The men’s race goes wire-to-wire and the women’s title is decided by ladder.
After a brief hiatus for the 2026 WMRA Mountain Running World Cup, the series returned in impressive fashion on Friday (June 19) at the Broken Arrow Ascent, featuring two of the closest contests of the season so far. The depth and quality of the fields promised high caliber racing, but few could have anticipated how close the two races would be.
The 5.8km track gathers 865m of vertical gain into a relentless climb that offers only fleeting moments of respite in short flatter and slightly downhill sections. The challenge builds to a grueling finale where runners tackle a technical uphill section before tackling the iconic Stairway to Heaven. In the days leading up to the race, much attention was focused on the final ladder replacement. As things progressed, that feature would become much more than a talking point, playing a decisive role in the outcome of the women’s race.
After some hot, muggy weather the previous few days, race day conditions were perfect – still and cooler, especially at the summit. As well as hosting a World Cup round, the race also served as the 2026 USATF Mountain Running Championships, guaranteeing the highest level of international and domestic competition.
A mass start on the wide, grassy area meant there was a sprint to get out front and find a place. It happened Philemon Ombogo Kyriago (KEN, Run2Gether On Trail), in his third consecutive appearance here, who stood out for the men with last year’s women’s winner, Anna Gibson (USA, Brooks), taking an early lead in the women’s race. Both opened up good leads, but not for long.
Kiriago found last year’s men’s winner. Christian Allen (USA, Nike), chasing him early, back Brian Rodriguez Flores (Mexico), and Cameron Smith (USA, Dynafit) also sits right behind. Joyce Moutoni Njeru (KEN, NNormal) slowly began to drop Gibson and Tabor Heming (USA, Adidas Terrex), Miliana Almonte (USA) and: Nellie Cleman (FROM) led the chase.
Where the course temporarily flattens out in the middle of the road Patrick Kipnjeno (KEN, Run2Gether On Trail), who by this point had skillfully edged out Allen, Smith and Rodriguez Flores, suddenly stamped his authority on the race, passing Kiriago and immediately opening up a gap. In the women’s race, Mutoni Njeru also passed Gibson in the same place and it looked like it would be another rematch for the two women, who have had one win each in the last two years. Can Kipnjeno and Mutoni Njeru hang on?
Kipnjeno continued to drag it out in the men’s race and was hotly chased by Kiriago and Smith, with Smith overtaking Kiriago in the final stretch. They finished in that order, each about 10 seconds apart, in an incredibly close men’s race with just over two minutes separating the top ten and less than a minute between the top five.
The fight for women’s victory was even closer. Mutoni Njeru took the lead on the Stairway to Heaven but probably didn’t realize how close Gibson was as they both climbed the ladder at the same time. The final fight to the top is virtually a no-brainer, but somehow Gibson manages to outrun Moutoni Njeru to win by eight seconds, beating Moutoni Njeru’s record by two minutes. Hemming rounded out the women’s podium, 90 seconds back.
Men’s Top 10
- Patrick Kipnjeno (KEN) – 37:5
- Cameron Smith (KEN) – 38:10
- Philemon Ombogo Kyriago (KEN) – 38:2
- Christian Allen (USA) – 38:29
- Brian Rodriguez Flores (MEX) – 38:51
- Casey Campbell (USA) – 38:56
- Michael Beaudoin-Rousseau (USA) – 39:06
- Cesare Maestri (ITA) – 39:44
- Kieran Ney (USA) – 39:48
- Jarrett Gillingham (USA) – 40:02
Top 10 for women
- Anna Gibson (USA) – 43:15 (course record)
- Joyce Mouthoni Njeru (KEN) – 43:23
- Tabor Hemming (USA) – 44:55
- Milena Almonte (USA) – 45:59
- Nellie Clement (FRA) – 46:21
- Erin Moyer (USA) – 46:58
- Jade Belzberg (CAN) – 47:45
- Eden O’Dea (GBR) – 47:46
- Stephanie Bruce (USA) – 47:55
- Valentine Jepkoech Rutto (KEN) – 48:12
FOLLOW THE ACTION!
The 23km Skyrace, the next round of the World Cup, starts at 8am (local time) for the women and 8.20am for the men on June 21. You can follow the action on WMRA social media channels.
