The 2024 Sierre-Zinal mountain race was thrilling proper till the athletes crossed the end line. Joyline Chepngeno (Kenya) received the ladies’s race in a breakout efficiency, whereas Kilian Jornet (Spain, lives in Norway) took his tenth win of the lads’s race, and set a course report by the narrowest of margins.
The race began at 11 a.m. native time on Saturday, August 10, within the village of Sierre, Switzerland, within the coronary heart of the Valais Alps, and featured round 2,200 meters (7,200 toes) of elevation achieve over 31 kilometers (19 miles). The occasion finishes within the village of Zinal.
Sierre-Zinal is an iconic European mountain race and is also called the ‘race of 5 4,000s,’ because the course sits in view of 5 essential Swiss peaks: Weisshorn (4,404 meters), Zinal Ironthorn (4,221 meters), Obergabelhorn (4,063 meters), Matterhorn (4,478 meters), and Dent Blanche (4,357 meters).
Not too long ago, we used knowledge in this text to dive deep into the historical past and competitors of Sierre-Zinal.
The race was concurrently a part of the World Mountain Operating Affiliation (WMRA) World Cup and the Golden Path World Sequence.
It was a sizzling begin to the day, with temperatures reaching 26 levels Celsius (79 levels Fahrenheit) at the beginning line. There have been clear blue skies all through and dry situations, with temperatures solely getting hotter all through the race.
There was a shock win for Kenyan athlete Joyline Chepngeno, who had an enormous lead all through, regardless of it being her first ever path race. While Kilian Jornet received the race for the tenth time, he was pushed to his limits by Philemon Ombogo Kiriago (Kenya), final yr’s champion who attacked close to the shut of the race. Learn on for the complete race story.
2024 Sierre-Zinal Girls’s Race
This yr’s Sierre-Zinal’s largest story surrounded the ladies’s winner Joyline Chepngeno of Kenya, a real underdog within the race. This was Chepngeno’s first ever path race, in reality, it was her first recorded race since operating at school. After the delivery of her two youngsters, Chepngeno misplaced 30 kilograms and determined to run once more, and this was her spectacular debut to the world of path operating.
Not solely did Chepngeno win one of the crucial aggressive path races on the planet, however she received by an enormous margin. Proper from the start, she took pole place within the girls’s race, and prolonged her lead all through.
Joyline Chepngeno, the shock winner of the 2024 Sierre-Zinal. Photograph: World Mountain Operating Affiliation/Marco Gulberti
There was some hypothesis as as to whether Chepngeno was going to have the ability to preserve the lead, probably going too onerous at the beginning and unable to fend off extra skilled athletes. Nevertheless, she buried any of the doubts and dominated the ladies’s race to the tip, ending greater than eight minutes away from her closest competitor.
While Chepngeno took the lead, one other ascendant athlete took second place. Scout Adkin (U.Ok.) was participating in her longest path race thus far, nevertheless she’s been rapidly rising by means of the WMRA World Cup ranks this summer season, with prior prime performances. She handed by means of the checkpoint at Ponchette (7.5 kilometers) in 59:29, one minute forward of one of many race favorites, Joyce Muthoni Njeru (Kenya).
Scout Adkin takes second on the 2024 Sierre-Zinal. Photograph: World Mountain Operating Affiliation/Marco Gulberti
Operating with Muthoni Njeru was Monica Mădălina Florea (Romania), who not too long ago took second on the 2024 Marathon du Mont Blanc.
Because the runners entered the following checkpoint at Chandolin, Muthoni Njeru overtook Adkin for second place, however this lead was seemingly brief lived. On the descent to Tignousa at 16k, it appeared as if Muthoni Njeru had overcooked it, and Adkin made a robust assault, retaining her second-place place.
Adkin handed the checkpoint 29 seconds forward of Muthoni Njeru. Florea continued to take care of her place in fourth a minute again, while Philaries Jeruto Kisang (Kenya) got here by means of in fifth a few minutes later.
Sadly for Muthoni Njeru, she continued to fade, and this labored to Florea’s benefit. She overtook to take over third place across the 20k mark, now lower than two minutes behind Adkin in second. As a robust downhill runner, this was an opportunity for Florea to make up floor, however Adkin maintained her place all the way in which to the end line.
Joyline Chepngeno crossed the end line in 2:54:06, taking an enormous win. She was adopted by Scout Adkin, who completed in 3:02:21, and Monica Mădălina Florea in third in 3:04:29. Philaries Jeruto Kisang moved as much as fourth and completed in 3:05:52, and Cristina Simion (Romania) completed fifth in 3:07:51.
Joyce Muthoni Njeru dropped out of the highest 10 and completed in twelfth in 3:13:30.
Monica Mădălina Florea celebrates third place on the 2024 Sierre-Zinal. Photograph: World Mountain Operating Affiliation/Marco Gulberti
2024 Sierre-Zinal Girls’s Outcomes
- Joyline Chepngeno (Kenya) – 2:54:06
- Scout Adkin (U.Ok.) – 3:02:21
- Monica Mădălina Florea (Romania) – 3:04:29
- Philaries Jeruto Kisang (Kenya) – 3:05:52
- Cristina Simion (Romania) – 3:07:51
- Anna Gibson (U.S.) – 3:08:39
- Sophia Laukli (U.S.) – 3:09:36
- Oria Liaci (Switzerland) – 3:10:46
- Julie Lelong (France) – 3:12:11
- Caitlin Fielder (New Zealand) – 3:12:54
2024 Sierre-Zinal Males’s Race
It was a daring however anticipated begin to the race from favourite Kilian Jornet (Spain, lives in Norway), who already had 9 wins to his identify on the revered route. He began on the entrance of the race and appeared to have a big hole on the remainder of the sector.
Kilian Jornet profitable the 2024 Sierre-Zinal in a dash end. Photograph: World Mountain Operating Affiliation/Marco Gulberti
Nevertheless, on the Ponchette checkpoint, 7.5k in, Josphat Kiprotich (Kenya) had closed the hole and got here by means of sizzling on Jornet’s heels. Switzerland’s Rémi Bonnet, the 2022 and 2023 Golden Path World Sequence general winner, got here by means of subsequent, adopted by Patrick Kipngeno and Paul Machoka of Kenya.
The primary twist of the lads’s race got here shortly thereafter, when Kiprotich overtook Jornet. That is the place the primary battle on the entrance of the lads’s race commenced and it was a cat-and-mouse chase between the 2 athletes, with Kiprotich operating inside 15 seconds in fact report tempo on the 12k mark.
By midway, Kiprotich nonetheless had a modest lead, coming by means of the checkpoint in 1:23:15, adopted by Jornet in 1:24:01.
While the battle ensued for first, Kipngeno and Bonnet labored collectively to carry onto third and fourth positions, as they handed by means of the 16k mark collectively in 1:25:26. Philemon Ombogo Kiriago (Kenya), the 2023 Sierre-Zinal champion, had by now managed to overhaul Machoka to maneuver into fifth place.
Philemon Ombogo Kiriago is all smiles after a second-place end on the 2024 Sierre-Zinal. Photograph: World Mountain Operating Affiliation/Marco Gulberti
After the 20k mark, the place many of the climbing had been accomplished, the race actually turned unpredictable. Jornet caught up with Kiprotich they usually handed the 20k checkpoint in 1:43:17, however that is the place Jornet made his assault. He created a 30-second lead on second place, and rolled alongside the paths while others battled it out behind.
Though Kipngeno and Bonnet hit Resort Weisshorn on the similar time (1:45:03), it was Kipngeno who went for the assault and overtook Kiprotich for second place. However that wasn’t the tip. Kipngeno’s coaching companion Ombogo Kiriago steamed forward, and with a well mannered faucet on the again, powered previous Kipngeno and had his sights set on Jornet.
On the technical descent towards the end line, it appeared like Jornet had a snug lead when Ombogo Kiriago got here out of nowhere to overhaul the nine-time winner and even gained on him.
This was by far the most important shock of the race, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than Jornet drove down the descent onerous to reclaim first place, however he needed to work for all of it the way in which to the end line. Ombogo Kiriago was chasing onerous, and the dash end by means of the streets of Zinal led Kilian Jornet to win and in addition take a brand new course report, ending in 2:25:34, beating his earlier 2019 course report by a single second.
Philemon Ombogo Kiriago completed simply behind in 2:25:36 and the 2 athletes collapsed as they crossed the road. Patrick Kipngeno held third place and crossed the road in 2:26:59, adopted by Josphat Kiprotich in 2:31:35 in fourth, and Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland) in 2:32:26 for fifth place.
Paul Mochoka finally took sixth in 2:32:35, and Rémi Bonnet light throughout the latter finish of the race and dropped again to ninth place, crossing in 2:33:57.
Patrick Kipngeno taking third on the 2024 Sierre-Zinal. Photograph: World Mountain Operating Affiliation/Marco Gulberti
2024 Sierre-Zinal Males’s Race Outcomes
- Kilian Jornet (Spain, lives in Norway) – 2:25:34
- Philemon Ombogo Kiriago (Kenya) – 2:25:36
- Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) – 2:26:59
- Josphat Kiprotich (Kenya) – 2:31:35
- Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland) – 2:32:26
- Paul Machoka (Kenya) – 2:32:35
- Sylvain Cachard (France) – 2:32:45
- Jonathan Castillo Sáenz (Columbia) – 2:32:45
- Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland) – 2:33:57
- Ezekiel Rutto (Kenya) – 2:35:21
