The 2024 Valsir Mountain Operating World Cup kicks off in model on Friday 21st June at Damaged Arrow in Palisades Tahoe, California.
They are going to launch this 12 months’s competitors with the Damaged Arrow VK, our first brief uphill gold label race, then observe that up swiftly with the 23k Damaged Arrow Skyrace, our first lengthy gold label race, on Sunday 23rd.
It’s a becoming venue to set the usual for this 12 months’s World Cup, the 25th version, because it’s an space wealthy in sporting historical past. Primarily referred to as a ski resort, it hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, and in recent times Damaged Arrow has grown each in measurement and repute and is a vastly prestigious occasion, attracting elite runners from all over the world throughout its 5 races. With a base elevation of 1,890 metres and beautiful peaks throughout, together with the distinguished 2,700 metre Washeshu Peak, it has the proper credentials for mountain racing.
Damaged Arrow has beforehand been a spotlight of the World Cup in 2019, 2021 and 2023, and each version will get increasingly more aggressive. And whereas it takes place within the US, the occasion very a lot adheres to sturdy traditions of European mountain working, with steep terrain, scrambling and big quantities of vertical achieve and loss at altitude.
The programs
First up is our brief uphill race, the Damaged Arrow VK on Friday 21st June at 9.30am native time (UTC -7). The race begins on the valley ground and climbs its manner up 914m (3,000 toes) over 4.8km (3 miles) to the summit of Washeshu Peak at 2708m (8885 toes). Regardless of some modifications to the course this 12 months, alongside the way in which it nonetheless takes in some brutally steep terrain, main as much as the enduring Headwall Ridge and the ‘stairway to heaven’ bolted ladder to the summit of Washeshu Peak. Runners will expertise steep rock slabs, snow and scree, which is assured to ship an thrilling race.
On Sunday 23rd at 8am it’s time for the lengthy mountain race, the Damaged Arrow Skyrace. This can be a loop which climbs 1,533m over the course of 23km (or 5,033 toes over 14.25 miles). It begins in Palisades Tahoe Village and a lot of the race takes place above the tree line on technical and demanding trails. Runners will likely be handled to views of Granite Chief Wilderness and they’ll expertise Emigrant Cross, KT-22 and, just like the VK runners, the ‘stairway to heaven’ ladder to Washeshu Peak.
Please word that the programs are liable to slight modifications annually relying on snow circumstances.
The Favourites
With registration nonetheless open for elites, there may nonetheless be modifications to the ultimate begin lists, however there’s little question in any respect that we’ll see some extremely aggressive racing. Most of the runners from final 12 months’s podiums are again this 12 months, together with others who may nicely problem them.
Within the ladies’s VK final 12 months’s winner, Anna Gibson (Brooks), will likely be again to defend her title. 2023 runner up, Jade Belzberg (Topo), may also be again, as will Annie Dube and Anna Mae Flynn (Mountain Endurance Group), who completed fourth and fifth respectively final 12 months. However they are going to face stiff competitors within the type of Allie McLaughlin(HOKA), Tabor Hemming (Adidas Terrex) and others.
The boys’s VK can be wanting extremely aggressive. Darren Thomas (Salomon), second final 12 months, is again, as is final 12 months’s fifth place finisher, Abraham Hernandez Cruz. Becoming a member of them will likely be some massive names to look at, together with Philemon Ombogo Kiriago (Run2gether), Jim Walmsley (HOKA), Eli Hemming (Adidas Terrex) and Christian Allen.
Darren Thomas (Salomon) is again to contest each races © Peter Maksimov
Most of the runners are racing each the VK and the Skyrace, with a day in between to get better. Final 12 months the Skyrace was severely affected by snow however we perceive the snowline isn’t as low this 12 months. Memorably Allie McLaughlinbattled with Anna Gibson final 12 months, taking the lead and stretching it out to win. McLaughlin is doing the double right here, as are Tabor Hemming, who was third final 12 months, and Annie Dube. Janelle Lincks, fourth final 12 months, additionally returns. Sophia Laukli (Salomon), a breakout star in final 12 months’s World Cup, additionally appears to be like to be toeing the road and will likely be one to look at.
Within the males’s Skyrace defending champion, Eli Hemming, returns, together with the remainder of final 12 months’s podium, Chad Corridorand Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau (Brooks). Allen, Kipngeno and Thomas will double up, which ought to make issues fascinating. To shake issues up even additional former world champion Joe Grey (HOKA) is on the beginning record.
Zak Hanna(New Steadiness), who completed fourth in final 12 months’s VK right here, is simply taking over the Skyrace this 12 months.
Comply with all of the motion on our on Fb and Instagram and by way of Damaged Arrow’s Livestream.
Allie McLaughlin (HOKA) on her method to victory within the 23k race in 2023 © Peter Maksimov
THE WMRA AND ITS COMMITMENT TO CLEAN SPORTMANSHIP
Since its inception, the WMRA has adhered to strict anti-doping rules, complying with World Athletics protocols. The 2024 sequence will function WADA-accredited anti-doping measures in each race, persevering with the custom of rigorous testing applied since 2007.
In 2023 alone, 70 exams had been performed within the 18 races of the Valsir Mountain Operating World Cup sequence, with greater than 72 deliberate for this season and its 12 races, all of them by impartial and accredited native entities, all the time acknowledged by the respective athletics native federation and the WADA.
Comply with alongside on Fb and Instagram and become involved utilizing #wearemountainrunning #valsirworldcup #wmra24 #wmra40years
Concerning the WMRA:
Fashioned in 1984, the World Mountain Operating Affiliation is the worldwide governing physique for
mountain working and has the objective of selling mountain working for all ages and talents.
Aswell because the World Cup, the WMRA organizes Masters, U18 and space championships and
in partnership with the World Athletics, ITRA and IAU to ship the World Mountain and Path Operating Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. The WMRA additionally maintains the Mountain Operating World Rating, a system of factors allotted to athletes based mostly on the leads to designated races.
