The Jinshanling Great Wall Trail Race, in China, marked the end of the Golden Trail World Series before the big final scheduled for 24 October in South Korea. The race covered 24 km and totalled 1,667 metres of elevation gain, including part of the route along the Great Wall.
On the men’s standings, Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) won the event in 2:12, while Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) takes second in 2:14. Joey Hadorn (Switzerland) completes the podium in 2:15, preventing a Kenyan clean sweep of the top three for the second week in a row.
For women, Ruth Gitonga (Kenya) moves up after a fourth-place finish the previous week in Japan. She wins in 2:39, which is her first GTWS victory of the year, while Hanna Gröber (Germany) drops back to second in 2:41 and Caroline Kimutai (Kenya) is third in 2:43.
On the United States side, the Mammoth Trailfest (Mammoth Lakes, California) put the Dragon’s Back Ascent in the spotlight: a 2,400-foot climb to the top of Mammoth Mountain over three miles, with $700 awarded to the winner. Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau wins in 36:01, ahead of Adam Sjolund (36:14) and David Sinclair (37:04).
Meanwhile, in Spain (Basque Country), the Gorbeia Suzien Skyrace saw Alain Santamaría (Spain) dominate the 32 km race with a total of 2,400 metres of elevation gain over three big ascents. He wins in 2:50, improving his previous course record by seven minutes, and Manuel Merillas (Spain) finishes second in 2:52.
