Joyce Njeru is looking to consolidate her position as overall leader in the Golden Trail World Series with another big performance at the Mammoth 26K this weekend.
The Kenyan star has made a massive impact in her first full year on the GTWS and notched her second victory of the campaign at the Headlands 27K last week, a result which she says surprised her.
Speaking to the GTWS’ Mickaël Mussard she revealed: “My goal before the race was to finish top three. I noticed that several top-ranked girls weren’t coming to the US, so I thought I needed a strong result to move up in the standings.
“But I didn’t really expect to win the race. There were some very strong girls, capable of going really fast on that kind of course, like Madalina [Florea, who she beat by just under a minute] for example. I’m super happy with how the race went because we ran together, and it was really good for me that we could compete until the very end.”
Altitude test
The victory vaulted her to the top of the standings and asked if she expected to be in that position, she said: “No! For me, the goal was to come to this Series because it’s highly competitive and see what I was capable of.
“I wanted to become a better version of myself by racing against all these athletes. These two wins have now given me good vibes and extra motivation to keep going all the way.”
The racing continues in California this weekend but Njeru is predicting a very different test at Mammoth Lakes, explaining: “First, the altitude changes everything. It definitely plays an important role, for sure. But I’m used to it since I train at these altitudes at home, so it won’t be too much of a problem for me.
Double delight?
“The course itself is also different, with steeper and longer climbs and a steeper and longer descent. So I think it will be much slower than last week. I’m not sure if it’s a race I can win, because I think more well-rounded runners like Miao [Yao], Judith [Wyder], or Madalina all have good chances here. Of course, I’ll give my best, I’ll run fast, and try to have a good strategy.”
And asked what she means by a good strategy, she added: “I think you can’t lose too much time on the uphill, but at the same time, if you push too hard on the uphill, you won’t have enough energy for the downhill. So I’ll try to find the right pace that allows me to maintain a good enough effort level to stay competitive for the win.”
In terms of who she sees as her main rival, the answer will come as no surprise given what happened last week: “Madalina, without a doubt. She’s shown that she’s very strong, and I really hope we don’t end up in a sprint finish in this race!”
Sunday is the last race before the final in Switzerland, where Joyce will be aiming for a memorable double, saying: “Everything has changed for me, both physically and mentally. I know I’ve done all this to improve and develop myself, but now that I’m getting good results and I know I can win – of course, I want to win the final and the Golden Trail Series.”
