More than 900 athletes from 46 member federations gathered in Chiang Mai, Thailand for the first-ever combined World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (WMTRC) and competed in five elite races for men and women over the weekend.
On was represented by a total of five individual athletes plus athletes from the On-supported “run2gether Team” and claimed a fair share of the medals. On continues to grow its investment in its athletic program by supporting its training through the creation of great performance gear and cultivating an environment for athletes to succeed. American Trail Runner Allie McLaughlin led the On medal count with four (one gold, three bronze).
McLaughlin competed in a special Athlete version of the Cloudventure Peak 3, which was developed for elite success by On’s Lightning Team, and kicked off proceedings with a commanding victory in Friday’s Classic Uphill race. In the team ranking, Mc Laughlin claimed another gold together with her fellow Americans Lauren Gregory, and Rachel Tomajczyk. Kenyan runners Patrick Kipngeno and Philemon Ombogo Kiriago, both from the run2gether team, continued on the path of success and even went 1-2 in the men’s edition of the same event.
On Saturday, it was time for the Long Trail races. On athletes contributed to three team medals: Marion Delespierre claimed team gold with Team France (while placing 6th individually), and American Jeff Colt helped the American men’s team win gold with a 14th individual rank. Fellow On athlete Paul Mathou placed 10th in the same event and won silver with Team France.
As the weekend ended with the Classic Up and Down race, McLaughlin was back in action, and the American continued in great shape. She only had to let Uganda’s Rebecca Cheptegei and Annet Chemengich Chelangat pass to claim third place. On the men’s side, Patrick Kipngeno was also back for more and came away with the silver medal two days after his triumph in the Classic Uphill. In the team rankings, this meant a final medal for McLaughlin, who took bronze with her teammates Rachel Tomajczyk and Corey Dowe.
“What our diverse team has accomplished in the last 10 months has been truly incredible and inspiring. We have won and placed at some of the most accomplished races in the trail and ultra world throughout the year in a magnitude of disciplines. Finishing off the year with multiple World Championship qualifiers is fantastic, but finishing off the year with multiple World Champions really shows the talent and depth within this team,” said David Kilgore, Athlete Partnership Manager Trail at On.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what we have accomplished. Thank you to all the pieces of the On team that have helped these athletes get to the top of these podiums and share their stories. The momentum is here, the team synergy is here and now it’s time to keep dreaming On. The On Trail Team will see you in 23!”
On Athlete results
Classic Uphill (8.5 kilometers uphill, 1,014 m elevation gain)
Women
- Allie McLaughlin, USA, 55:15
Men
- Patrick Kipngeno, KEN, 46:51
- Philemon Kiriago, KEN, 48:24
Team Women
- Team USA (McLaughlin, Gregory, Tomajczyk)
Long Trail (80km, 4910m elevation gain)
Team Women
- Team France (L’Hirondel, Tanguy, Delespierre)
Team Men
- Team USA (Peterman, Lipuma, Colt)
- TeamFrance (Martin, Garrivier, Mathou)
Classic Up and Down (11.2km, 441m elevation gain)
Women
- Allie McLaughlin, USA, 48:31.
Men
- Patrick Kipngeno, KEN, 46:51
Team Women
- Team USA (McLaughlin, Tomajczyk, Dowe)
