Kiprotich and Florea Conquer Québec Mega Trail in Thrilling GTWS Showdown

Samwel Kiprotich (Salomon) and Madalina Florea (Scott) soared to victory as the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) made its debut in Canada at the Québec Mega Trail. The pair delivered standout performances of speed and endurance to claim victory in the third round of the season, held over a demanding 28.7-kilometre course featuring 1,397 metres of elevation gain. The route combined two technical climbs up Mont-Sainte-Anne, steep descents through its ski resort and fast, root-strewn singletrack trails. The result was one of the most thrilling and closely contested races in recent years, particularly in the men’s race, where the top six finishers crossed the line separated by just 48 seconds.

KIPROTICH PREVAILS IN A THRILLING BATTLE FOR VICTORY

The race got off to a blistering start. The opening third of the course packed in almost all of the elevation gain, featuring a double climb and descent on the slopes of Mont-Sainte-Anne. The first ascent, a brutal 2.4-kilometre climb averaging 21%, quickly whittled the field down to a lead group of Adam Sjolund (Ponderosa Pilates), Elhousine Elazzaoui (Nnormal), Philemon Kiriago (Run2gether on Trail) and Timothy Kibett (Salomon). Close behind were Samwel Kiprotich, just 12 seconds adrift, and Taylor Stack (Brooks), 25 seconds back.

Kiriago emerged as the standout performer in the bonus segments. The Kenyan clocked the fastest time on the climb segment (20:11), earning 10 valuable bonus points in the overall standings. He was also the quickest among the front-runners on the descent segment, a 1.9-kilometre section averaging -15.8%. However, the fastest time overall once again belonged to Bogdan Damian (Kailas Fuga), who stopped the clock at 4:58 to finish 2.8 seconds ahead of Anders Kjaerevik (VJ Shoes/Saysky). The Romanian continued his dominance in this discipline, having won all three descent segments contested so far this season: Zegama-Aizkorri, Ledro Sky Trentino and Québec Mega Trail.

With the two major climbs behind them, the race shifted into a higher gear on the northern slopes of Mont-Sainte-Anne, winding through fast and technical forest trails. As the kilometres ticked by, the lead group remained tightly packed until reaching the l’Auberge du Fondeur aid station, around eight kilometres from the finish, before taking on the sprint segment, a 2.3-kilometre stretch with an average gradient of -3.8%.

Once again, Kiriago was the fastest, posting a time of 6:29 to collect another 10 bonus points. The fight for victory was therefore left completely open heading into the decisive final section, with several athletes still firmly in contention.

In the end, it was Samwel Kiprotich who claimed victory, crossing the line in 2:08:19 after a performance built on consistency and tactical patience. The Salomon athlete launched his decisive move in the demanding technical finale alongside the Sainte-Anne-du-Nord and Jean-Larose rivers, a section featuring two river crossings that ultimately proved decisive.

Philemon Kiriago finished second, just five seconds behind, while Nashon Kiplimo completed the podium a further 13 seconds back after an intensely contested second half of the race.

“I’m happy. Of course, it wasn’t easy. I didn’t want to spend too much energy following the leaders because I knew I needed to be strong at the end. In the last ten minutes I pushed at full speed and got the win,” said Kiprotich after his victory.

Behind them, Elhousine Elazzaoui finished fourth, 31 seconds off the pace, but retained the overall series lead with 600 points thanks to his victories at Zegama-Aizkorri and Ledro Sky Trentino. Kiriago moves up to second in the standings with 424 points, while Damian sits third with 377 points.

FLOREA TAKES CONTROL WITH A COMMANDING VICTORY IN QUEBEC

Caroline Kimutai (Salomon) once again opted for an explosive start, just as she had done en route to victory at Ledro Sky Trentino. The Kenyan posted the fastest time on the climb segment (22:41), but this time she was unable to shake off Madalina Florea (Scott), who remained within striking distance throughout and reached the summit of Mont-Sainte-Anne just 14 seconds behind.

After barely three kilometres of racing, the contest already appeared to have narrowed to a two-woman battle. Behind them, Marie Nivet (Nike ACG) was more than two and a half minutes adrift, while Meggy Bourassa, Barbora Bukovjan (Salomon), Sydney Petersen (Brooks), Sarah Carter (Topo Athletic) and Lyndsay Webster were already over three minutes off the lead.

Florea erased the gap on the descent segment, where she set the fastest time of the day with a 5:35 effort. The two leaders tackled the second climb of Mont-Sainte-Anne side by side, but the Romanian found another gear on the second descent and the fast section that followed towards l’Auberge du Fondeur, opening a gap that would ultimately prove decisive.

The sprint segment also went Florea’s way thanks to a time of 7:06. It was there that she extended her lead to more than two minutes over Kimutai, who began to feel the effects of her early efforts and lost around a minute and a half on that section alone. Meanwhile, French athlete Marie Nivet executed a well-measured race, steadily moving through the field before overtaking Kimutai in the closing kilometres to record the best result of her Golden Trail World Series career since joining the circuit in 2025.

Runner-up at Ledro Sky Trentino, Florea went one better this time, claiming a dominant victory in 2:27:12. The Romanian crossed the finish line more than seven minutes ahead of Nivet, while Kimutai completed the podium a further two minutes behind. Just 90 seconds later came Barbora Bukovjan, who matched her best-ever GTWS result with a strong fourth-place finish. Lyndsay Webster rounded out the top five as the highest-placed Canadian athlete.

“It was a very good day for me. I want to thank the organisers and all the spectators along the course, they gave me wings. Winning the Golden Trail World Series overall title has been a dream of mine for many years; now it’s time to enjoy every race,” said Florea after her victory.

The win moves the Scott athlete into the lead of the overall standings with 442 points, ahead of Kimutai on 408 and Nivet on 344.

In the team standings, Salomon claimed victory thanks to Samwel Kiprotich’s win in the men’s race, Nashon Kiplimo’s third-place finish, Caroline Kimutai’s podium result and Barbora Bukovjan’s fourth-place finish.

NEXT STOP: PITZ ALPINE GLACIER TRAIL

The fourth round of the Golden Trail World Series will take the circuit back to Austria for the Salomon Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail, a race that joined the series in 2025. Its spectacular 23.5-kilometre course featuring 1,700 metres of elevation gain will once again test the versatility of the world’s best trail runners, combining fast alpine trails with demanding high-mountain climbs and highly technical descents.

The route includes a long ascent to the summit of Grubenkopf, climbing above 2,800 metres in altitude, before tackling a challenging descent around Rifflsee, Austria’s highest-altitude mountain lake. The circular course passes through the finish area several times, helping to establish Mandarfen as one of Tyrol’s premier trail running destinations.

Beyond the racing, the event showcases the stunning Pitztal Valley, a leading destination for outdoor sports with more than 380 kilometres of trails and a wide range of activities, from mountain biking routes to via ferratas in the heart of the Austrian Alps.