compatriot Jonathan Albon before Angermund was able to pull away. The route to the Kalkkögel leads over slippery fields of snow, and Angermund managed to extend his lead to more than 1.5 minutes. What made the Norwegian’s feat even more special: He ran through every single resupply camp without stopping for food or drink. For a moment, this seemed to have taken its toll as Angermund slowed down to a walking pace just before reaching the route’s highest point at the Starkenberger hut.
On the downhill towards Neustift, Angermund accelerated once again and was able to keep his competitors at bay, allowing him to run down the final switchbacks to Neustift without pressure and to successfully defend his title from Thailand. Crossing the finish line 2:18 minutes later, Roach came in second ahead of Luca del Pero, with a 3:04-minute deficit.
Thibaut Baronian and Jonathan Albon of France and Great Britain finished fourth and fifth, respectively, with times of 4:25 and 4:26.
Stian Hovind Angermund on winning the race: “We started off at a very fast pace. It went well from the very beginning, and it only got strenuous during the last climb. The last downhill was challenging yet fun. Winning the title was my main goal for this year and I am very happy to have achieved it.”
Great Britain took first place with a combined time of 13:18, and its first three athletes placed in the top eight. Italy took second place with a combined time of 13:26, and France won the team bronze medal with a time of 13:34.
2023 Trail World Championships Short Trail Men’s Results
Stian Angermund, NOR – 4:19 (943 ITRA Score)
Thomas Roach, GBR – 4:21 (935 ITRA Score)
Luca Del Pero, ITA – 4:22 (932 ITRA Score)
Thibaut Baronian, FRA – 4:25 (920 ITRA Score)
Jonathan Albon, GBR – 4:26 (915 ITRA Score)
Francesco Puppi, ITA – 4:28 (911 ITRA Score)
Andrzej Witek, POL – 4:29 (907 ITRA Score)
Kristian Jones, GBR – 4:30 (903 ITRA Score)
Frédéric Tranchand, FRA – 4:31 (901 ITRA Score)
Benedikt Hoffmann, GER – 4:32 (897 ITRA Score)
Trail Long
Start TRAIL LONG women & men: 6.30 AM, Freizeitzentrum Neustift
Finish Line: Landestheater-Vorplatz Innsbruck
The longest WMTRC race is happening on the third race day, taking both athletes and spectators on an incredible journey around the stunning Kalkkögel - also known as the “Dolomites of North Tyrol” - over a whopping 86.9 km and 6,500 vertical meters.
A continuous livestream will keep all spectators up to date with what is happening, irrespective of where along the route they have positioned themselves.
Top athlets
Who to watch - women
Blandine L’Hirondel, FRA - 812 ITRA PI
Sunmaya Budha, NEP – 772 ITRA PI
Azara Garcia, ESP – 771 ITRA PI
Manon Bohard Cailler, FRA – 769 ITRA PI
Audrey Tanguy, FRA – 767 ITRA PI
Marcela Vašínová, CZE – 765 ITRA PI
Gemma Arenas Alcazar, ESP – 762 ITRA PI
Rosanna Buchauer, GER – 762 ITRA PI
Paulina Tracz, POL – 759 ITRA PI
Johanna Antila, FIN – 756 ITRA PI
Blandine L'Hirondel, World Champion over 80 km at the last WMTRC in Chiang Mai 2022 as well as the Trail WC 2019 in Portugal, was born in France in 1991 where she is working as a gynecologist. The likable Frenchwoman has been in Tyrol since May 24 to prepare for the WMTRC and has run the sections between Neustift im Stubai and Innsbruck several times already. She has an ITRA Performance Index of 812 points.
Who to watch - men
Hannes Namberger, GER - 923 ITRA PI
Thibaut Garrivier, FRA - 912 ITRA PI
Andreas Reiterer, ITA – 911 ITRA PI
Gian Schicktanz, SUI – 904 ITRA PI
Nicolas Martin, FRA – 901 ITRA PI
Benjamin Roubiol, FRA – 899 ITRA PI
Jose Fernandez, ESP – 897 ITRA PI
Ionel Manole, ROU – 893 ITRA PI
Aritz Egea, ESP – 891 ITRA PI
Peiquan You, CHN – 890 ITRA PI
Hannes Namberger from Germany was born in Traunstein in 1989 and now lives in Ruhpolding. He says that he puts his goals above everything else and plans his days months in advance to be able to make the most of every minute of his time. Last year, he won the Lavaredo Ultra Trail and the Ultra Trail Cape Town, among others. His life off the trails sees him working for the German federal police. He has an ITRA Performance Index of 923 points.