Nearly 1,000 of the world’s top masters mountain runners are descending on the historic spa town of Janské Lázně this weekend. Representing 38 nations, these athletes will take to the rugged trails of the Krkonoše Mountains from June 26 to 28 for the World Masters Mountain Running Championships. Racing under the joint banner of the World Mountain Running Association and World Masters Athletics, they are set to prove that competitive drive on the world stage doesn't fade with age.

The grueling courses are set across the challenging slopes of Černá hora, with Janské Lázně serving as the central hub for the weekend’s events. It is an environment that perfectly mirrors the true character of masters mountain running: relentless climbs, unforgiving mountain terrain, deep national team rivalries, and a tight-knit global community that has sustained and championed this discipline for over two decades.

Philemon Ombogo Kiriago and Madalina Florea claimed victory at Palisades Tahoe as the Broken Arrow 23K delivered race seven of the 2026 WMRA Mountain Running World Cup in demanding heat, altitude and technical terrain.

After a short pause in the 2026 WMRA Mountain Running World Cup, the series returned in spectacular fashion at the Broken Arrow Ascent, delivering two of the closest contests of the season so far. The depth and quality of the fields promised high-calibre racing, but few could have anticipated just how close both races would be.

The 5.8km course packs 865m of vertical gain into a relentless climb, offering only fleeting moments of respite on short flatter and slightly downhill sections. The challenge builds towards a brutal finale, where runners tackle a technical upper section before confronting the iconic “Stairway to Heaven” ladder. In the days leading up to the race, much attention had focused on the ladder’s recent replacement. As events unfolded, that feature would prove to be far more than a talking point - playing a decisive role in the outcome of the women’s race.

Following a short break in the calendar, the 2026 WMRA Mountain Running World Cup resumes in the United States for rounds six and seven of the series at Broken Arrow Skyrace in Palisades Tahoe, California.

Competition gets underway on Friday 19th June with the Ascent Race, the next uphill contest on this year’s circuit, before athletes return to the trails on Sunday 21st June for the 23K, the next long-distance challenge of the World Cup season.

In just over one month’s time, the next generation of international mountain running talent will arrive on the southern edge of Italy, where limestone cliffs plunge towards the Adriatic Sea and narrow technical trails cut through Mediterranean vegetation. The 2026 U18 International Mountain Running Cup returns to the iconic Trofeo Ciolo in Gagliano del Capo, bringing one of the world’s most important international mountain running events for young athletes back to one of the sport’s most distinctive venues.

Nine years after its first appearance in Ciolo in 2017, the event returns to a course and an organisation that have become deeply connected to the international identity of mountain running. That edition remains particularly memorable for another reason: it marked the first major international victory of Nadia Battocletti, who would later become Olympic silver medallist at Paris 2024 and a World Championships medallist on the global stage.

Now, in 2026, another generation arrives in Salento hoping to begin its own international journey.