Kenya’s Joyce Muthoni Njeru will return to France to defend her title at this year’s Valsir Mountain Running World Cup on Saturday, July 20, 2024. The event, which has been held annually since 1986, will feature elite athletes from Kenya, the USA, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.
Njeru has won the race for the past two years and, in 2022, she set a new record by finishing in 2:00:31, nearly six minutes faster than the previous record held by Isabelle Guillot since 2006.
This season, Njeru has secured notable performances, including a fifth-place finish at Grossglockner, another fifth-place at the Montemuro Vertical Run last weekend, and victories in both the short uphill and classic races at the Broken Arrow season opener.
Her fellow competitor, Philaries Jeruto Kisang, has also had a strong start to the season, with a second-place finish at Grossglockner and a third at Montemuro. Scout Adkin began her World Cup campaign with a fourth-place finish at Grossglockner and then defended her title at Montemuro in a commanding performance.
She also earned second place at the recent European Championship uphill race. Gloria Chebet also made an impression with a third-place finish at Grossglockner and a second-place result at Montemuro.
