The 32.

"The International Smarna Gora Mountain Running Race remains one of the highlights of the mountain running season.
In the autumn and fall season of 1979 running enthusiasts from Ljubljana decided to organize a race to the one of the most popular mountains in Slovenia at Smarna Gora.
Nobody envisaged that it would become such a massive event with worldwide popularity that is again the final leg of the WMRA Grand Prix for 2011.
The WMRA Grand Prix Champions of the world will again be crowned on Saturday 1. October at this magnificent mountain peak." "

In the early 90' the event was the first national championships in the new nation of Slovenia and later that decade, World champion Lucio Fregona (ITA) made the Smarna Gora an internationally recognized event.
After the millennium, the Smarna Gora race became one of the founding members of the WMRA Grand Prix and since than it has been the final GP event on nine occasions.
In the last 32 years many World medallists have tested the demanding course, that takes the runners 360m uphill to the first summit followed by 300m of technical descent before a 300m uphill haul to the finish. The best men need no more than 40 minutes for 10 km long course.
This Saturday the best mountain runners will again meet to test their strength, speed and skills. This will be the first meeting after the World Championships and many will strive to climb the famous podium at Smarna Gora.
Lucija Krkoc (SLO) leads the WMRA Grand prix at present and will look for her third victory this year in the Grand Prix.
This will be a tall order, as the top female runners will include World Championship fourth finisher Pavla Schorna (CZE) and Mateja Kosovelj (SLO) who took sixth place.
The 8., 9. and 10. finishers from the World Championships in the form of Antonela Confortola-Wyatt (ITA), Alice Gaggi (ITA) and Emma Clayton (GBR) will pose a threat.
Junior World Champion, Lea Eifalt (SLO) is expected to feature at some stage of this wonderful festival of mountain running in Slovenia.
In the Men's event, European Champion, Ahmet Arslan (TUR), the silver medallist at the World Championships in Albania returns to defend his Smarna Gora title from 2010 and again looks to repeat his overall WMRA Grand Prix win. Mitja Kosovelj (SLO) will be well placed to offer a strong challenge having won the 2011 World Long distance MR Challenge this summer.
Other world class male Mountain runners on show include 2011 European silver medallist Gabriel Abate (ITA), 2005 race winner Robert Krupicka (CZE) and Adam Kovacs (HUN) who was ninth in the Albanian World Championships race along with Antonio Toninelli (ITA) the race winner in 2009.
David Schneider (SUI), Orlando Edwards (GBR) and Alex Baldaccini (ITA) should also be in the mix.

Tomo &Scaron,arf for WMRA

Photos by LOC:
- in front page Arslan winner last year,
- in second page Mateja Kosovelj

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