Two commanding performances bring Arianna Dentis (ITA) and Martin Nilsson (SWE) their long-awaited first victories in the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup.  

Arianna Dentis (ITA) and Martin Nilsson (SWE) claimed their first WMRA Mountain Running World Cup victories of their careers at Rollercoaster 21, closing the Long Distance season with two decisive performances in the Beskid Mały mountains.

Arianna Dentis (ITA) had waited a long time for this moment. After months of racing across the World Cup circuit, the dedication and persistence behind her season finally carried her to the top step of the podium. She controlled the women’s race from its opening stages and crossed the line in 1:55:03, almost four minutes ahead of Maya Rayle (USA).

Martin Nilsson (SWE) produced an equally authoritative performance in the men’s race. After remaining close to the early pace, he moved clear over the second half of the course and won in 1:38:50, more than three minutes ahead of Finlay Grant (GBR).

The victories also moved both winners up one position in the overall World Cup standings. Arianna Dentis (ITA) climbs to sixth and Martin Nilsson (SWE) moves from ninth to sixth, giving each athlete further momentum before the final World Cup weekend in Canada.

Arianna Dentis (ITA) established control early. At the 7km checkpoint, she already held a lead of more than one minute and 40 seconds over Maya Rayle (USA). From there, Dentis continued to extend her advantage across the repeated climbs and technical descents of Rollercoaster 21.

By the finish in Porąbka, the margin had grown to 3:48.

The victory rewarded a season in which Arianna Dentis (ITA) had already competed at the Broken Arrow Ascent and Broken Arrow Skyrace, Grossglockner Mountain Run, both races at Vauban Mountain Trail, Vertical Nasego and Trofeo Nasego. Poland was her eighth World Cup start of the year and the race in which all that work finally produced her first victory.

For Arianna Dentis (ITA), the finish in Porąbka marked the end of a long wait. Her commitment across several countries, categories and different types of mountain terrain was rewarded with a performance in which she took responsibility for the race from the beginning and never allowed her lead to come under threat.

Maya Rayle (USA) completed an impressive World Cup debut with second place in 1:58:52. Céline Aebi (SUI) secured the final podium position in 2:02:04 surprising even herself with her strong performance.

Eden O’Dea (GBR) finished fourth, closely followed by Natalie Beadle (GBR) in fifth. Rena Schwartz (USA) placed sixth, ahead of Selina Burch (SUI) and Sara Willhoit (GBR).

There was also a home top-10 finish for Izabela Wysluch (POL), who crossed the line ninth. Alicia Shay-Vargo (USA) completed the first 10.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

The men’s race developed differently, but the final margin was just as convincing.

Maciej Lachowski (POL) was the quickest runner at the 7km checkpoint, passing through in 31:21. Martin Nilsson (SWE) was only 12.3 seconds behind, well positioned before the course entered its later sequence of climbs and descents.

From there, Nilsson took control. His strength across the full course allowed him to move clear of the leading group and build a winning margin of 3:07 by the finish.

After several strong World Cup performances during the season, including eighth place at Trofeo Nasego, Martin Nilsson (SWE) converted his consistency into his first World Cup victory.

Martin Nilsson at Rollercoaster 21 at Maraton-Trzech-Jezior 2026 Ó WMRA • Marco Gulberti

The closest racing came behind him.

Finlay Grant (GBR) made significant progress during the second half of the course. Sixth at the 7km checkpoint, his strength and confidence on the descents carried him through the field and into second place. He finished in 1:41:58.

Paul Knight (USA) remained close throughout and crossed the line just 5 seconds behind Finlay Grant (GBR), taking third in 1:42:02. Paul Knight (USA) brought 28-minute 10,000m credentials to Poland and demonstrated that speed on the track could be transferred to a demanding mountain course of steep climbs and technical descents.

Luca Merli (ITA) finished fourth, ahead of Pavol Orolin (SVK). Maciej Lachowski (POL), who had led at the checkpoint, was the first Polish runner home in sixth.

Oscar Subuh-Symons (GBR) placed seventh, followed by Casey Campbell (USA). Andrew Douglas (GBR) and Karol Matyssek (POL) completed the men’s top 10.

MEN’S TOP 10

The United States team brought real quality to the Long Distance final, but the strength of the field extended well beyond one nation, with six nationalities represented in the men’s top 10 and five in the women’s.

Maya Rayle (USA) finished second and Paul Knight (USA) secured third, while Rena Schwartz (USA), Alicia Shay-Vargo (USA) and Casey Campbell (USA) also placed inside the top 10.

Beautiful weather opened up views across the meadows, forests and lakes of the Beskid Mały. The landscape reflected the character of Poland’s middle mountains: welcoming and open in places, but crossed by gradients and technical trails that gave the race a much harder edge.

Rollercoaster 21 covered 21.6km with 1,511m of ascent. From the start in Międzybrodzie Bialskie, the runners climbed more than 500m during the opening three kilometres towards Czupel.

A long and technically demanding descent then carried the race towards Czernichów. After crossing the Soła River, the course began climbing again, eventually reaching one of its defining sections on the way towards Mount Żar.

The constant changes of gradient made it difficult for the athletes to establish a steady rhythm. Strong climbing alone was not enough. The runners also needed the confidence to descend quickly, the control to move efficiently across the technical sections and enough strength for the final approach to Porąbka.

The Three Lakes Marathon festival provided a distinctly Polish setting for the World Cup. Open meadows, wooded slopes, steep trails and views across the lakes placed the international field within a landscape closely connected to the area’s outdoor culture.

Rollercoaster 21 was the 14th race of the World Cup season, which has already visited Portugal, China, Spain, the United States, Austria, France, Switzerland and Italy.

It was also the fifth and final Long Distance race of the year, following Transvulcania Half Marathon, Broken Arrow Skyrace, Sierre-Zinal and Trofeo Nasego.

The overall World Cup now moves to Défi des Couleurs in Canada on 10–11 October. The Uphill final will take place on Saturday, followed by the Up & Down final on Sunday.

Arianna Dentis (ITA) and Martin Nilsson (SWE) will arrive in Canada higher in the overall standings. More significantly, they will arrive as World Cup winners for the first time.

IN MOUNTAIN RUNNING WE TRUST.

The Three Lakes Marathon festival welcomes the Rollercoaster 21 on 19 September,
with category standings and overall World Cup positions at stake.

After travelling through Portugal, China, Spain, the United States, Austria, France, Switzerland and Italy, the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup reaches Poland for race 14 of the 2026 season. On Saturday, 19 September, the Three Lakes Marathon festival will host the final race of the Long Distance category on the Rollercoaster 21 course.

From the Transvulcania Half Marathon to Broken Arrow, Sierre-Zinal and Trofeo Nasego, the Long Distance season has already taken runners through four very different mountain-running races. The last one comes in the Beskids, where repeated climbs, technical descents and constant changes of rhythm will decide the final category standings.

Poland will close the Long Distance competition, but not the World Cup itself. The season will continue in Canada in October with the Uphill and Up & Down finals and the final decisions in the overall standings.

The Three Lakes Marathon takes place in the western Beskid Mały mountains, with the Soła River running between wooded slopes and a landscape shaped by both nature and local history. Stone shepherds’ huts and a former forest amphitheatre remain part of the area’s heritage, while Mount Żar has become an important centre for outdoor sport, attracting runners, cyclists and paragliders.

The festival itself grew from a simple request from runners. After taking part in the Frassati Mountain Run, many wanted more distances and more ways to discover the surrounding trails. That connection with the running community remains central to the event today.

As summer begins to give way to autumn, the World Cup now joins that wider festival atmosphere for its first visit to Rollercoaster 21.

The name gives a fair indication of what awaits.

Rollercoaster 21 covers 21.6km, with 1,511m of ascent and 1,543m of descent, starting at 10:00 in Międzybrodzie Bialskie and finishing at Porąbka stadium. There is little time on the course for runners to settle into a comfortable rhythm.

The opening three kilometres climb more than 500m towards Czupel, immediately putting pacing under pressure. From there, a demanding descent drops towards Czernichów before the course crosses the Soła River on a suspension bridge and begins building again towards Mount Żar.

One of the decisive sections could come on that ascent, where approximately 250m are gained in a single kilometre alongside the ski lift. Even then, the climbing is not finished. After descending towards Kozubnik, another short ascent interrupts the run towards Porąbka before the final approach to the stadium.

The challenge will not simply be how quickly the athletes can climb, but how well they can repeatedly change from climbing to descending and back again. An aggressive opening could be expensive later, particularly for anyone unable to recover on the descents, while runners who move efficiently downhill and still have enough strength when the road turns upwards again may find themselves gaining places deep into the race.

The Long Distance final brings together athletes with different objectives but the same immediate target: a strong result in Porąbka.

For some, the category standings remain very much in play. Others arrive with their attention also on the overall World Cup, knowing that Poland can strengthen their position before the final rounds in Canada. Alongside them are athletes capable of challenging for the race podium regardless of their position in the season-long competition.

Poland’s Urszula Paprocka and Matyssek Karol will have the chance to race a World Cup on home ground, while Natalie Beadle and Spain’s Marc Bernades Olle are among the other notable entries. With a course that rarely allows the field to settle, the final should leave plenty of room for the race to develop well beyond the opening climb.

After two fourth-place finishes this season, Arianna Dentis (ITA) arrives in Poland still chasing her first World Cup podium of 2026. She has been close at both Vauban Mountain Trail and Trofeo Nasego, and Rollercoaster 21 gives her another opportunity to turn that consistency into a place in the top three.

But this is far from a two-woman contest. Natalie Beadle (GBR) is another athlete with the potential to challenge for the podium, while the depth of the field means there should be little room for mistakes across a course as demanding as Rollercoaster 21.

Sara Willhoit (GBR) returns to Long Distance racing after already scoring at the Transvulcania Half Marathon earlier in the season. Poland gives her another chance to finish the category strongly while adding to an overall World Cup campaign that continues beyond this weekend.

Selina Burch (SUI), Ingrid Mutter (ROU) and Eden O’Dea (GBR) add further World Cup experience to the field. Together with Dentis and Willhoit, all women sit inside the overall World Cup top 30, giving the final another layer beyond the competition for the race podium itself.

Once the race begins, however, the standings will matter less than how the athletes handle the course. The opening ascent should begin separating the field, but Rollercoaster 21 offers few places where an early advantage can be considered safe. The descent, the crossing of the Soła and the hard climb towards Żar all offer opportunities for the order to change before the final kilometres into Porąbka.

Martin Nilsson (SWE) has one of the clearest World Cup objectives in the men’s field. He arrives ninth overall and fourth in the Long Distance standings with 56 points, 16 behind the current third-place total.

That leaves a Long Distance podium within reach, although the equation does not depend on Nilsson alone. He will need the result in Poland while also watching where his closest rivals finish.

The race itself brings plenty of competition beyond the category standings. Spain’s Marc Bernades Olle and Polish Matyssek Karol are among the athletes expected to place towards the front, while Finlay Grant (GBR) adds further strength to the field.

Andrew Thomas Douglas (GBR) and Luca Merli (ITA) arrive with the wider World Cup season still firmly in focus. Douglas sits inside the overall top 10 and Merli just outside it, making the points available in Poland important before both turn their attention towards the final races in Canada.

Gyorgy Szabolcs Istvan (ROU) and Oscar Subuh-Symons (GBR) are also inside the overall top 30, while Paul Knight (USA) returns to the Long Distance competition having already scored at Broken Arrow. Rollercoaster 21 gives Knight one final opportunity to improve his category position before those standings are closed for the season.

On a course with such frequent changes of terrain, however, positions on paper will only tell part of the story. The first climb may reveal who wants to dictate the race, but the repeated descents and ascents that follow should favour patience as much as aggression. By the time the athletes reach the later stages of the course, the strongest runner may be the one who has managed those changes best.

The World Cup travels from one mountain community to another, but the purpose extends beyond elite competition. Every stop offers a different landscape, culture and way of experiencing mountain running, made possible by the local communities who open their trails and welcome the athletes.

That comes with responsibility from everyone who uses those environments.

As the Long Distance season reaches its conclusion in Poland, Rollercoaster 21 offers both sides of that story: international competition at the highest level and another mountain landscape waiting to be discovered responsibly.

RACE INFORMATION AND COURSE DETAILS

https://www.maraton3jezior.com/en/rollercoaster/

DESTINATION AND FESTIVAL BACKGROUND

https://www.maraton3jezior.com/en/festival/

WMRA MOUNTAIN RUNNING WORLD CUP 2026 STANDINGS

https://www.wmra.info/wmra-world-cup/

For more than half a century, runners from around the world have travelled to Sierre, Switzerland, to take on the 31-kilometre journey to Zinal, beneath the backdrop of the Alps’ 4,000-metre peaks. Now in its 53rd edition, Sierre-Zinal once again brought together the world’s best mountain runners, all chasing one of the most coveted titles in the sport, and it delivered one of the most interesting races we have seen in several years.

With former winners such as Philemon Ombogo Kiriago, Caroline Jepkoech Kimutai (both KEN), Maude Mathys (SUI) and Sophia Laukli (USA), on the start line, as well as a large number of exciting runners who broke into the top 10 here last year, both the men’s and women’s fields had huge depth and unpredictability. Serving as both a Golden Trails and WMRA World Cup race, the level of competition was incredibly high.

It is a hugely important race for this year’s World Cup, coming at a pivotal time in the competition with many of the main players  in the World Cup taking part.

The nature of the Sierre-Zinal course is that it climbs from 560m in Sierre all the way up to 2424m in Nava over the course of 24km. Then the runners run downhill for 7km to the finish in Zinal at 1675m. This means that there is potential for huge change in the positions on the long downhill and hard-fought uphill leads can be obliterated in the space of a few kilometres.

THE WOMEN’S RACE

The women set off first here to ensure equal visibility and focus on the women’s and men’s races. It also means that the first female and male finishers arrive at roughly the same time.

It was no surprise to see last year’s women’s winner Kimutai striking out in the lead early as the women set off, but from very early on Morven Goodrum (GBR), making her debut at Sierre-Zinal, was right on her shoulder. Kirsty Skye Dickson (GBR), who has had some strong results in this year’s World Cup, Madalina Florea(ROU), third here in 2024, and Nienke Brinkman (NED), who was second on her debut here in 2021, were also just behind.

By the 5km point it was Brits Goodrum and Skye Dickson who were leading together, with Florea just behind, with Kimutai and Brinkman completing the leading group. The next group, two minutes behind, consisted of Olympic marathon runner Laura Hottenrott (GER), Oria Liaci (SUI), who finished fourth here last year, and Jessica Paguay (ECU). By the Ponchette aid station the groups remained roughly the same with women’s World Cup leader Ruth Gitonga (KEN), Miriam Chepkirui (KEN), Anna Gibson (USA) and Vivien Bonzi(ITA) also with that chasing pack.

As the climb continued, the top three of Goodrum, Florea and Brinkman seemed to continually change, with rarely more than 20 seconds between them. Skye Dickson had dropped back a little, with Kimutai her main challenger. The chasing group continued to push, with Liaci closing and Gibson slowly moving up, but it was starting to look like the gap to the top five might be too big to close unless something dramatic happened on the downhill.

Once they hit the descent Florea made her move and began to pull away from Goodrum, but the gap remained close at 30 – 40 seconds. At Barneuza (26km) Brinkman was over two minutes behind them, with Liaci 30 seconds further back and Kimutai just behind her. But Kumutai closed the gap and then overtook both Liaci and Brinkman to move into third place. In typical Sierre-Zinal style it was all going to come down to the final, steeper descent and the fast and furious finish on the road.

Florea held on for a brilliant first victory here and Kimutai overtook Goodrum to take second, with Goodrum finishing an extremely impressive third on her debut here. Liaci took fourth again, with Brinkman just 17 seconds behind her.

Women’s top 5

1. Madalina Florea (ROU/SCOTT) – 2.55.44
2. Caroline Kimutai (KEN/Salomon) – 2.56.30
3. Morven Goodrum (GBR/Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow) – 2.57.12
4. Oria Liaci (SUI/Brooks) – 2.58.36
5. Nienke Brinkman (NED/Nike ACG) – 2.58.53

THE MEN’S RACE

There were some very strong favourites in the men’s race, with former winner Kiriago, runner-up Patrick Kipngeno (KEN) and Elhousine Elazzaoui (MAR), who has won most other big races but never this one. But nothing is a foregone conclusion at Sierre-Zinal.

The men’s race started with Kipngeno and Kiriago setting the pace but Jacob Adkin (GBR), the uphill champion at this year’s European Off-Road Running Championships was in the leading group too. Just behind them sat Julius Ott (GER), Richard Omaya Atuya (KEN), Rodríguez Flores Brayan (MEX), Anthony Felber (FRA), Christian Allen (USA), and, in these early stages, Elazzaoui.

On the long kilometres of climbing, it was Adkin who set the pace, leading through both Ponchette and Chandolin aid stations. Kipngeno remained in close contact, just a few seconds behind, together with Kiriago and Atuya. Allen, Kevin Kibett (KEN), Flores, Elazzaoui and Michael Selelo Saoli (KEN) a minute behind.

Kipngeno and Kiriago decided to attack Adkin while still on the uphill section, and by the time they reached Hotel Weisshorn (20km) they were neck-and-neck, with Atuya now in third, with the three Run2gether team mates working together, and Adkin just behind. The chasing group remained roughly the same, with Allen, Kibett and Flores leading the chase, but now with the addition of Paul Machoka (KEN). It was all going to come down to those downhill kilometres.

Kiriago seemed unable to shake off Kipngeno, with the lead changing hands multiple times and just seconds in it. We were in for a classic Sierre-Zinal sprint finish. Behind them Saoli had stealthily moved through into third but Adkin remained with him, Atuya was fading and it looked like Kibett or Allen may catch them.

Eventually Kiriago managed to pull away from Kipngeno, winning by 32 seconds, his third victory here. There was a gap of three minutes back to Saoli in third, making it a full men’s podium for Kenya and Run2gether On Trail, Adkin hung on for a gritty and impressive fourth and Kibett won the battle for fifth with Allen.

Men’s Top 5

1. Philemon Ombogo Kiriago (KEN/Run2gether On Trail) – 2.26.24
2. Patrick Kipngeno (KEN/Run2gether On Trail) – 2.26.56
3. Michael Selelo Saoli (KEN/Run2gether On Trail) – 2.29.36
4. Jacob Adkin (GBR/New Balance) – 2.30.49
5. Kevin Kibett (KEN/Salomon) – 2.30.58