Leading up to 937 m.a.s.l., the steep and narrow trails first take the juniors part-way up towards the Nordkette, then back down again and into the city center via the Innbrücke. Outside Innsbruck’s landmark, the “Golden Roof”, the athletes race against one another in a final sprint along an artificial trail of approximately 200 m. Just like all the other WMTRC courses so far, the Mountain Classic is selective and tough, alternating between steep ramps and narrow, technical trails. The 70 participants were between 17 and 19 years of age.
Uganda takes the lead right after the start, while 18-year old Lukas Ehrle from Germany runs in third position. At the highest point of the course, Matthieu Bührer from Switzerland passes Mervan Haykir from Türkiye as well as Ehrle, the latter having lost precious time on the uneven downhill passage. It is here, on the downhill (with a total of 374 vertical meters in descent), that the race for medals starts to get really gripping, as the Swiss takes the lead with a whopping eight seconds.
Still, Matthieu Bührer kept looking back to keep track of his pursuers. On the flat passage in the city, the Ugandan runners, whose strong suit is this kind of terrain, pulled ahead, with James Kirwa and Hosea Chemutai, both from Uganda, making it across the finish line in first, respectively second place. Matthieu Bührer from Switzerland takes home Bronze, with Lukas Ehrle (GER) finishing in fourth place. As the fastest Austrian, Maximilian Meusburger comes in 25th place.
Among the teams, Switzerland takes home Gold, followed by France, Silver, and Spain, Bronze. The Spaniards, who will stage the next edition of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in 2025, are among the leading nations in mountain and trail running, however, team Bronze is their first medal at this year’s WMTRC.
