Athletics Kenya have unveiled a strong team of nine athletes for the Mountain and Trail Running Championship scheduled for June 6-10 in Innsbruck-Stubai, Austria.
Athletics Kenya (AK) Mountain Running sub-committee coordinator, Peter Angwenyi, said the team will comprise six men and three women. Last year, Kenya entered only three athletes in the championship.
According to Angwenyi, the team will be flagged off on Monday by AK top officials and will depart the same day. They are expected to arrive in Austria on Tuesday morning, according to Angwenyi.
He said the team will feature in various categories of the championship including the 85 km long trail, 44 km short trail, up and down vertical run, and 13.7 km mountain classic events.
Ezekiel Kirui will compete in the 85 km long trail while Geoffrey Ndung’u will take part in the 45km short trail.
Hillary Kiptum, Patrick Kipng’eno, Josephat Kiprotich, Joyce Njeru, Valentine Ruto, Philemon Kiriago, and Philaries Kisang will double in an up-and-down vertical run and mountain classic events.
“These are some of the best mountain runners in the country currently. Some of them have represented the country before and won medals while others have done well in mountain running races locally and internationally,” said Angwenyi.
He said the Barngetuny Memorial and Mt Kenya mountain running races were some of the events used to select the team.
He singled out Joyce Njeru, a double World Cup Mountain Running champion in 2021 and 2022 as one of the favourites in the women's category. Patrick Kipng’eno and Kiriago represented Kenya at last year’s championships, where they bagged gold and silver respectively in Chang Mai, Thailand.
Angwenyi added: “We expect a strong performance from the team in individual categories and team ranking.”
More than 1, 500 athletes drawn from 70 countries will compete in one of the world’s most iconic alpine venues.
The event is organised by the International Trail Running Association (ITRA), World Mountain Running Association, the International Association of Ultra Runners and World Athletics.
The courses have been described as rich in variety, challenging, iconic – and worthy of a World Championship.
The title races will be held in some of the most scenic places in the Alps, such as the Kalkkögel – also known as— 'Dolomites of North Tyrol', at the foot of the Elfer peak.
The venue offers views of the Stubai Glacier, and —along the Nordkette— the iconic mountain range towering above Innsbruck.
