The Canfranc World Trail Running Championship aims to break a record with more than 1,400 athletes

With just six months to go until the opening of the third edition of the Trail Running World Championships in Canfranc-Pirineos (Spain), expectations are high in terms of participation and quality. More than 1,400 athletes from over 70 countries are expected to compete for the eight world titles up for grabs.

The small town of Canfranc, in the Aragon Pyrenees (Spain), is working hard to host the third edition of the Mountain and Trail Running World Championships from September 24th to 28th . This will be the first time that Spain and the Pyrenees will host one of the most important events on the international calendar for this sport.

Canfranc, with just 600 inhabitants, is ready for this great challenge. This is what its mayor, Fernando Sánchez, assures us. Six months before the grand event, he notes that “all the steps we had outlined from the beginning are being met; everything is going according to plan. Financially, the commitments of all the administrations are also being met, and we continue to seek new sponsors and private partners to join this great collective undertaking.”

Just two weeks ago, the Spanish government, through the High Council of Sports, announced a €400,000 grant for the organization of the championship, and other pledged aid is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

This competition is organized under the umbrella of World Athletics and in collaboration with the World Mountain Running Association, the International Trail Running Association, the International Association of Ultrarunners, and the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation.

World Athletics Race Director Alessio Punzi is excited about the new edition. “We’re looking forward to the world’s best mountain and trail runners competing in Canfranc in six months, during the third edition of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships.”

The third edition, scheduled for 2025, will feature more than 1,400 athletes from over 70 countries. A total of five events will be held: Uphill, Classic, and Under-20 in mountain races; and Short Trail and Long Trail in trail running.

Thus, Spain and the Pyrenees, the second largest mountain range in Europe, will host this major sporting event for the first time in their history in the town of Canfranc, known for its iconic International Railway Station, which is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary.