In just over one month’s time, the next generation of international mountain running talent will arrive on the southern edge of Italy, where limestone cliffs plunge towards the Adriatic Sea and narrow technical trails cut through Mediterranean vegetation. The 2026 U18 International Mountain Running Cup returns to the iconic Trofeo Ciolo in Gagliano del Capo, bringing one of the world’s most important international mountain running events for young athletes back to one of the sport’s most distinctive venues.

Nine years after its first appearance in Ciolo in 2017, the event returns to a course and an organisation that have become deeply connected to the international identity of mountain running. That edition remains particularly memorable for another reason: it marked the first major international victory of Nadia Battocletti, who would later become Olympic silver medallist at Paris 2024 and a World Championships medallist on the global stage.

Now, in 2026, another generation arrives in Salento hoping to begin its own international journey.