The final day brought a shower of medals for the Spanish team in the Mountain Classic after they left empty-handed from the WMTRC Vertical, the Trail Short and the Trail Long, despite Spain being among the top mountain and trail running nations, a fact that Paloma Monreal from the Royal Spanish Athletics Association can attest to..
“Especially in the north of the country, in Catalonia, Aragon and the Basque Country, trail running plays an important role. The runners in our national team all come from these regions,” she says. With that in mind it seems more than fitting to have Canfranc in Aragon host the next edition of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in 2025.
The small town in the Pyrenees is home to a mere 600 people. “They love the sport and have already hosted the Spanish National Championships,” Monreal says. The Mountain Running World Masters Championships are going to be the next big event in Canfranc, followed by the 2025 WMTRC. In Spain, more and more people are taking up mountain and trail running every year, and thus the sport gains in importance. “At the Athletics Association, trail running has the same status as any other discipline,” she adds.
In Innsbruck-Stubai, the Spanish team accomplished Silver with the junior women, and three Bronze team medals - all of them in the Mountain Classic. “The World Championships were difficult for us, not least because we came with the premise to be as good as we were in Thailand,” says Paloma Monreal. The Spaniards took home a total of seven medals from the WMTRC 2021. “After this event we know that the level has gone up considerably,” she says.
That being said, the team has really enjoyed the experience. “Innsbruck is great for trail running. It is nearly impossible not to enjoy a race in the surrounding mountains,” says Paloma Monreal. In 2025, the Spaniards want to invite the world to Aragon to demonstrate that they “believe in trail running.”
