When it comes to trail running, the glamour isn’t in the discipline, it’s in the scenery. And the third edition of the European Athletics Off Road Running Championships in Kamnik, Slovenia, definitely delivered on that front. It also delivered on another front too. Trail running is often a tale of extremes. Uphill, downhill, rain, sun. Across 3 days, we got them all. That and the usual run of historic performances.
Senior 9km Uphill Race
The shortest, but by no means the easiest, race on the programme, the 9km race took the athletes up a total of 1275m from the centre of Kamnik. It was only uphill from there. And I’m not just talking about the race, but the overall Championship trajectory of many athletes too. Across the 2026 European Athletics Off Road Running Championships, only 2 athletes medalled twice. Nélie Clément of France and Petter Engdahl of Sweden. Both of whom earned their first medal on Day 1 in the 9km uphill race.
Men’s Race
- Jacob ADKIN- GBR
- Petter ENGDAHL- SWE
- Andrea ELIA- ITA
Team Title Winner– Switzerland
Very few medallists from the 2024 edition of the European Off Road Running Championships returned in 2026, and even fewer managed to medal again, let alone upgrade. Only one did in fact. Jacob Adkin of Great Britain won silver in the men’s uphill race in 2024, and in 2026, stepped up to gold.
Women’s Race
- Morven GOODRUM- GBR
- Laura HOTTENROTT- GER
- Nélie CLÉMENT- FRA
Team Title Winner– Great Britain
Morven Goodrum brought home the double for Great Britain, the only country to win both the male and female title in any of the European Off Road Running Championship races. Finishing in 58 minutes exactly, she was the only woman to complete the 9km race in under an hour.
Senior 52km Trail Race
Men’s Race
- Frédéric TRANCHAND- FRA
- Daniel PATTIS- ITA
- Antoine CHARVOLIN- FRA
Team Title Winner– France
At the 2024 edition of the European Off Road Running Championships, France secured each of the three podium spots. In 2026, none of those medallists returned, and yet France still managed to win both the gold and bronze medal. The 52km trail race champion, Frédéric Tranchand, was the oldest elite medallist of the entire Championship at 38, and alongside his compatriot Antoine Charvolin, helped France once again secure the trail team title.
Women’s Race
- Judith WYDER- SUI
- María LA CHICA- ESP
- Emma ERIKSSON- SWE
Team Title Winner– Switzerland
The women’s 52km trail race was never a question of who would win the gold. It was always going to end up in Judith Wyder’s hands the way she dominated the race from start to finish. This race marked her first win since March 2025 and her first win at the European Off Road Running Championships, after a silver medal at the 2024 edition in the uphill downhill race. Which not only proves consistent high level performance, but also versatility. A 52km trail race and a 13km up and down race are two very different disciplines, and to be able to conquer both is not an easy task. And yet being adaptable to varying terrain, conditions and distances are all part of what it takes to be an elite trail runner like Judith Wyder herself.
Senior 13km Up and Down Race
The last race of the European Athletics Off Road Running Championships led us not just up and down the Slovenian mountains, but full circle too. Athletes Hanna Gröber and Jan Torrella each began their campaigns with a 7th place finish on Day 1 in the uphill race, and ended with a win on Day 3. The uphill downhill race was also the one in which Nélie Clément and Petter Engdahl earned their second podium finish of the Championship.
Men’s Race
- Jan Torrella- ESP
- Dominik Rolli- SUI
- Petter ENGDAHL- SWE
Team Title Winner– Italy
Not many people had their eye on Jan Torrella before the final race of the European Off Road Running Championships. His teammates knew, even he knew, telling me afterwards he had a very good feeling going into the race, and yet the focus was not on him. Not in that moment at least. But as soon as the race started, all eyes were on him. Because the 22 year old Spanish athlete was right up there with some of the most established European trail runners, and he wasn’t letting go. Instead, he broke away from the pack in the end stages and ran straight into the history books.
Before the 2026 edition, Spain had never won an individual gold at the European Off Road Running Championships. Jan Torrella’s medal wasn’t just their first gold of this Championship, it was their first gold in the whole history of the Championship. Born in 2004, Jan Torrella was the youngest athlete to medal at the 2026 European Off Road Running Championships.
It was also a successful race for Petter Engdahl of Sweden, who earned his second medal of the Championship, a bronze to match his silver medal in the 9km uphill race.
Women’s Race
- Hanna GRÖBER- GER
- Nancy SCOTT- GBR
- Nélie CLÉMENT- FRA
Team Title Winner– Switzerland
Just like Jan Torrella, after a 7th place finish in the 9km uphill race, Hanna Gröber then went on to win gold in the 13km uphill downhill race on the final day of the Championship. And Nélie Clément, just like Petter Engdahl, won her second medal, another bronze, after both secured podium finishes in the 9km uphill race. Running two races two days apart isn’t an easy task, especially when the races we’re talking about involve climbing mountains and not your usual flat 100m. But for Jan Torrella, Hanna Gröber, Nélie Clément and Petter Engdahl, that risk paid off. In a whole lot of medals.
A successful 2026 European Off Road Running Championships
This championship wasn’t just a success for the medallists. Or for the countries competing. Most of all it was a success for the sport of trail running, with Kamnik serving as the perfect background to demonstrate the incredible scenery that makes running uphill, downhill, for over 5 hours in the mud and rain, all worth it. And what makes the European Athletics Off Road Running Championships so special is that you’re not alone in doing it. Just this once, you have a whole team around you.
Written by- Rosana Ercilla
