Flights chaos not enough to stop Lukas Ehrle at the Montemuro Vertical Run

Getting a flight out to Portugal proved a tougher challenge than the race itself for Germany’s Lukas Ehrle at the Montemuro Vertical Run in Castro Daire, the latest stop in the the 2024 Valsir Mountain Running World Cup.

Numerous flight cancellations had delayed the arrival of several participants, with Ehrle impacted more than most.

He didn’t arrive until 3am on the morning of the race but he put the travel chaos behind him in style to take the win in the men’s race, with Britain’s Scout Adkin retaining her title in a thrilling women’s race.

Men’s race – Ehrle overcomes turbulence

Conditions were near perfect for the fourth edition of the race, with temperatures just above 16°C at the starting line in Parada do Ester, no wind, and a sky blanketed with thin clouds.

The 10.3 km course featured nearly 1,100 metres of elevation gain, with an almost constant climb from the Paiva river to the summit of the Serra do Montemuro at Fragas do Inferno.

And unlike his fraught journey, everything went smoothly in the race for Ehrle.

He made his intentions clear from the start, leading the race from the first kilometre and was never really threatened.

He crossed the finish line in 52:31, nearly a full minute ahead of Philemon Kiriago who just pipped Andrea Elia for second.

Women’s race – Adkin wins a thriller

It was also a wire-to-wire success for Adkin in the women’s race – though that was a much closer affair.

The defending champion put down a marker from the start.

Closely trailed by Joyce Njeru and Susanna Saapunki in the opening kilometres, Scout saw off those two rivals – only to face a fresh challenge.

By the final kilometre, Gloria Chebet and Philiares Kisang had emerged as her main rivals, but she held them off as she bettered last year’s time by crossing the line in 1:03:20 as the top three women finished within 20 seconds of each other.