The World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), operating under World Athletics, has unveiled the calendar for the 2026 Mountain Running World Cup, a circuit featuring 16 races across 10 events in 10 countries, with venues in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The arrival of four new races and an expanded intercontinental layout strengthen the structural growth the discipline is experiencing, marking a new step in its professionalisation, sustainability framework and global reach.
Founded in the 1980s as an organisation focused on European competitions, the WMRA has undergone significant transformation since its formal integration into World Athletics. What began as a calendar centred on traditional alpine routes has evolved into an international circuit that blends long-standing classics with new destinations across multiple continents. The 2026 edition opens in Portugal, travels to China, continues in Spain’s Transvulcania, crosses to the United States, moves through the Alps in Austria and France, stops in Switzerland and Italy, and closes in Poland and Canada with the final races.
Tradition and new venues: how the competitive map is changing
The 2026 calendar adds debut races such as São Brás Cross in Portugal, Broken Arrow in the United States, Maraton Trzech Jezior in Poland and the season finale at Défi des Couleurs in Canada. These events introduce varied technical profiles—from fast courses to forested trails and volcanic terrain—alongside historic races such as Grossglockner, Sierre-Zinal and Nasego. The combination broadens the competitive spectrum and adapts the circuit to a growing number of specialists in uphill, long-distance and up-and-down formats.
The WMRA aims to balance tradition and innovation, integrating iconic venues with emerging destinations capable of contributing identity, visibility and new audiences. This shift may help raise competitive depth, attract international sponsorship and reinforce the global character of the circuit. Expanding into new markets also increases broadcast presence and improves accessibility for athletes from emerging regions—a key factor for long-term growth.
Sustainability: a central pillar for mountain events
In 2026, the WMRA will introduce discipline-specific prize money (uphill, classic up-and-down and long distance), complementing the overall awards for the top ten men and women. According to the organisation, the circuit will distribute approximately €250,000 across all rounds and classifications. In parallel, it maintains one of the strictest anti-doping frameworks in the outdoor sector: up to 30% of each race’s registration fees are reinvested in testing, ensuring controls are carried out at every event.
The expansion of the calendar has been accompanied by increased emphasis on sustainability criteria—essential for competitions held in environmentally sensitive landscapes. The WMRA prioritises hosts with certified environmental management plans, trail-impact monitoring, waste-reduction strategies and sustainable mobility systems.
Mountain environments require constant adaptation to climatic risks, protection of local ecosystems and cooperation with regional authorities. This framework has become a decisive factor for selecting new venues and aligns with the wider sustainability strategy promoted by World Athletics for responsible event organisation.
WMRA, ITRA and IAU: a shared long-term objective
For years, mountain running (WMRA), trail running (ITRA) and ultrarunning (IAU) functioned as separate ecosystems, each with independent calendars, regulations and rankings. This began to change following formal cooperation agreements and the creation of the World Mountain & Trail Running Championships, a joint world championship overseen by World Athletics, whose first integrated edition took place in 2021.
The collaboration agreement, in place until at least 2029, seeks to harmonise formats, coordinate calendars and strengthen global development across mountain and trail disciplines. Within this context, the WMRA’s 2026 World Cup sits as a central component of an increasingly unified international landscape, designed to provide clearer competitive pathways and a more coherent structure for athletes worldwide.
