The WMRA World Cup Series continued in La Palma with an uphill race and more to come this weekend.
Round four of the 2026 WMRA Mountain Running World Cup kicked off on Thursday evening as competitors converged on the Isle of La Palma for the Uphill Race in Transvulcania, the final round of competition in one of the sport’s most demanding yet beautiful regions.
La Palma, widely regarded as the world’s wildest island, was an uncompromising backdrop for the competition. An elite field of high caliber took to the starting line at the Port of Tazacorte on a 7.3km course that required 1,200 meters of vertical ascent.
The opening kilometers got off to a sharp start as athletes zig-zagged through sea-facing, green terrain on the GR131 cross-country hiking trail in the warm evening sun. Then there was a little respite in the form of a stretch of gentle road. However, the character of the course changed markedly as the field progressed beyond El Taim Sights at 513 meters and Hungarian House at 624 meters. Apart from those sights, the route became significantly more hostile, rocky underfoot and relentlessly steep, while descending cloud cover brought cooler temperatures and added a further dimension of difficulty.
It wasn’t easy for any of the athletes as they battled their way to the finish line at the forest lookout.
Up the nail-biting mountain
With a women’s field incl Joyce Moutoni Njeru (KEN Athletics Saluzzo), Ruth Mwihaki Gitonga (KEN Run2gether On Trail), Philaries Jeruto Kisang (KEN Run2gether On Trail) and Camilla Magliano (ITA Kailas Fuga), and the men’s starting line boasting Philemon Ombogo Kyriago (KEN Run2gether On Trail), Richard Omaya Atuya (KEN Run2gether On Trail) and Martin Nilsson (SWE), we knew this was going to be a highly competitive race. But with such a deep field and some athletes new to the World Cup this year, we also knew we were likely to see some surprises.
They all set off at a furious pace to take advantage of the short stretch of flat road before starting the climb. The elite field started in one-minute intervals in a time trial format, adding to the drama at the finish line, where conditions continued to deteriorate as the race wore on.
The two runners who set the mark early Kirsty Skye Dixon (GBR Carnethy Hill Runners) in 55:37 and Tyler McCandless (USA): 50:09. But they were in for a nail-biting wait to see if they could hold their ground.
Kiriago and Atuya have had such close battles in the World Cup climbs and this was no different. Kyriago was the last to set off and the chase was on. Ephantus Mwangi Njeri (KEN Run2gether On Trail) narrowly trailed McCandless’ lead, finishing in 47.39 minutes, but then Atuya peaked with a new record time of 45:01. Only Kyriago and Nilsson managed to beat him, but Kyriago dropped out once, settling for second place in 47:33, while Nilsson finished fifth in 48:46. Anthony Felber (FRA Brooks) took a strong fourth place with a score of 48:20.
In the women’s race it looked like Skye Dickson might be staying as Gitonga, one of the main threats and our Sāo Brás Cross winner, crossed the finish line in 58:00. But we still had the dual threat of Njeru and Kisang in the field. Njeru showed the form we saw at the last round of the world championships in Changping to win in 55:02, a new record. Sky Dixon maintained a strong second place, Gitonga maintained third, Benedetta Broggi (ITA La Recastello – Fuga Mountain Club) was fourth in 58:30 and Moana Lilly Kehres (ESP CD Hilera) was fifth in 58:35. Kisang did not finish.
LONG ON THE FIRE
On Saturday, it’s the first long-distance race of the 2026 World Cup season, again from Transvulcania. The 25-kilometer ride departs at 7:30 a.m. from the island’s iconic Faro de Fuencaliente lighthouse and ends at Refugio de El Pilar.
Stay tuned to WMRA channels for live coverage and updates.
