Mountain running is a
sports discipline
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, t ...
which takes place mainly
off-road
Off-roading is the activity of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain. Types of off-roading range in intensity, from leisure drives with unmodified vehicl ...
in mountainous terrain, but if there is significant elevation gain on the route, surfaced roads may be used. In this it differs from
fell running
Fell running, also sometimes known as hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off-road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty. The name arises from the origins of the English sport o ...
; also its courses are more clearly marked and avoid dangerous sections. It is a form of
trail running if it is run on unpaved surfaces. Mountain running is a combination of
running
Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...
,
jogging, and walking, depending on how steep the trail is.
It is recognized by
World Athletics
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
and governed by the
World Mountain Running Association
The World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) is the global governing body of mountain running.
For World Athletics purposes, mountain running takes place on terrain that is mainly off-road, but if there is significant elevation gain on the route, ...
that since 1985 organizes
world championships.
International federation
The
World Mountain Running Association
The World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) is the global governing body of mountain running.
For World Athletics purposes, mountain running takes place on terrain that is mainly off-road, but if there is significant elevation gain on the route, ...
(WMRA) is the global governing body of mountain running. For World Athletics purposes, mountain running takes place on terrain that is mainly
off-road
Off-roading is the activity of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain. Types of off-roading range in intensity, from leisure drives with unmodified vehicl ...
, but if there is significant elevation gain on the route, surfaced roads may be used. Courses involve considerable amounts of ascent (for mainly uphill races), or both ascent and descent (for up and down races with the start and finish at similar heights). The average incline is normally between five and twenty per cent. Courses are clearly marked and should avoid dangerous sections.
World championships
The
WMRA organizes two different types of
world championships, for regular distances the
World Mountain Running Championships
The World Mountain Running Championships (''World Mountain Running Trophy'' until 2008), is an international mountain running competition contested by athletes of the members of WMRA, World Mountain Running Association, the sport's global governing ...
(until 2008 called ''World Mountain Running Trophy'') and
long distances the
World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships The World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships (from 2004 up to 2014 the name was World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge), is an annual international mountain running competition organised by the World Mountain Running Association ( ...
(until 2014 called ''World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge'').
Long distance mountain running
Races more than 20 km, but no longer than 45 km, includes an uphill ascent of at least 1.6 km.
See also
*
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...
*
Fastpacking
*
Skyrunning
*
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...
References
External links
World Mountain Running Associationofficial website
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