The WMRA World Cup is an annual series of mountain running competitions organised by the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) that runs from around May to October.Minshull, Phil (2014-10-04). Mayr and Mamo clinch 2014 WMRA World Cup with victories in Smarna Gora. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-03-24. Athletes are awarded points for each performance on the tour. Its predecessor was the Alpine Grand Prix, a 1997 formation including four European races in the Alps region.WMRA Mountain Running Grand Prix. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-03-24. It formally became the WMRA Grand Prix in 1999 and subsequently expanded to six races in 2001. It reverted to four races in 2007 and from 2008 onwards began to vary between five and seven races. The competition took its current title World Cup in 2014.Teklay and Belotti looking to retain Grand Ballon titles in second leg of WMRA World Cup. IAAF (2014-06-13). Retrieved on 2015-03-24.Mamo leads Eritrean sweep at WMRA Grand Prix in Saalfelden. IAAF (2013-09-16). Retrieved on 2015-03-24.
History The series originally was held mid-year around July to August, fitting mostly between the European Mountain Running Championships (held in early July) and the World Mountain Running Championships (held in mid-September). WMRA Grand Prix Tour gets underway. IAAF (2009-07-23). Retrieved on 2015-03-24. From 2001 onwards, the expansion of the series meant the inclusion of the World Championships as a leg of the series (if held in Europe) and the Grand Prix Final event coming after the championships as a season-closer for mountain running.WMRA Calendar 2014. WMRA. Retrieved on 2015-03-24.WMRA Grand Prix 2001 3rd edition Final Results. . WMRA. Retrieved on 2015-03-24. The races in the middle period of the series are usually held relatively close together to allow top level athletes from across the world to compete in many races without excessive travel. From 2006 onwards the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) began sanctioning the meetings on the annual circuit.WMRA Grand Prix 2006. . WMRA. Retrieved on 2015-03-24.
The points scoring format is cumulative. Finishing positions in a WMRA Grand Prix race range from 100 points for first to 1 point for 30th. Additional points may be awarded for performances achieved at the World Championships, if that event is included in the tour that year, and the Grand Prix Final race. An athlete's four best performances across the series are totalled and the athlete with the highest overall score wins the series. The series has a men's division and a women's division, with both a men's and women's series winner being declared. Athletes must compete in at least two races in order to be considered in the final rankings.WMRA Grand Prix 2013 Final Results. . WMRA. Retrieved on 2015-03-24.
Jonathan Wyatt of New Zealand is the most successful athlete of the series history, accumulating eight wins from 1999 to 2009. He is also the only male athlete to achieve a perfect score (winning all his races), having done so five times consecutively from 2002 to 2006. Angela Mudge of Great Britain and Poland's Izabela Zatorska are the joint most successful female runners across the series, each with three victories to their name. Zatorska became the first person to achieve a perfect score in the series in 2001. Anna Pichrtová (2006) and Andrea Mayr (2014) are the only other women to match that feat. Eritrean Azeria Teklay became the first winner from Africa in 2012, marking increased participation from outside the Western world.WMRA Grand Prix until 2013 /World Cup from 2014. WMRA. Retrieved on 2015-03-24.
The World Cup was cancelled in 2020. From 2022 World Cup Gold Label and Silver Label events are held.
Editions
Ed.YearDatesRacesMen's winnerPointsWomen's winnerPoints —1997–4260300 —1998–4??1st199911 July–3 October42803202nd200011 June–20 August43402853rd200117 June–6 October62903004th200226 May–6 October63002905th200311 June–5 October64003806th200416 May–9 October64003407th20058 May–8 October63003258th200623 July–28 October64304308th200710 June–6 October43003089th20081 May–4 October739431510th200921 May–3 October735232711th201013 May–2 October538634012th201122 May–1 October640740513th201217 May–6 October540435714th20132 June–5 October637737515th20148 June–4 October638644016th2015Calendar 2015 - Major Events. WMRA. Retrieved on 2015-03-24.7 June–3 October627537517th201612 June–1 October645042518th201728 May–7 October744047019th2018MOUNTAIN RUNNING WORLD CUP 2018. . WMRA. Retrieved 2019-10-19.15 July–6 October541043520th2019Mamu and Murigi triumph at Smarna Gora, Douglas and McCormack secure WMRA World Cup victories. IAAF (2019-10-12). Retrieved 2019-10-19.24 May–12 October752549521st2020. WMRA (2020-05-11). Retrieved 2024-06-21.Cancelled0{none}0{none}0
Races Numerous races have featured over the history of the competition, most of them being held in the Alps. Exceptions to this include the Gibraltar Rock Race in Gibraltar, the Snowdon Race in Wales, Skaala Uphill in Norway, and Alyeska Mountain Run in Alaska. The Šmarna Gora Mountain Race in Slovenia has served the honour of being the Grand Prix Final race on several occasions.
2024 World Cup Participating Races RaceLocationCountryDatesBroken Arrow SkyraceTahoe, CaliforniaUSA20-23 June 2024Grossglockner Mountain RunHeiligenblutAustria7 July 2024Montemuro VerticalParada de EsterPortugal14 July 2024Montee du Nid d'AigleSaint-GervaisFrance20 July 2024Giir di MontPremanaItaly28 July 2024Sierre ZinalSierreSwitzerland10 August 2024Trofeo NasegoNasegoItaly31 August-1 September 2024Smarna GoraLjubljanaSlovenia6 October 2024Val BregagliaChiavennaItaly12-13 October 2024
Notable Races RaceLocationCountryInclusionWorld Mountain Running ChampionshipsVariesVariesWhen held in Europe (post-2001)La Montée du Grand BallonWiller-sur-ThurFranceFrequentGorski tek na GrintovecKamnikSloveniaFrequentMayrhofen Harakiri RunMayrhofenAustriaFrequentŠmarna Gora Mountain RaceLjubljanaSloveniaFrequentFeuerkogel BerglaufEbenseeAustriaOccasionalSkaala UphillLoenNorwayOccasionalAsitzgipfel Mountain RaceLeogangAustriaOccasionalCastle Mountain RunningArcoItalyOccasionalChallenge StellinaSusaItalyOccasionalSchlickeralm BerglaufTelfesAustriaOccasionalGrossglockner BerglaufHeiligenblutAustriaInfrequentGibraltar Rock RaceRock of GibraltarGibraltarInfrequentBerglauf TerlanMöltenItalyInfrequentMontagne OlimpicheSauze d'OulxItalyInfrequentBrandenkopf-BerglaufZell am HarmersbachGermanyInfrequentBorno BerglaufBornoItalyInfrequentMatterhornlaufZermattSwitzerlandInfrequentHochfellnberglaufBergenGermanyInfrequentGamperney-BerglaufGrabsSwitzerlandInfrequentBerglauf SeegrubeInnsbruckAustriaInfrequentSnowdon RaceLlanberisUnited KingdomInfrequentKitzbüheler HornlaufKitzbühelAustriaInfrequentTek na smučeh KrvavecCerkljeSwitzerlandInfrequentDanis-Berglauf/Rothorn-RunLenzerheideSwitzerlandInfrequentTek na RatitovecŽeleznikiSlovenia2015MuttersberglaufBludenzAustria2014Course des 2 BainsOvronnazSwitzerland2008Berglauf MeranMeranoItaly2008Raiffeisen SchneeberglaufPuchberg am SchneebergAustria2008Crans-Montana Mountain RaceChermignonSwitzerland2007Alyeska Mountain RunGirdwoodUnited States2002
Translates as Grintovec Mountain Race
References
External links WMRA Mountain Running Grand Prix. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-03-24. WMRA Grand Prix until 2013 /World Cup from 2014. WMRA. Retrieved on 2015-03-24.