World Long Distance Mountain Running Championship
32 km, 2400 m elevation gain, 2400 m descent
Premana Italy
Sunday 6 August 2017
Three Australians – Michael Chapman, David Osmond and Etienne Blumstein-Jones – backed up from competing in the World Mountain Running Championships a week earlier to contest the World Long Distance Championship and finished 59th, 75th and 80th respectively in 4.17.00, 4.21.28 and 4.41.09.
They were very lucky with the weather as a heat wave with temperatures up to 40 degrees had hit Italy during the previous 3 days. The WMRA report said: ”
In the few days leading up to the competition, the weather was incredibly hot for Premana, however, the preliminary weather forecast for Sunday indicated a storm was in the offing, thereby forcing organizers to create a plan B with a shortened course on race day if need be. The skies held for the 8:00 a.m. start, but the rains came less than 30 minutes into the race. Fortunately, the distant thunder and lightning never became a threat and the rains were intermittent, though sometimes heavy throughout the race.
The rain did not dampen the athlete’s spirits, or those of the spectators who could be found lining the course, not only at the finish line, but throughout the entire route.”
More information in the WMRA news item at http://wmra.ch/index.php/news/608-italy-nearly-sweeps-gold-at-long-distance-mountain-running-championships.
