It’s finally happening! Years of postponements are done and the first-ever combined World Mountain and Trail Running Championships have started. The festivities are all just outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand, a city of 127,000 people in the mountainous northern part of the country.
Friday’s uphill race went 8.5 kilometers uphill and with 1,065 meters of gain. Alternately, that’s 5.3 miles and 3,500 feet of elevation gain.
The uphill race wasn’t the only one run the past few days. You can also check out our results articles for the 2022 World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down, 2022 Trail World Championships 40k, and 2022 Trail World Championships 80k races.
2022 World Mountain Running Championships Uphill Women’s Race
Allie McLaughlin (USA) dethroned Andrea Mayr (Austria) for the women’s crown. The pair raced up in 55:15 and 55:41, and Maude Mathys (Switzerland) was just behind in 56:00 for third.
McLaughlin just came off the Golden Trail World Series Finals in Portugal. Mayr, now 43 years old, is a six-time World Mountain Running Champion, typically excelling in uphill years. All three are expected to double back for the Classic Up and Down race on Sunday.
Allie McLaughlin, 2022 World Mountain Running Championships Uphill Champion. McLaughlin was already running off the front of the field at 3 kilometers into the 8.5-kilometer event. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Monica Madalina Florea (Romania) and Onditz Iturbe (Spain) were fourth and fifth in 57:44 and 57:56.
[In 2015, Maude Mathys received a warning without suspension from the Disciplinary Chamber for Doping Cases of Swiss Olympic for two positive tests for clomifene (previously clomiphene) after it was determined that she was mistakenly taking the drug without first obtaining a World Anti-Doping Agency Therapeutic Use Exemption.]
Andrea Mayr of Austria on her way to taking second at the 2022 World Mountain Running Championships Uphill race. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
In the teams competition, Team USA took gold, Great Britain and Northern Ireland took silver, and Switzerland rounded out the podium in third.
2022 World Mountain Running Championships Uphill Women’s Results
- Allie McLaughlin (USA) — 55:15
- Andrea Mayr (Austria) — 55:41
- Maude Mathys (Switzerland) — 56:00
- Monica Madalina Florea (Romania) — 57:44
- Onditz Iturbe (Spain) — 57:56
- Susanna Saapunki (Finland) — 58:12
- Elisa Sortini (Italy) — 58:42
- Christel Dewalle (France) — 58:49
- Tereza Hrochová (Czech Republic) — 59:12
- Hanna Groeber (Germany) — 59:27
[Christel Dewalle previously served a four-month doping ban after a positive test for the stimulant Heptaminol at the 2016 Skyrunning World Championships.]
Lauren Gregory during the 2022 World Mountain Running Championships Uphill race. She finished 12th and helped Team USA secure the team gold medal. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
2022 World Mountain Running Championships Uphill Men’s Race
It was a breakout year for Kenyan runners on the European racing circuit, and World Mountain Running Association World Cup stars Patrick Kipngeno and Philemon Kiriago kept that streak going. The pair were off the front and finished first and second in 46:51 and 48:24, respectively. Kipngeno was over 90 seconds better than everyone else in the short uphill race.
Patrick Kipngeno, 2022 World Mountain Running Championships Uphill Champion. Running in second here, at 3 kilometers in, Kipngeno would break away to win by more than 1.5 minutes. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Alejandro Garcia (Spain) was third in 49:03, and Joey Hadorn (Switzerland) and Zak Hanna (Ireland) came next in 49:09 and 49:32, respectively.
In the men’s team competition, Italy came out on top, Switzerland took second, and Spain placed third.
Cesare Maestri (left) and Xavier Chevrier (right) on their way to finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 2022 World Mountain Running Championships Uphill race, and leading Team Italy to the team gold medal. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
2022 World Mountain Running Championships Uphill Men’s Results
- Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) — 46:51
- Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) — 48:24
- Alejandro Garcia (Spain) — 49:03
- Joey Hadorn (Switzerland) — 49:09
- Zak Hanna (Ireland) — 49:32
- Joseph Gray (USA) — 49:39
- Cesare Maestri (Italy) — 49:45
- Xavier Chevrier (Italy) — 50:03
- Marek Chrascina (Czech Republic) — 50:03
- Alexandre Ricard (Canada) — 50:04
The championships continue with Saturday’s 40k and 80k races, and Sunday’s classic Up and Down race.
Philemon Kiriago (leading) of Kenya on his way to taking second at the 2022 World Mountain Running Championships Uphill race. Countrymate and eventual champion Patrick Kipngeno follows. The pair had a small break on the rest of the field at 3 kilometers into the 8.5-kilometer race. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
