{"id":1678,"date":"2025-07-31T12:57:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T12:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/?p=1678"},"modified":"2025-09-17T06:59:53","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T06:59:53","slug":"norwegian-stian-chases-the-triple-crown-at-the-mountain-trail-running-world-championships-in-canfranc-pyrenees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/2025\/07\/31\/norwegian-stian-chases-the-triple-crown-at-the-mountain-trail-running-world-championships-in-canfranc-pyrenees\/","title":{"rendered":"Norwegian Stian Chases the Triple Crown at the Mountain & Trail Running World Championships in Canfranc-Pyrenees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the rugged beauty of the Pyrenees as a backdrop and the epic aura of a legendary route, the 2025 Canfranc-Pyrenees Marathon, which will host the Mountain & Trail Running World Championships, is shaping up to be a unique event for the world trail running elite. Stian Angermund is chasing a triple crown after gold medals in Thailand 2021 and Innsbruck 2023, while Spain, as the host country, dreams of repeating or surpassing the gold and silver team medals from Patagonia.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE SHORT TRAIL HISTORY<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first official Short Trail<\/strong> took place at the 2021 Thailand World Championships<\/strong>, with a 38km\/+2,425m route through the jungles and hills of Chiang Mai. Individual golds went to Stian Angermund (Norway)<\/strong> and Denisa Dragomir (Romania)<\/strong>, with Spain<\/strong> winning the women’s team title and Italy<\/strong> the men’s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\u00a0Innsbruck 2023<\/strong>, the Short Trail featured a tough and scenic alpine course of 45km\/+3,135m.\u00a0Stian Angermund<\/strong> secured his second world title, while\u00a0Cl\u00e9mentine Geoffray<\/strong>\u00a0won gold for\u00a0France<\/strong>, who also won the\u00a0women\u2019s team gold<\/strong>.\u00a0Great Britain<\/strong>\u00a0took the\u00a0men\u2019s team title<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE CANFRANCPYRENEES SHORT TRAIL AT THE 2025 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This September, the heart of the\u00a0Aragonese Pyrenees<\/strong>\u00a0will beat to the rhythm of the world\u2019s fastest mountain runners in the 45km\/+3,657m Short Trail. The course replicates the\u00a0mythical Canfranc-Canfranc<\/strong>, which for years has forged legends among red pine forests, remote ravines like\u00a0Epifanio<\/strong>, and breathtaking panoramas \u2014 from\u00a0La Moleta<\/strong>\u00a0to the slopes of\u00a0Mount Aspe<\/strong>, and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will be a true test for complete athletes \u2014 those who don\u2019t just run, but also climb, descend, and move through high mountains as if they were part of them. Fast legs won\u2019t be enough here: strategy will be key to handle the brutal elevation, knowing when to push and when to hold back \u2014 and above all, having the mental strength not to be overwhelmed by the wild beauty of these peaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STIAN ANGERMUND AIMS FOR THE TRIPLE CROWN<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the standout names will undoubtedly be\u00a0Stian Angermund<\/strong>, the 38-year-old Norwegian based in\u00a0Bergen<\/strong>, who dreams of completing a\u00a0triple world title<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 the pinnacle of over a decade in the global trail running elite. His path hasn\u2019t been easy: behind the shine of those two world titles lies a\u00a016-month doping ban<\/strong>\u00a0imposed by the\u00a0French Federation<\/strong> after his 2023 victory at the\u00a0OCC 50km<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this interview, Stian Angermund<\/strong> shares memories of Thailand<\/strong> and Innsbruck<\/strong>, the bitter experience of the ban, and his great hopes for Canfranc<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How were your two world championship wins in Thailand 2021 and Innsbruck 2023?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thailand was a tough race through jungle terrain and humid heat. I won in 3:08:29<\/strong>. The course was 38km with +2,425m elevation gain. I started very nervous but felt in great shape, so I broke away early. Later, Francesco, Max<\/strong>, and Jonathan<\/strong>caught up, but I pulled away again on the second climb. I wasn\u2019t sure I had it until the final meters \u2014 it was very emotional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Innsbruck wasn\u2019t easy either \u2014 no World Championship ever is. The course was more demanding at 45km\/+3,515m<\/strong>, and both the altitude and technicality made it very hard. I won by two minutes with a time of 4:19:00<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened after winning the 50k OCC in 2023?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that win, I underwent another doping test. The French authorities found traces of chlortalidone<\/strong>, a substance I had never heard of. It\u2019s on the WADA banned list<\/strong> due to its diuretic and masking properties. I was notified on October 20, 2023<\/strong>, just three days after my son was born \u2014 my world collapsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tried to prove my innocence, but that meant identifying the source. I\u2019ve never used medication, not even supplements, so it was impossible. To this day, I believe the sample was contaminated. Regardless, I was handed a 16-month ban<\/strong>, which I\u2019ve fully complied with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did you want to return to competition in Spain?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I returned to racing in spring 2025, I chose the Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon<\/strong> \u2014 a top-tier race where I could compete against the best and reconnect with the incredible atmosphere and fans in Spain. I finished seventh<\/strong>, but performance wasn\u2019t the priority. What mattered most was feeling the respect and warmth<\/strong> from the trail running community again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve just come back from Giir di Mont<\/strong>, where I won silver<\/strong>, and I\u2019m feeling much better after overcoming tendonitis. I haven\u2019t yet run the Canfranc Marathon course physically, but I\u2019ve already studied it in detail via GPX files. It\u2019s rugged, with demanding climbs \u2014 especially the initial Moleta<\/strong> \u2014 but I\u2019m sure it\u2019ll be a perfect setting for a great day in the mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is a triple world title still possible now that you\u2019ve turned 38?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the outside, I estimate the winning time at over 4h30<\/strong>, due to the four steep climbs and technical descents, one after the other. Of course, the level of global trail running rises every year \u2014 the younger runners make sure of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what I love about this sport is that the more time you spend in the mountains, the more you learn about yourself and how to approach them. I know I need to be the best version of myself<\/strong> ever to stay in the fight at Canfranc. I\u2019ll give everything I have, mentally and physically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I plan to travel to the Pyrenees at least 10 days before<\/strong> the World Championships, ahead of the Norwegian team, to enjoy training in these beautiful mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

SERGIO MAYAYO | Press Office Manager, WMTRC 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the rugged beauty of the Pyrenees as a backdrop and the epic aura of a legendary route, the 2025 Canfranc-Pyrenees.. Read more<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1679,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1678"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1708,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678\/revisions\/1708"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}