Germany’s Nina Engelhard gained her second gold medal on the World Mountain Operating Championships, and Kenya’s Philemon Kiriago earned his first particular person gold within the Up and Down race. The race was the final contest of the 2025 World Mountain and Path Operating Championships.
The Up and Down race, additionally typically referred to as the Basic, was quick. It went 14.3 kilometers (8.9 miles) and had 767 meters (2,516 ft) of elevation achieve on a two-loop course. After two days of difficult, technical terrain within the Brief Path and Lengthy Path championships, this course was considerably much less aggressive and included longer sections on paved and gravel roads. As with the opposite three championships, there was a 24,000 Euro prize purse between the ladies’s and males’s races, with 5,000 Euro to the winners and money payouts by fifth place.
Thanks a lot to The North Face for sponsoring iRunFar’s protection of the 2025 World Mountain and Path Operating Championships!
The beginning of the 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down ladies’s race. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Throughout the race’s first 10 minutes, Engelhard took the lead and steadily pulled away from the ladies’s area. She gained in 71:00, virtually two minutes sooner than every other lady. Three days earlier, Engelhard gained the Uphill race too. As dominating as Engelhard was individually, Kenya was the identical within the staff race. Kenya positioned three ladies inside the highest eight to win staff gold.
Males’s winner Philemon Kiriago battled Uganda’s Martin Kiprotich all through the race and at last broke Kiprotich on the race’s remaining downhill. Kiriago gained in 62:30, and Kiprotich, who led a lot of the race, was second in 63:14. Kenya gained staff gold, and it was Kiriago’s third gold medal of the occasion. He was seventeenth individually as a part of Kenya’s profitable Uphill staff at first of the occasion, too.
You can too take a look at our race protection from earlier within the week:
The subsequent World Mountain and Path Operating Championships shall be in October 2027 in Cape City, South Africa.
The beginning of the 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down males’s race. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down Girls’s Race
The ladies’s race went first at 10:30 a.m. CEST with 50 completely different international locations racing, and it was a extremely popular begin for Gloria Chebet (Kenya). After a dash out of city, she was at first surrounded by the three-woman Ugandan staff because the race turned to forest paths 4 minutes into the race, after which the three Ugandans — Saibi Chebet, Rispa Cherop, and Kerine Cherop — dropped Chebet for the early lead.
That staff pack was quick lived and Uphill race winner, Nina Engelhard (Germany), surged to the lead after 9 minutes of racing. Three minutes later, everybody had already fallen off Engelhard’s tempo.
Nina Engelhard, the 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down ladies’s champion. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Engelhard reached the three.8k timing cut up in 21:17 with an enormous 21-second lead. Rispa Cherop was in second right here, Ruth Gitonga (Kenya), Oria Liaci (Switzerland), and Saibi Chebet have been working in third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
Every lap had one uphill and one downhill, and when the course turned down, Engelhard confirmed that she had quick downhill legs too. Thought to be a stronger uphill runner, Engelhard briefly grimaced with leg cramps on the downhill, however after gaining the lead 9 minutes into the race, nobody would come near her the remainder of the best way.
Ruth Gitonga completed second on the 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
At midway, the last word podium spots had began to kind. Rispa Cherop had fallen again to seventh, and Kenya’s Gitonga was now second, 30 seconds behind Engelhard. Liaci, Joyce Njeru (Kenya), and Saibi Chebet have been now third, fourth, and fifth within the dynamic entrance group.
Nina Engelhard gained the 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race in 71:00, finishing the Uphill and Up and Down double, and nobody was near her.
Liaci received near second-place Gitonga on the race’s second lap, however by no means totally closed the hole. Ruth Gitonga was second in 72:54, and Oria Liaci was third in 73:15. Liaci was seventeenth within the Uphill race three days earlier.
Liaci Oria descends to 3rd place on the 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Joyce Njeru simply held off a sprinting Lauren Gregory (U.S.) for fourth. Joyce Njeru completed one spot again of her 2023 championships end in fourth at 73:37. Simply eighth at midway, Lauren Gregory closed nicely to complete fifth in 73:38.
Uphill bronze medalist Anna Gibson (U.S.) was thirteenth in 76:23.
Kenya gained staff gold with the U.S. and Switzerland second and third.
Nina Engelhard, 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race champion. Picture: World Mountain and Path Operating Championships
2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down Girls’s Outcomes
Nina Engelhard (Germany) – 71:00
Ruth Gitonga (Kenya) – 72:54
Oria Liaci (Switzerland) – 73:15
Joyce Njeru (Kenya) – 73:37
Lauren Gregory (U.S.) – 73:38
Rispa Cherop (Uganda) – 73:42
Nélie Clément (France) – 74:09
Gloria Chebet (Kenya) – 74:39
Saibi Chebet (Uganda) – 75:03
Elisa Morin (Canada) – 75:16
Full outcomes.
The 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race males’s podium (left to proper): 2. Ruth Gitonga, 1. Nina Engelhard, 3. Oria Liaci. Picture: World Mountain and Path Operating Championships
2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down Males’s Race
Fifty-six international locations and 150 males have been on the beginning line, and it was no shock to see Uganda once more dash to the opening lead. Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) shortly tracked Uganda’s Isaac Masai and Abel Chebet down, cautious to not let anybody get away. Martin Kiprotich (Uganda) joined the group, and it was Kiriago and three Ugandans on the entrance. Kiprotich was simply 22 years previous, however ran the ten,000-meter race on the 2024 Olympics. Kiriago was doubling again from a shock begin within the Uphill race. He was a late substitute in that race and completed seventeenth to assist Kenya to staff gold.
Philemon Kiriago, the 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down males’s champion. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Kiprotich is a relative path rookie, no less than in comparison with Kiriago, however he pushed the tempo and opened a 14-second hole on Kiriago on the 3.8k timing cut up. It was all Kenyan and Ugandan runners within the prime 5. Ken Koros (Kenya), Aziz Chebet (Uganda), and Paul Machoka (Kenya) have been third, fourth, and fifth to arrange a really aggressive staff race. Dominik Rolli (Switzerland) was subsequent in sixth.
All the things modified after the downhill to succeed in midway in 7k. Kiriago had regained Kiprotich and was solely two seconds behind. Machoka was now third and Koros fourth, and all 4 have been inside eight seconds of Kiprotich. Kiprotich was stranded out entrance, and his countrymen have been not within the prime 5. As a substitute, Rolli was now fifth, and the U.S. had two runners inside the highest 10 with Mason Coppi and Taylor Stack positioned seventh and tenth.
Kiriago lastly pulled even with Kiprotich after 35 minutes, and Koros and Machoka have been backwards and forwards for third and fourth.
Martin Kiprotich (Uganda), working to second place within the 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Kiprotich responded to Kiriago’s menace and regained separation on the second uphill. Kiprotich was 20 seconds forward of Kiriago on the 10.4k timing cut up.
After which the lead was gone. Kiriago was nonetheless filled with run, and with Kiprotich working gingerly whereas grabbing at a aspect sew, Kiriago made a profitable transfer. Kiriago flew into the lead after 50 minutes of race time, and there was no response from Kiprotich.
Paul Machoka (Kenya) was third on the 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Philemon Kiriago gained the 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race in 62:30.
Martin Kiprotich held on for second in 63:14, and Paul Machoka was third in 63:25.
Dominik Rolli made a late cross for fourth in 63.56, and Ken Koros was fifth in 64:08.
Kenya gained the staff race. Uganda and Italy have been second and third.
Philemon Kirago, 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race champion. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down Males’s Outcomes
Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) – 62:30
Martin Kiprotich (Uganda) – 63:14
Paul Machoka (Kenya) – 63:25
Dominik Rolli (Switzerland) – 63:56
Ken Koros (Kenya) – 64:08
Michael Selelo Saoli (Kenya) – 64:24
Aziz Chebet (Uganda) – 64:30
Brayan Rodriguez (Mexico) – 64:36
Jonathan Castillo (Colombia) – 64:38
Isaac Costa (Italy) – 65:01
Full outcomes.
The 2025 World Mountain Operating Championships Up and Down race males’s podium (left to proper): 2. Martin Kiprotich, 1. Philemon Kirago, 3. Paul Machoka. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
