A record-breaking 593 athletes from 33 countries will compete at the third edition of the European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships in Ljubljana-Kamnik, Slovenia next month (5-7), underlining the spectacular growth of the championships since their launch in 2022.
The final entries confirm the biggest championships yet, with participation increasing by more than 100 athletes compared to the previous edition in Annecy in 2024, which attracted around 480 competitors from 30 countries, and more than double the numbers seen at the inaugural championships in El Paso in 2022, where 283 runners from 24 countries competed.
Spectacular venue
Hosted across the spectacular mountain terrain of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, the championships will feature competition in mountain running and trail running disciplines, with titles awarded in senior men, senior women and U20 categories. The U20 athletes will contest the mountain running events only.
Athletes will compete in the classic uphill and up-and-down mountain running disciplines as well as trail running, with both individual and team medals on offer throughout the three-day programme.
Alexandersson, Adkin, Mathys, Geoffray head stacked women's fields
The entry lists feature many of the biggest names in global mountain and trail running, including world and European champions and medallists.
Among the standout names in the women’s races is Sweden’s Tove Alexandersson, widely regarded as one of the greatest endurance athletes in the sport.
A multiple world champion in both trail running and orienteering, Alexandersson arrives as one of the favourites after winning global medals across mountain and trail disciplines in recent years. She is entered in both the Up & Down mountain race and the Trail race.
Great Britain’s Scout Adkin will also be among the leading contenders. The British star has established herself as one of Europe’s premier mountain runners through a string of European and world championship medals, particularly in uphill racing, and will target the podium again in both mountain disciplines.
Ireland’s Sarah McCormack brings enormous championship experience to the Classic Hill race. A former WMRA World Cup series winner, McCormack has been a fixture at the top level of international mountain running for more than a decade.
Switzerland fields one of the strongest women’s squads in the championships, led by Maude Mathys and Judith Wyder.
Mathys is a multiple European mountain running champion renowned for her climbing ability, while Wyder — originally one of the world’s top orienteers — has become one of the leading names in trail running after winning major international medals in recent years. Both will be serious medal contenders in Slovenia.
France’s Clémentine Geoffray, the reigning world short trail champion, heads a powerful French women’s team alongside experienced international racers such as Adeline Martin and Audrey Tanguy.
Spain’s Sara Alonso also enters with major credentials after emerging as one of Europe’s top technical mountain and trail runners through the Golden Trail and WMTRC circuits.
Maestri, Merillas and Angermund lead men's entries
The men’s races are equally stacked with international talent.
Italy’s Cesare Maestri — a world and European medallist in mountain running — will be among the favourites in the mountain events. Known for his aggressive climbing style, Maestri has long been one of Italy’s leading off-road runners and will spearhead another formidable Italian squad.
Spain’s Manuel Merillas and Andreu Blanes bring exceptional pedigree across mountain, trail and skyrunning competition.
Merillas has produced podium performances at some of the world’s toughest mountain races, while Blanes — originally an elite orienteer — has developed into one of Spain’s most versatile off-road athletes.
Norway’s Stian Angermund is another of the sport’s biggest names in the entries. A former world trail champion and winner of some of the most prestigious mountain races in the world, Angermund adds further depth to an elite men’s trail field.
France’s Frédéric Tranchand, another athlete with a strong orienteering background, arrives as one of the world’s top short-trail specialists after claiming major international victories over recent seasons.
Switzerland also boasts impessive strength in the men’s mountain races through Roberto Delorenzi, Dominik Rolli and Jonas Soldini, all of whom helped Switzerland secure medals at recent world championships and have become consistent performers on the international mountain running circuit.
The championships will also showcase the next generation of mountain running talent through the U20 races, which have grown significantly since the inaugural edition and now feature deep fields from traditional mountain running nations including Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain and Switzerland.
Ehrle returns for title defence
Germany's Julia Ehrle is a prodigious performer on all surfaces, winning 5000m bronze at the Tampere 2025 European Athletics U20 Championships and finishing fourth in the women's U20 race at the Antalya 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
She is also the defending champion in the U20 women's up and down mountain race, a discipline in which she also took world gold last year.
With record participation, world-class fields and championship titles at stake across multiple disciplines, Ljubljana-Kamnik 2026 is set to be the biggest and most competitive European Off-Road Running Championships yet.