Carpathian Mountains provide dramatic and testing setting on Saturday for first WMRA World Cup meeting of 2025

The 2025 World Cup kicks off in style this weekend at Câmpulung Moldovenesc, Romania, with Zmeu X-Fest. The Carpathian Mountains will provide a stunning backdrop to the inaugural race for this year’s competition. And with some very familiar names from previous World Cups taking part, we should be in for an exciting first classic mountain race.

This will be the World Cup’s first trip to Romania, but as a country it certainly isn’t a newcomer to mountain running. It’s a country steeped in years of tradition in the sport and has produced generations of incredible talent.

The venue for the race, Câmpulung, is a city in the mountains in Suceava county, Bucovina. Câmpulung is renowned for two things which lend themselves very well to mountain running: lush, ancient forests and a huge number of varied mountain trails. As well as the incredible running, the area boasts a number of UNESCO world heritage sites and, famously, painted churches and monasteries (dating from the 15th-16th centuries).

And why is the event called ‘Zmeu’? The Zmeu is a legendary creature which is deeply rooted in Romanian folklore. It’s said to be a dragon-like creature, with scaly skin, sharp claws and sometimes even wings. Just one more potential challenge for runners to deal with on the course?

This race is a classic up and down mountain race of 19.6km with 1750m of ascent. Starting from the centre of Câmpulung Moldovenesc at 650m, the runners first head up to Măgura Runcului peak (1,176m), before descending 400m and then climbing back up to 1,129m to summit Runc. From there it’s another long downhill back to Câmpulung to mark the halfway point of the race, before starting to climb again to the edge of the forest, followed by an ascent of Bodea (1,073m). Then it’s another descent, followed by a short climb before the frantic dash to the finish line.

Women

The women’s race offers a truly international mix of athletes, which should make things really interesting. Last year’s women’s World Cup champion, Scout Adkin (HOKA EU), will begin her defence here, having claimed some big wins in last year’s competition as well as that unforgettable run at Sierre-Zinal, where she finished second after an epic duel with Romanian Madalina Florea.

Lining up alongside Adkin will be Romanian runners Ioana Madalina Amariei (Pegarun), winner of Giir di Mont 2024, and Ingrid Mutter (SCARPA), who has also finished on the podium at Giir di Mont. Valentine Jepkoech Rutto (Atletica Saluzzo) could be one to watch, having finished 4th at the classic up and down race at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in 2023. Hana Svestkova Struzkova (AC Raci Udoli) and Klara Ljubi (HOKA) could also challenge.

Men

The men’s race is similarly international, with a strong contingent from Italy, as well as some highly competitive Kenyan runners and local Romanian talent. Paul Machoka (Atletica Saluzzo) finished fourth overall in last year’s World Cup, with a string of consistent results, and with the experience he gained last year, will be interesting to watch this year. Kevin Kibet (Atletica Saluzzo), despite being just 22 years old, has already stood on the podium at Sierre-Zinal and finished 4th at the Mont Blanc Marathon.

Henri Aymonod (The North Face) is a name very familiar to World Cup followers. He is the master of uphill only races, with many classic race podiums in his palmares too, and will always be a runner to watch. Fellow Italians Andrea Elia (Topo Athletics), winner of last years Chiavenna Lagunc, Andrea Rostan (Atletica Saluzzo), former Broken Arrow VK wier, Alberto Vender (New Balance), fastest man at Trofeo Vanoni for the last two years, and Luca Merli (Atletica Valchiese) are also sure to be in the mix.

In addition, young French athlete Alric Petit (Nike) had an incredible 2024 including a second place at Fletta Trail. Mate Dalos (Salomon) could challenge, and Romanian athletes Istvan Szabolcs and Alexandru Husariu Ionut could enjoy some home advantage.

How to follow the race

The race starts at 11am local time on Saturday May 3. Live tracking is available at Zmeu X-Fest | LiveTrail® and you can follow WMRA social media channels for up-to-date information and imagery.

For further updates and race details, visit www.wmra.info  and Classic Mountain - Zmeu X-Fest, FEAR NO SUMMIT!