Njeri breaks through with first World Cup Mountain win in Vauban
Ephantus Mwangi Njeri claimed his first WMRA Mountain Running World Cup victory of his career after overturning Richard Omaya Atuya’s lead on a decisive descent, while Ruth Mwihaki Gitonga took the women’s race win and moved to the top of the overall World Cup standings at the Vauban Mountain Trail Classic Up & Down in Briançon, France.
One day after the continuous climb of the Montée Verticale, Stage 10 of the 2026 WMRA Mountain Running World Cup presented athletes with a completely different challenge: 14 km with approximately 1000 metres of ascent and descent through one of the most distinctive and beautiful settings in international mountain running.
Starting from Parc de la Schappe, beneath Briançon’s fortified old town, the athletes climbed away from the city towards the Croix de Toulouse, the highest point of the course at around 1950 metres. From there, the route plunged back towards Briançon in less than three kilometres before crossing towards another part of the city’s historic defensive landscape and the fortifications surrounding the Pont d’Asfeld and Fort des Trois-Têtes.
Briançon’s fortifications form part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fortifications of Vauban. Here, that heritage was not simply the background to the race. The fortified city, mountain paths, bridges, tunnels and defensive structures shaped the sporting challenge itself, bringing together Alpine terrain, centuries of history and World Cup mountain running.
The opening climb rewarded strength, but it could not decide the race alone. The rapid descent from the Croix de Toulouse and the second passage through the fortifications demanded speed, technique and commitment before the final return to Parc de la Schappe.
MEN’S RACE: NJERI FINDS HIS MOMENT ON THE DESCENT
Twenty-four hours after winning Saturday’s Uphill race, Richard Omaya Atuya (KEN) again showed his climbing strength and was the first athlete to reach the high point above Briançon’s fortifications.
Atuya appeared to be moving towards a second victory of the weekend, but the Classic Up & Down race still had its decisive kilometres ahead. Once the course turned downhill, Ephantus Mwangi Njeri (KEN) began to close the gap.
Njeri moved past Atuya on the fast descent towards Briançon and continued to build his advantage on the return to Parc de la Schappe. By the finish, he had opened a 27-second margin, crossing the line in 1:03:01 to secure the first WMRA World Cup victory of his career.
It was a breakthrough moment for Njeri. After finishing sixth in Saturday’s pure uphill contest, he returned one day later and used the speed and technical demands of the Classic Up & Down course to claim the biggest international victory of his career so far.
Atuya finished second in 1:03:28, completing an exceptional weekend in Briançon with one victory and one runner-up finish across two very different mountain-running disciplines.
Elijah Kamau Kariuki (KEN) secured third in 1:05:06, completing an all-Kenyan men’s podium. Brayan Rodríguez Flores (MEX) finished fourth in 1:05:43, while Paul Machoka (KEN) completed the top five in 1:06:14
Top 10 Men
WOMEN’S RACE: GITONGA WINS VAUBAN AND TAKES THE OVERALL LEAD
After finishing second in Saturday’s Montée Verticale, Ruth Mwihaki Gitonga (KEN) returned to the start line determined to go one better in the Classic Up & Down.
Gitonga crossed the finish line at Parc de la Schappe in 1:14:03, completing her Briançon weekend with a runner-up finish and a victory. Those two results move her to the top of the overall 2026 WMRA Mountain Running World Cup standings.
The race for victory remained close until the finish, with Gloria Chebet (KEN) crossing the line only 19 seconds behind in 1:14:22.
Miriam Chepkirui (KEN) completed another all-Kenyan podium in 1:19:08, but the battle for third continued until the final metres.
Just five seconds behind Chepkirui, Arianna Dentis (ITA) produced one of the breakthrough performances of the weekend. Dentis finished fourth in 1:19:13, recording her first major World Cup result and coming within only five seconds of a sensational podium place.
Elle Twentyman (GBR) completed the women’s top five in 1:20:08.
Top 10 Women
Results: https://vaurtr.v3.livetrail.net/fr/2026
Gloria Chebet (KEN) Vauban Mountain Trail Classic Up&Down © WMRA Marco Gulberti
TWO RACES, TWO DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS OF MOUNTAIN RUNNING
Across two days, the Vauban Mountain Trail tested almost every element of elite mountain running.
Saturday’s race was a single sustained ascent from Briançon towards the upper station of Prorel. Sunday required athletes to climb from the fortified city towards the Croix de Toulouse, commit fully to a rapid descent and then race through another section of Briançon’s UNESCO-listed defensive landscape.
For Njeri, the descent opened the door to his first World Cup victory. For Gitonga, a second place and a victory across the weekend carried her to the top of the overall standings.
The Vauban Mountain Trail was the last Classic Up & Down race before the World Cup Finals at Défi des Couleurs in Québec, Canada, in October, where the final points in the category will be decided.
The Classic Up & Down category is sponsored by Turismo Centro de Portugal – “MOVE Centro de Portugal – The Sports Region.”
The World Cup now pauses for almost three weeks before returning for Stage 11 at Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland on August 8.
