Kenya's Philemon Kiriago celebrates after winning gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Canfranc Pirineos, Spain/FILEKenya’s mountain runners have shifted focus to the 2025 Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) grand finale scheduled for this weekend in Italy.
World Mountain and Trail Running champion Philemon Kiriago and silver medallist Patrick Kipng’eno are in the hunt for the overall title ahead of the final race of the season, the Ledro Sky Trentino from October 10 to 12.
They are tied in second place with 588 points. Morocco’s Elhousine Elazzaoui leads the ranking with 600 points.
Another Kenyan, Michael Saoli, is ranked fourth with 498 points. Kiriago, the Mountain Running World Cup champion, targets a hat-trick of titles.
“I want to finish my season on a high by winning the series. It has been a good season and I thank God,” he told the Star from his training base in Austria.
Kiriago recently won Kenya’s lone gold medal in the men’s classic 14 km race at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Canfranc Pirineos, Spain.
Caroline Kimutai is the highest-ranked Kenyan female runner in third place with 544 points. Joyce Njeru is fifth with 538 points, while Philliares Kisang is seventh with 459 points. Madalina Florea (576) leads the rankings, followed by Sara Alonso (566).
Njeru said: “I’m going there looking for a good performance. My target is to win the race.”
At the grand finale, athletes will get double points (400) compared to a regular race (200).
Golden Trail World Series described the race as technical and spectacular, deeply rooted in the local landscape: 24km with 1,810 metres of elevation gain.
The trail climbs up into the high mountains, following the scenic ridgelines of the Ledro peaks.
On October 10, both the men’s and women’s prologues will take place. Athletes will set off one by one in a time-trial format on a 6.9km course with 550 meters of elevation gain.
On October 11 and 12, the women’s and men’s races will cover a 22km course with 1, 800m of elevation gain.
Ledro Valley is a natural area recognised by UNESCO’s MAB programme for its extraordinary environmental value.
The GTWS comprises nine races across: Kobe Trail (Japan), Jinshanling Greatwall Trail (China), Il Golfo’isola Trail Race (Italy), Zegama-Alzkorri (Spain), Broken Arrow Sky Race (US), Pitz Alpine Glazier (Austria), Sierre Zinal (Switzerland) and the grand finale in Ledro Valley in Italy.
