The Golden Trail World Series aims ‘to promote professional trail runners as the world-class athletes that they are, to showcase and protect the awe-inspiring nature and environments where we play and compete and to acknowledge the amazing, passionate fans as an essential ingredient in the sport.’
Last month, Italian Davide Magnini, a Team Salomon trail runner, built on his win at the Marathon du Mont Blanc in late June by winning the Dolomyths Run in 2 hours and 28 seconds. At 22km, the race in the Italian Dolomites was considerably shorter than his previous victory in Chamonix, but it was just as impressive.
Magnini led from early in the race, climbing the 1,700 vertical metres in record-breaking time. He made it a double win weekend after his victory in the Vertical Kilometer race two days earlier.
As he was in Chamonix, Italian Nadir Maguet (Team La Sportiva) was second to Magnini in 2:02:54. This time, he had company, finishing alongside Morocco’s Elazzaoui Elhousine (Team Tornado), who was credited with the same time.
In the women’s race, Switzerland’s Judith Wyder of Team Salomon took the lead from fellow Team Salomon Maude Mathys, also Swiss, on the downhill to win in 2:18:51. New Zealand’s Ruth Croft (Team Scott) also passed Mathys on the downhill to finish second in 2:21:56. Mathys, who was the first to crest the high point of the course at Piz Boè (elevation: 3,152 metres), held on to the final spot on the podium in 2:22:08.
At the finish line, Wyder said, “I didn’t know I passed Maude, actually. You have to charge hard somewhere and you have to be smart. I knew that I had a fast downhill so I took my chance when I knew I was just 40 seconds behind. I love it here.
“I was really successful here years ago and it’s great to come back and have a strong race again. The downhill fits me really well. The uphill was really tough. I tried to stay behind Ruth and push a bit when walking.”
The elite runners of the Golden Trail World Series are trying to earn points in the season-long chase for a spot in the Grand Final, which will take place in Nepal in October. The athletes must participate in three of the six races during the series in order to be eligible for the final.
The top ten men and women with the most points in their three best races will earn a trip for themselves and a person of their choice to the Grand Final. The overall final standings (and the men’s and women’s champions) of the Golden Trail World Series will be determined again by the runners’ three best finishes during the season, plus their result at the Grand Final.
Traynor On The Trail 