{"id":1718,"date":"2025-09-26T17:05:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T17:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/?p=1718"},"modified":"2025-12-05T17:08:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T17:08:03","slug":"frederic-tranchand-and-tove-alexandersson-shatter-records-in-the-short-trail-at-canfrancpirineos-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/2025\/09\/26\/frederic-tranchand-and-tove-alexandersson-shatter-records-in-the-short-trail-at-canfrancpirineos-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Tranchand and Tove Alexandersson Shatter Records in the Short Trail at CanfrancPirineos 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

French runner Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Tranchand and Sweden\u2019s Tove Alexandersson have been crowned World Champions in the Short Trail event on the second day of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, held until this Sunday in the town of Canfranc, in the Spanish Pyrenees.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FR\u00c9D\u00c9RIC TRANCHAND DOMINATES FROM START TO FINISH<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the men\u2019s category, two-time champion Stian Angermund was aiming for a third title, a particularly tough challenge given the high level of his rivals. During the first major ascent to the summit of La Moleta (2,572m), he was running in the leading trio alongside Frenchman Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Tranchand and Spaniard Manuel Merillas, a veteran and former winner of the Canfranc-Canfranc Marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric managed to break away on the technical descent from La Moleta to Canal Roya, arriving there with more than a minute\u2019s lead over Manuel and Stian. Meanwhile, the rest of the Spanish team began moving up the ranks from behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the 35 km mark, the Spanish resurgence was in full swing, with Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Tranchand leading, followed by Manuel Merillas, Andreu Blanes, and Alain Santamar\u00eda, 2, 8, and 9 minutes behind, respectively. At the crucial final mountain pass before the descent to the finish line, Tranchand launched a full-throttle attack, crossing the line as the new world champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Tranchand took the gold with a time of 4:42:10, setting a new course record. Manuel Merillas secured silver in 4:45:33, kicking off a Spanish triple podium with Andreu Blanes earning bronze in 4:51:52, and Alain Santamar\u00eda finishing fourth in 4:55:48.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STATEMENTS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the finish line, an emotional Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Tranchand (FRA) stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Today I felt great right from the start and enjoyed the whole race. I attacked aggressively on the descent from La Moleta, being careful not to overdo it, and managed to keep a strong pace the rest of the way. I had a slight cramp towards the end but stayed fully focused and got the win.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manuel Merillas (ESP) added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I lived in this area for six years, and these are the trails where I grew up as a mountain runner. It\u2019s been a long time since I won the Canfranc-Canfranc Marathon, and it\u2019s very special to return here for the World Championship. As a team, we trained really well and performed according to the work we put in. I’m happy for all of us.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andreu Blanes (ESP), third overall, said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We accepted the challenge to move up in distance, prepared thoroughly and lovingly, and even though the course didn\u2019t really suit my style, I enjoyed it a lot. I ran based on feel and am very proud of the work we did. We knew we had a strong team, and I\u2019m thrilled we achieved that team gold.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TEAMS: SPAIN WINS MEN\u2019S TEAM GOLD<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Team scores in the Short Trail are based on the combined times of the top three finishers from each country. The results were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gold<\/strong>: Spain \u2013 14:33:13<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silver<\/strong>: France \u2013 14:43:29<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bronze: Italy \u2013 14:53:33<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TOVE ALEXANDERSSON OUTDOES HERSELF<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sweden\u2019s Tove Alexandersson had already shown her massive potential on this course a few weeks ago at the Canfranc-Canfranc, where she set a women’s record of 5h38m\u2014despite suffering a hard fall that required medical attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, with those stitches on her eyebrow still fresh in memory, she delivered an even more stunning performance. From the very start, Tove launched her personal mission, reaching the top of the first major 6km climb to La Moleta with over three minutes on her closest chasers. Never easing up, she kept increasing her lead, which had grown to 22 minutes by km 28 in Candanch\u00fa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind her, the race for silver and bronze was heating up. Britain\u2019s Naomi Lang excelled on the technical descent from La Moleta to take second at the Canal Roya checkpoint (km 16), followed by Austria\u2019s Anna Platner and Spain\u2019s Sara Alonso, who swapped places several times later in the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Candanch\u00fa, Naomi was still in second, but Sara Alonso kept fighting and managed to overtake her before Estiviellas. She held onto the position all the way to the finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, Tove Alexandersson was crowned World Champion with a stunning time of 5:04:20, breaking the previous course record of 5h15m set by Thibaut Baronian in 2020. Sara Alonso took silver in 5:38:15, and Naomi Lang claimed bronze in 5:38:54.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STATEMENTS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tove Alexandersson (SWE) said at the finish:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Today I was more careful on the descents to avoid repeating the accident I had here three weeks ago. At the start, I felt slower on the way up to La Moleta, as I couldn\u2019t quite run at my usual pace. Overall, I had a really good race and enjoyed the course a lot.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A thrilled Sara Alonso (ESP) said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It\u2019s beautiful to return here, where everything started for me as a mountain runner in 2020. It was a tough fight with Naomi, but I felt strong all day and felt the crowd\u2019s support. The last time I passed her, I made a move to prevent her from catching me on the final descent\u2014and it worked.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naomi Lang (GBR) commented:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was my first mountain race in Spain, and I loved the atmosphere. I arrived last Saturday and was able to check out some sections\u2014I felt the course really suited me. The battle with Sara was great, trading places on the climbs and descents. I thought I could catch her on the final downhill, but she didn\u2019t give me a chance.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TEAMS: SWEDEN TAKES WOMEN\u2019S TEAM GOLD<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gold<\/strong>: Sweden \u2013 17:14:42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silver<\/strong>: Spain \u2013 17:29:04<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bronze<\/strong>: France \u2013 17:55:55<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHORT TRAIL: A RACE THAT MAKES HISTORY IN CANFRANC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The World Championship Short Trail followed the exact route of the iconic Canfranc-Canfranc Marathon. Since its inception, the course has gained increasing recognition for its unique blend of alpine beauty and intense physical and technical demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It starts with a 1,500-meter vertical climb before descending rapidly and technically into the Izas Valley. It then continues with a vertical kilometer up to Larraca, crosses the Ast\u00fan Valley and the Candanch\u00fa ski resort. The final part of the race goes through Loma Verde and the base of Pico Aspe\u2014one of the most stunning and wild areas\u2014before reaching the Estiviellas pass and beginning the long descent through 122 legendary switchbacks to the finish line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COMING UP NEXT<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Uphill and Short Trail have already crowned the first world champions at CanfrancPirineos 2025. Starting tomorrow, the event enters its second half, promising more unforgettable moments and showcasing the best of the Aragonese Pyrenees to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long Trail<\/strong> \u2013 Sept 27 \u2013 7:00 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classic & U20<\/strong> \u2013 Sept 28 \u2013 from 8:15 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
PICTURES<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

French runner Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Tranchand and Sweden\u2019s Tove Alexandersson have been crowned World Champions in the Short Trail event on the.. Read more<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1719,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1718","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\/1718","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=1718"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1720,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1718\/revisions\/1720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canfrancpirineos2025wmtrc.com\/news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}