Kenyan mountain runners confirmed their growing power on the global trail circuit at the weekend, claiming four of the six overall podium places in the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS), even as the top prizes slipped narrowly out of reach.

The season-ending Muju Trail Grand Finale in South Korea was run over a 28.65km course with 2,313 metres of climbing, rising to about 1,600m at Hyangjeokbong peak on Deogyusan mountain before a steep descent towards Baengnyeonsa Temple, according to the series organisers. Heavy rain left the rocky trails slick and highly technical.

Two points from glory

In Sunday's men's race, Morocco's Elhousine Elazzaoui won in 2:49:14 to claim a record third consecutive overall title with 1,130 points, just two ahead of Kenya's Patrick Kipng'eno on 1,128.

Kipng'eno, racing for Run2Gether on Trail, struggled in the first half and was about two minutes off the lead at around the 21km mark, the organisers reported. He then mounted a fierce late charge, moving into second near the final summit and finishing 43 seconds behind the Moroccan. The fightback lifted him to second overall but left him agonisingly short of the crown.

Philemon Ombogo Kiriago went into the finale leading the standings by 46 points but endured a difficult day, finishing 11th. That dropped him to third overall on 1,075 points.

"It was a tough race. This was one of the toughest mountain running courses in the world," Kiriago told The Star. "It rained heavily, and the course was rocky, especially downhill where I'm best in."

Timothy Kibet completed a strong day for Kenya by taking third in the finale race itself, about a minute and a half behind the winner. Kenyans filled much of the men's overall top ten, with Michael Saoli, Kibet, Nashon Kiplimo and Ezekiel Ruto placed fourth to seventh respectively, The Star reported.

Kimutai and Gitonga on women's podium

In Saturday's women's race, Iceland's Andrea Kolbeinsdóttir took her first GTWS victory in 3:19:56, while Romania's Madalina Florea finished second to retain the overall title for a second straight year with 1,164 points.

Caroline Kimutai of Team Salomon led early on the climb to Seolcheonbong and was about 24 seconds clear of Florea at the high point, but lost ground on the first descent and later fell, organisers said. She finished eighth on the day, with Ruth Gitonga seventh, The Star reported.

Their consistency across the season was nonetheless rewarded: Kimutai finished second overall with 1,016 points and Gitonga third with 982, the only Kenyan women in the overall top ten.

The overall standings combine each athlete's four best regular-season results with their Grand Finale performance.

A rising force

Kenya, long dominant on the road and track, has in recent years become a major presence in mountain and trail running, with athletes from training groups such as Run2Gether on Trail regularly winning races on the circuit. This weekend's results, with Kenyans in second and third places in both overall standings, underline how quickly that shift has happened, even if the season's biggest prizes went elsewhere.

Photos: The Star; Yoo Chung / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)