The post This Week In Running: September 7, 2026 appeared first on iRunFar.
After last weekend’s UTMB Mont Blanc festival races, two Mountain Running World Cup races and one Skyrunner World Series contest were the weekend’s top draws.
Vertical Nasego – Casto, Italy
Both the Vertical Nasego and Trofeo Nasego were part of the Mountain Running World Cup. The Vertical race climbed 1,000 meters over 4.2 kilometers in distance, and almost half of the climbing was in the final kilometer. The Vertical race paid 700 Euro for the win, with cash prizes going 15 deep.
Women
The women and men had separate race starts, 45 minutes apart, with the women going first.
Last year’s double world champion Nina Engelhard (Germany) got to the top in 39:29, beating fellow uphill aces Kirsty Skye Dickson (U.K.) and Andrea Mayr (Austria). Dickson and Mayr hit the high point finish in 40:19 and 40:59, respectively. Mayr is a three-time winner here and set the still-standing 38:39 course record in 2019.
The top 10 women were:
- Nina Engelhard (Germany) – 39:29
- Kirsty Skye Dickson (U.K.) – 40:19
- Andrea Mayr (Austria) – 40:59
- Ruth Gitonga (Kenya) – 41:07
- Miriam Chepkirui (Kenya) – 41:22
- Christel Dewalle (France) – 41:51
- Selina Burch (Switzerland) – 42:53
- Joyce Njeru (Kenya) – 43:13
- Gloria Chebet (Kenya) – 43:20
- Benedetta Broggi (Italy) – 43:35
[Christel Dewalle previously served a four-month doping ban after a positive test for the stimulant Heptaminol at the 2016 Skyrunning World Championships.]
Men
Kenyan runners took six of the first 10 men’s spots, and at the front, it was a duel between three-time winner Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) and defending champ Richard Omaya Atuya (Kenya).
Kipngeno won for the fourth time, and the two finished in 33:31 and 34:11. Kipngeno’s time was just eight seconds slower than Omaya Atuya’s course record.
Andrea Elia (Italy) was third in 34:40.
The top 10 men were:
- Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) – 33:31
- Richard Omaya Atuya (Kenya) – 34:11
- Andrea Elia (Italy) – 34:40
- Henri Aymonod (Italy) – 35:00
- Elijah Kariuki (Kenya) – 35:09
- Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) – 35:42
- Edward Hobbs (U.K.) – 35:54
- Michael Selelo Saoli (Kenya) – 36:26
- Tiziano Moia (Italy) – 36:35
- Ephantus Njeri (Kenya) – 36:41
Trofeo Nasego – Casto, Italy
It was the 25th year for Sunday’s 21.5k race, and it ran up and down with the big climb starting at 10k and topping out at 16k. Most top runners doubled back from the day before’s Vertical race.
Women
Gitonga was undefeated in Mountain Running World Cup up and down races this year, and she kept that streak going with a 27-second win over Engelhard. Gitonga was 22 seconds ahead at the 16k high point and added to that on the final downhill. She finished in 1:47, and Engelhard was just 27 seconds behind, also in 1:47. Miriam Chepkirui (Kenya) was third in 1:50.
The women’s top 10 was:
- Ruth Gitonga (Kenya) – 1:47:07
- Nina Engelhard (Germany) – 1:47:33
- Miriam Chepkirui (Kenya) – 1:50:14
- Arianna Dentis (Italy) – 1:52:51
- Gloria Chebet (Kenya) – 1:53:12
- Joyce Njeru (Kenya) – 1:54:04
- Andrea Mayr (Austria) – 1:55:24
- Kirsty Skye Dickson (U.K.) – 1:55:49
- Axelle Genoud (Switzerland) – 1:57:02
- Flurina Eichholzer-Bott (Switzerland) – 1:57:40
Men
Philemon Kiriago and Patrick Kipgneno dominated the race for the last four years, and it was again those two at the front. They were together at the top, and then Kiriago struck out alone on the downhill and chased down Kipngeno’s old course record. Kiriago won in 1:30, and Kipngeno was second in 1:31. Kiriago won a 1,000 Euro course record bonus in this one.
Third-place Michael Selelo Saoli finished in 1:32.
The men’s top 10 was:
- Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) – 1:30:08
- Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) – 1:31:10
- Michael Saoli Selelo (Kenya) – 1:32:13
- Elijah Kariuki (Kenya) – 1:33:11
- Paul Machoka (Kenya) – 1:34:43
- Petro Mamu (Eritrea) – 1:37:00
- Matthew Knowles (U.K.) – 1:37:12
- Martin Nilsson (Sweden) – 1:37:31
- Michael Galassi (Italy) – 1:37:45
- Mael Henric (France) – 1:39:05
[In 2017, Petro Mamu failed two doping tests, after both the World Mountain Running Championships and the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships. He was given a nine-month ban starting in September of 2017 by the IAAF for testing positive for fenoterol.]
The next Mountain Running World Cup race is the September 19 Three Lakes Marathon in Poland.
Maga Skymarathon – Val Serina, Italy
The 38k race was part of the Skyrunner World Series. The course took in the four peaks that ring the village.
Women
Women’s winner Natalie Beadle (U.K.) was way out front, and then Eva Delafosse (France) edged Roberta Jacquin (Italy) for second. Beadle won in 5:27, and her chasers were in at 5:38 and 5:39. Delafosse and Jacquin were 80 seconds apart.
The top five women were:
- Natalie Beadle (U.K.) – 5:27:50
- Eva Delafosse (France) – 5:38:35
- Roberta Jacquin (Italy) – 5:39:55
- Eve Pannone (U.K.) – 5:50:25
- Elena Karanfiloska (North Macedonia) – 5:52:33
Men
The men’s podium wasn’t as closely packed as the women’s race. Italy had three of the first four men, and William Boffelli (Italy) led the group in 4:25. It was his second straight series win after also winning Trofeo Kima last month.
Lucien Mermillon (France) and Daniel Antonioli (Italy) were second and third in 4:30 and 4:42, respectively.
- William Boffelli (Italy) – 4:25:28
- Lucien Mermillon (France) – 4:30:40
- Daniel Antonioli (Italy) – 4:42:56
- Mattia Tanara (Italy) – 4:48:00
- Martin Anthamatten (Switzerland) – 4:50:46
The next Skyrunner World Series race is Gorbeia Suzien on September 26 in Spain.
Additional Races and Runs
EMU 6-Day Race – Balatonfüred, Hungary
The six-day race started at 12 p.m. Central European Summer Time on September 3 and goes until noon on September 9. The race is on an 898-meter loop, or 0.56-miles per loop. Six-day world record-holder Megan Eckert (U.S.) is running at the top alongside two-time Badwater 135 Mile winner Simen Holvik (Norway) on the leaderboard. Eckert’s world record is 603.156 miles, set in May 2025. She also has the potential to break Joe Fejes’ overall American record of 606.243 miles from 2015. The men’s world record is 650.919 miles set by Ivan Zaborsky (Russia) in 2025. Tracking.
Jungfrau Marathon – Interlaken, Switzerland
The uphill marathon paid 6,000 Swiss Francs for the win. That’s almost $7,500. Laura Hottenrott (Germany) came back from a drop at OCC last week to win in 3:20, and her countrywoman Kirsten De Baey-Ruszin was second in 3:28. Comrades Marathon legend Gerda Steyn (South Africa) was third in 3:33. Men’s winner Jack White (U.K.) finished in 3:08, 70 seconds better than second-place Erik Hille (Germany). Sammy Chelangat (Kenya) got to the top in third in 3:09, 22 seconds behind Hille. Full results.
Infinite Trails – Gastein, Austria
The team of Kim Schreiber (Germany), Daniel Osanz (Spain), and Jeshurun Small (U.S.) won the three-person relay 100k race in 11:03. Full results.
Noble Canyon 50k – Pine Valley, California
In the mountains of eastern San Diego County, Autumn Fox and Jesus Topete, Jr. won in 5:02 and 4:05. Full results.
Cirque Series – Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
The race was 9.4 miles with 2,221 feet of climbing. As with all Cirque Series races, the winner earned $1,000. Alexa Aragon has been great in Cirque Series races this year. She won again, this time in 1:21. That was over two minutes better than second-place Leah Taylor and third-place Jamie Brusa. Taylor and Brusa ran 1:24 and 1:26. Mason Coppi has been similarly dominant in Cirque Series races this year, too, and he won in 1:04. Noah Williams and Jeremiah Vaille were second and third in 1:06 and 25 seconds apart. Full results.
Grand Traverse Mountain Run – Crested Butte, Colorado
The 40-mile run went point-to-point from Crested Butte to Aspen. Jessica Parry won the women’s race and was second overall in 6:44, and Oliver Bacharach was first man in 6:38. Full results.
Sidewinder 50k – Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
The first-year race was in the Montour Woods Conservation Area. Race winners Julia Mericle and Tyler Hanks finished in 5:23 and 4:31. Full results.
Iron Mountain 50 Mile – Damascus, Virginia
A small group of finishers was led by Stacy McMurtrey and Billy Barnett in 10:17 and 8:57. Full results.
Call for Comments
What other weekend fun was happening?