The fifth stop of the Golden Trail World Series moves the action from Austria to Switzerland for the 53rd edition of Sierre-Zinal, a legendary race featuring 31 kilometres and 2,200 metres of elevation gain.

Defending champions Philemon Kiriago and Caroline Kimutai return to protect their crowns against Elhousine Elazzaoui and Madalina Florea, the reigning series champions and recent winners of the Salomon Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail, held just one week ago.

The iconic Swiss race, which brings together more than 6,800 runners from 86 nationalities, will be broadcast live across Warner Bros. Discovery platforms (HBO Max, Eurosport and TNT Sports), as well as through an extensive network of international broadcasters.

This weekend the 2026 Mountain Running World Cup rolls into Switzerland for one of the highlights of the mountain running calendar – Sierre -Zinal. First held in 1974, Sierre-Zinal is recognised as the oldest race of its kind in Europe.

Sierre-Zinal is the World Cup’s next long mountain race and it is stage 11 of this year’s competition. Known as ‘la course des cinq 4,000s’ or ‘the race of the five 4,000-metre peaks’, its iconic 31-kilometre course climbs 2,200 metres from Sierre before descending 1,100 metres into Zinal.

Sierre-Zinal has been part of the WMRA World Cup since 2019, and since then has provided the backdrop for some of the most competitive World Cup stages ever witnessed. Now celebrating its 53rd edition, the legendary Swiss race remains unique as the only mountain-running event in Europe bringing together two of the sport’s biggest international circuits: the WMRA World Cup and the Golden Trail World Series.

The current records belong to Kilian Jornet (ESP), who ran 2:25:34 in 2024, and Maude Mathys (SUI), who recorded 2:49:20 in 2019. Prior to Jornet finally beating the men’s record in 2024, it was held by Jonathan Wyatt (NZL) for 16 years. Wyatt is now WMRA World Cup Manager, strengthening the link between the WMRA and Sierre-Zinal still further.

• Since its creation in 1974, Sierre-Zinal has grown into one of the most iconic and prestigious events in global trail running and has been a permanent fixture on the Golden Trail World Series calendar since the circuit's launch in 2018.
• "The Race of the Five 4,000-Metre Peaks" will be the fifth stop of the 2026 GTWS season on August 8th, featuring a fast and explosive 31-kilometre course through the spectacular mountains of the Anniviers Valley.
• "The Golden Trail World Series has taken the race to another level internationally. It has significantly increased the visibility of Sierre-Zinal far beyond Switzerland and helped establish the event as one of the benchmark races in global trail running," say the organisers.

Ο Kilian Jornet φέτος επιστρέφει στους μεγάλους αγώνες, μετά από δύο χρόνια μοναδικών ατομικών επιτευγμάτων στα βουνά – από το Alpine Connections (2024) μέχρι τα States of Elevation (2025) – που έχουν ήδη γράψει ιστορία. Ανακοίνωσε λοιπόν τη συμμετοχή του σε τρεις αγώνες που ανήκουν στην αφρόκρεμα του ορεινού τρεξίματος παγκοσμίως: Western States Endurance Run, Sierre Zinal και … UTMB®. Τους λόγους τους εξήγησε ο ίδιος σε post που έκανε στα social media:

Η Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) ανακοίνωσε σήμερα ότι η Κενυάτισσα Joyline Chepngeno, νικήτρια του φετινού UTMB Mont Blanc OCC, καθώς και του Sierre-Zinal, τιμωρήθηκε με αποκλεισμό δυο ετών λόγω θετικού δείγματος σε triamcinolone acetonide, ένα κορτικοστεροειδές που χρησιμοποιείται για να μειωθούν φλεγμονές στο σώμα.