ETT Athletes Run in the World Mountain and Trail Running championships
The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships 2025 were held in Canfranc-Estación in the Spanish Pyrenees, hosting some of the world’s best athletes in events including an 82km Long Trail Race, a 45km Short Trail Race, and uphill and classic mountain races.
The Short Trail event saw runners tackling long, steep climbs and descents, with a dizzying multi-switchback downhill to the finish. The 45km course had 3657 m of elevation gain and a mix of runnable and technical terrain.
ETT athlete Kris Jones represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland, while Josip Meštrić lined up for Croatia. After a fast start, a wasps’ nest was accidentally dislodged on the first climb, which led to most athletes being stung multiple times. This, unfortunately, ended up causing Kris to stop the race because of an allergic reaction.
Josip was able to carry on and steadily climb up through the field, securing a fantastic 29th position in 5:24:29. This marks a big improvement from his previous World Championship appearance in 2023, where he placed 101st!
The following day, Catalin Sorecau (Romania) and Hugh Chatfield and Keith Wigley (Great Britain & Northern Ireland) took the start of the 82km Long Trail Race. No wasp attacks this time, but a relentless course with long stretches at high altitudes over 2000 m and long climbs and descents on very varied terrain. Keith and Catalin both struggled with altitude, leading Catalin to stopping his race halfway through because of nausea. Keith broke a pole, but battled through until the end, finishing the race in just over 11 hours.
Hugh had a better experience, managing to control the effects of altitude and staying in the top 15 throughout the day. He pushed hard to finish in a superb 12th place, among the world’s top long-distance runners, in 9:30:17.
