After 12 kilometres, Angermund and Charvolin couldn’t keep up with the pace anymore and Tranchand and Pattis opened up a gap.

Changing the lead position from time to time, Pattis and Tranchand flew over the hills and down the hills. Starting into the last major climb, Tranchand pushed harder and left the Italian trailing. After the halfway point he had an advantage of 1:12 which he extended to over three minutes at the last intermediate, some nine kilometres before the finish-line.

Still, Tranchand was not entirely confident of his lead despite receiving messages from his coaches on the course that he was way ahead. "I only trust myself though," he said with a big smile. "It was only when I crossed that last bridge in Kamnik that I realised that I was going to win."

On his race strategy, he said: "At the beginning we were a group of four and that was very good. But we knew that at some point we had to be in a line, so it was good I was in the lead. Then I was quite a long time with Daniel Pattis. I felt that he was strong on the flat parts, so I didn’t want to fight with him on the last 15 kilometres so I attacked after a plateau, because I thought I had my chance there.

"The muddy downhill was quite technical with wet stones and roots so I had to take the risk. In the end I was struggling a bit, but I could enjoy the last metres to the finish line."

Pattis, on the other hand, was far from enjoying the second part of the race. "I got problems with my stomach and couldn’t or take gels anymore." he said. "I suffered a lot from that one.” After 28 kilometres it was a lonely race for him. "At some point I heard that the others were five minutes behind me. Still I didn’t think I could bring it home, so I am super happy."

Charvolin managed to bring home the bronze medal ahead of Alain Santamaria from Spain to embellish France’s prospects of the team title. "It was tough, as is every race. In the end I gave that extra push you don’t often give," he said. "Twelve kilometres before the finish-line a French coach told me to push, and go for the podium. Santamaria was with me and I said: Okay let’s try and it went well."

With two medalists, the team competition went to France ahead of Poland with Alain Santamaria gaining some consolation for missing out on an individual medal by leading the Spanish team to team bronze.

Wyder dominates women's trail race from start to finish

While France celebrated individual and team gold in the men's race, Switzerland would enjoy similar success in the women's event thanks to a dominant performance from Judith Wyder.

Switzerland’s Judith Wyder led the 52km trail race from start to finish, winning gold in the women's race at the European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships in Ljubljana-Kamnik on Saturday (6) in 4:36:41.

Wyder won by over three minutes Spain’s Maria La Chica (4:40:24) and Sweden’s Emma Eriksson (4:40:38) and the 37-year-old, who won silver in the up-and-downhill mountain race in Annecy two years ago, also led Switzerland to the team title.

The only time Wyder was not at the top of the race was on the starting grid but after the starting gun was fired, Wyder almost instantly took the lead and dictated proceedings in the 52km trail race.

In the absence of Tove Alexandersson from Sweden who had to pull out from all the races this weekend due to an ankle injury, Wyder delivered a clinical performance from the tarmac of the city roads in Kamnik to the gravel up the first climbs on to the trails in the Slovenian mountains.

The crucial moment came in the downhill from Velika Planina. All alone on the gravel road Wyder wasn’t entirely sure if she was still on the right track. "That was not a good feeling. I had the track on my watch but that didn’t show it and there were no stripes and I was stressed. Luckily I could calm down a bit later on the uphill. A lot of nice guys kept reassuring me then that I was on the right track," she said.

It was not her strategy, though, to be all alone at the top so early in the race. "I was trying to hold myself back and be in the group, but when you are alone you try to focus on yourself

and keep managing your speed. I was quite good at that today," Wyder said with a bright smile.

Behind Wyder, the positions for the silver and bronze medals changed a lot over the course of the race. First, Anna Plattner from Austria and Great Britain’s Scarlet Dale were the first pursuers but in the end, Maria La Chica from Spain and Emma Eriksson from Sweden finished on the podium, both four minutes within the winner.

"I was suffering a lot," admitted La Chica. "In the last kilometres I thought the other girl was going to take me but I was fighting hard because I had my team behind. My parents are here. It was the heart that was taking me, not the legs."

Eriksson was equally happy with her performance. "It was amazing and I am really, really satisfied," she said. "In the last 15 kilometres I was really tired. That was the hardest part of the race."

Switzerland not only won individual gold with Wyder but also in the team competition ahead of France and Spain respectively.

Results

Men's Trail Race

1/ Frédéric Tranchand (FRA) – 3:55:14

2/ Daniel Pattis (ITA) – 3:59:54

3/ Antoine Charvolin (FRA) – 4:05:13

Women's Trail Race

1/ Judith Wyder (SUI) – 4:36:41

2/ María La Chica (ESP) – 4:40:24

3/ Emma Eriksson (SWE) – 4:40:38

Team Results

Women's Trail Team Competition

1. Switzerland

2. France

3. Spain

Men's Trail Team Competition

1. France

2. Poland

3. Spain

Full Results

About ITRA

The International Trail Running Association (ITRA) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the development, promotion and ethical governance of trail running worldwide. ITRA supports athletes, races and national associations while helping safeguard the values and spirit of the sport.

About the 2026 European Off-Road Running Championships

The 2026 European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships are taking place in Ljubljana-Kamnik, Slovenia, from 5–7 June 2026. Organised by European Athletics and the local organising committee, the event will feature Europe’s leading mountain and trail runners across uphill, up-and-down and trail running races.

ITRA is sharing this release in support of the official event communication. Event-specific media enquiries should be directed to the local organising committee contact below.

Official Website

https://www.offroadrunning2026.si/