The 2026 WMRA Mountain Running World Cup produced another memorable day of racing in Beijing Changping, where the season’s third event took athletes to the historic Silver Pagoda Forest for the Classic Up & Down, World Cup category powered by Turismo Centro de Portugal

Surrounded by ancient Buddhist pagodas, forest trails and steep mountain slopes, the venue offered a completely different challenge from the previous day’s race on the Great Wall. The Silver Pagoda Forest, also known as Yinshan Pagoda Forest, is one of northern China’s most important Buddhist heritage sites. Its pagodas were built across several dynasties, with many dating from the Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) and later additions from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, making parts of the site more than 800 years old.

Supported by the Beijing Changping District Government, the event once again welcomed runners from across the world to compete in a place where sport, history and nature met in rare fashion.

Castro Daire, Central Portugal — 19 April 2026

The 2026 Mountain Running World Cup season got underway in spectacular fashion, with São Brás Cross in Central Portugal providing a worthy and atmospheric curtain-raiser. This year's World Cup competition is the most ambitious yet, spanning four continents and ten countries across 16 races - a global showcase that balances beloved calendar staples such as Sierre-Zinal and the Grossglockner Mountain Run with fresh venues designed to showcase exciting new venues and landscapes.

The wait is over. The 2026 WMRA Mountain Running World Cup gets underway this weekend, launching what promises to be the most spectacular season in the competition's 27-year history. 16 races, 10 countries, four continents, and months of breathtaking racing ahead.

From the mountains of Central Portugal to the peaks of Austria, Switzerland and beyond, the world's finest mountain runners will battle it out across some of the most dramatic landscapes on the planet. China, Spain, North America, Italy, Poland and Canada all feature on a calendar that spans the globe and showcases the full, thrilling range of the sport.

But before all of that, Portugal. This Sunday, the curtain goes up with São Brás Cross in the Castro Daire region, and the 2026 season will begin in style, fittingly supported by Turismo Centro de Portugal – “MOVE CENTRO DE PORTUGAL – THE SPORTS REGION,” official sponsor of the Classic Up & Down category of the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup 2026.

The World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) has officially approved its 2026–2030 Strategy, setting a clear direction to further develop the sport and expand its global reach in the coming years.

The new strategy is a result of extensive discussion within the Council as well as consultation with key industry stakeholders and was formally approved at the most recent WMRA Council meeting on 1^st April 2026.

Here you can access the official WMRA Strategy 2026–2030 document.

The next generation of mountain running talent will gather in southern Italy on 21 June 2026, when Gagliano del Capo (Lecce) hosts the 19th International U18 Mountain Running Cup, one of the most important international competitions dedicated to youth mountain running.

Organised under the auspices of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) in collaboration with Italian Athletics (FIDAL) and the local organising committee Atletica Capo di Leuca, the event continues a long-standing tradition of providing young athletes with their first opportunity to compete internationally against peers from across the globe.