Madalina Florea (Romania – Scott Running) and Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco – Nnormal) have strengthened their lead in the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) with two commanding victories in the prologue of the Ledro Sky Trentino Grand Finale, held today over a 6.9-kilometer course with 500 meters of elevation gain. Both athletes now extend their advantage at the top of the standings ahead of the decisive final race on Saturday (women’s category) and Sunday (men’s category).
WOMEN’S PROLOGUE
At 10 a.m., the first women set off, each starting one minute apart. Among them were the top six in the overall ranking, separated by less than 100 points and all with a realistic shot at the title. Lauren Gregory (USA – Nike ACG) set an early benchmark time of 26’19’’ at the highest point of the course, right at the end of the climb and before the descent began — six seconds faster than Sara Alonso (Spain – Asics), 13’’ ahead of Joyce Njeru (Kenya – Nnormal), and more than a minute faster than Malen Osa (Spain – Salomon).
But behind them came a whirlwind named Madalina Florea, determined to crush the field and set herself up for overall victory before Sunday’s final race. At the intermediate split, at the top of the climb, Florea was already a full minute ahead of Gregory — a gap she managed to hold to the finish. Gregory, Njeru, Alonso, and Rosa Lara (Spain – Compressport) completed the top five.

“Today was a short and fast race, which is something I really enjoy. Even though it was technical, I was ready for a day like this. I’m good on the flat, but I wanted to prove that I’m a complete runner capable of performing well on any type of terrain. I’m really happy with what I did today,” said Florea at the finish. A second-place finish tomorrow would be enough for her to secure the overall victory, even if Njeru takes the win.
Women’s Prologue Results
- Madalina Florea (Romania – Scott Running) – 39:55
- Lauren Gregory (USA – Nike ACG) – 40:06
- Joyce Njeru (Kenya – Nnormal) – 41:17
- Sara Alonso (Spain – Asics) – 41:19
- Rosa Lara Feliu (Spain – Compressport) – 42:04
- Malen Osa (Spain – Salomon) – 42:16
- Noemi Lang (United Kingdom – Salomon) – 42:36
- Céline Aebi (Switzerland – LV Langenthal) – 42:56
- Marie Nivet (France – Nike ACG) – 43:09
- Courtney Coppinger (USA – Brooks) – 43:12

Women’s Overall Standings
- Madalina Florea (Romania – Scott) – 676 points
- Sara Alonso (Spain – Asics) – 649 points
- Joyce Njeru (Kenya – Nnormal) – 626 points
- Malen Osa (Spain – Salomon) – 615 points
- Lauren Gregory (USA – Nike ACG) – 578 points
- Rosa Lara Feliu (Spain – Compressport) – 537 points
- Naomi Lang (United Kingdom – Salomon) – 526 points
- Philaries Jeruto Kisang (Kenya – Run2gether On Trail) – 511 points
- Anna Gibson (USA – Brooks) – 510 points
- Marie Nivet (France – Nike ACG) – 506 points
MEN’S PROLOGUE
A similar storyline unfolded in the men’s prologue. Between Elhousine Elazzaoui and the Kenyan duo Patrick Kipngeno and Philemon Kiriago (Run2gether On Trail), only 12 points separated them at the start of the prologue — a gap that widened in favor of the Moroccan by the end of the day.

It was the American Christian Allen (Nike ACG) who first set a solid benchmark time at the intermediate checkpoint, at the summit of the course, clocking 20’56’’. However, everything hinged on Elazzaoui — the “flying Berber” — who smashed Allen’s time at the split by 35 seconds. At that point, Elazzaoui was also 41 seconds faster than Kipngeno and 1’26’’ ahead of Kiriago.
At the finish line, Elazzaoui maintained his lead with a gap of more than two minutes over his rivals. Joey Hadorn (Switzerland – Salomon), Taylor Stack (USA – Brooks), Kipngeno, and Allen completed the top five.
“I’m happy — this is a great moment for me. When I arrived in Ledro, I was really motivated for the prologue. Every time I’ve raced a prologue, I’ve won, so I had the experience for today. My strategy was to control the uphill and go full gas on the downhill, and I’m glad it worked,” said Elazzaoui at the finish. A second-place finish in the final would be enough for him to secure the overall title if Kipngeno takes the win.
Men’s Prologue Results
- Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco – Nnormal) – 32:24
- Joey Hadorn (Switzerland – Salomon) – 34:38
- Taylor Stack (USA – Brooks) – 34:54
- Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya – Run2gether On Trail) – 34:55
- Christian Allen (USA – Nike ACG) – 34:57
- Paul Machoka (Kenya – Atletica Saluzzo) – 35:05
- Theo Burgeois (France – Brooks) – 35:18
- Philemon Kiriago (Kenya – Run2gether On Trail) – 35:24
- Manuel Innerhofer (Austria – Salomon) – 35:33
- Daniel Pattis (Italy – Brooks) – 35:43

Men’s Overall Standings
- Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco – Nnormal) – 700 points
- Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya – Run2gether On Trail) – 671 points
- Philemon Kiriago (Kenya – Run2gether On Trail) – 658 points
- Michael Selelo Saoli (Kenya – Run2gether On Trail) – 560 points
- Taylor Stack (USA – Brooks) – 541 points
- Daniel Pattis (Italy – Brooks) – 537 points
- Cesare Maestri (Italy – Nike ACG) – 499 points
- Dominik Rolli (Switzerland – Salomon) – 496 points
- Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland – Brooks) – 495 points
- Joey Hadorn (Switzerland – Salomon) – 488 points
Action continues on Saturday and Sunday with the women’s and men’s races (both starting at 12:00 p.m.). The two final races, held on a 21-kilometer course with 1,600 meters of elevation gain, will be broadcast live on HBO Max, Eurosport, discovery+, and TNT Sports.