The greed of the miners who came to the foot of Yosemite National Park in search of a gold loot the size of a mammoth gave its name to the town where they settled in the 19th century and renamed the mountain that guarded it. It is somewhat amusing that a mountain racing circuit with the golden surname — Golden Trail Series — ran the 26 kilometers of the last race on its regular calendar last Sunday between Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain (California, USA), one of the great American ski paradises, inaugurated by those miners who competed against each other with handmade wooden boards that today decorate any bar. Along with the bears, they were full-fledged neighbors. The mammoth remained in the name, as nature punished their greed. But they gave birth to a mountain paradise that is now also enjoyed on the bare slopes in summer. The snow shares the track with the flying shoes of Elhousine Elazzaoui and Joyce Njeru, the Moroccan and the Kenyan who won two races with a diametrically opposed script.
Mammoth Trail Fest was created to encourage summer tourism in a town of about 7,000 inhabitants that receives more than 20,000 visitors in winter because its location — at about 2,500 meters above sea level in a system that rises to nearly 4,000 — makes its station one of the ones that accumulates the most snow in the world. The members of the International Olympic Committee did not believe it when California presented itself for the 1932 Winter Games, replying that there were only beaches and tropical fruits there. “It is very important to bring visitors all year round so that our neighbors have work and can make a living here,” summarizes the director of the event, Tim Tollefson. Lakes for fishing and forests with friendly century-old trees, not only for running, but for cycling. Its streets, full of buildings under construction, validate the bet.
That’s why the weather is alpine and changes dramatically: a sunny day can turn into a snow storm, flakes covering the road through Yosemite, a unique scene due to its mix of bare granite and pine trees. Four seasons in 24 hours. Most American races are not held in such mountainous environments, but Mammoth maintains the same custom. “There is no mandatory equipment here, we are cowboys“We pay attention to the weather, but we trust people to make wise decisions. We have a very detailed emergency plan (volunteers doing the course first thing in the morning and contacting hospitals), but we shouldn’t dictate what to do.” The consensus of the elite is the same: they’re only going to spend a short time at the summit, and the others are adults enough to know what to bring.
The profile – just 1,200 metres of positive gradient compared to European races that double that figure – puts beauty and community spirit above difficulty. “These are the trails we train on for UTMB or Sierre Zinal and we want to share them with the world. I like to create the routes based on the aesthetics of a map, it has to make sense. I’m not going to force it to have more kilometres or more gradient,” emphasises Tollefson, who adds altitude to the equation, as the summit is close to 3,400 metres. An unexpected point of animation – after a 4.7-kilometre climb at 16% and a final stretch without vegetation, with a tricky wind that cools as well as slows down – because it is reached by cable car and the volunteers at the refreshment station have company: the school’s musical band.
The result is a flying circuit, with a 14-kilometre descent: an initial steeper section through the fine stone of the station – a slide that the first ones cover at the border of three minutes per kilometre – and another smoother one among pine trees, a bed of branches that cushions and maintains a cruising speed that is only reduced by some sometimes unnatural swerves that cannot be cut by order of the environmental authorities. “In Europe you can put a race almost anywhere, but not here. We have to protect the area for future generations.”
It was the terrain on which Elazzaoui and Kenyan Patrick Kipngeno fought a fast-paced duel in search of a third victory and a maximum points lead to next month’s final in Locarno, Switzerland. After constantly overtaking each other, they arrived together in the village, which is entered via a wooden bridge. The Moroccan descended the steps in first place, but his rival had an extra gear, enough for an overtake that he unnecessarily sought on the inside. Elazzaoui closed in, even more obviously than Sifan Hassan in the Paris Olympic marathon. And Kipngeno, who almost fell, had no strength to restart and crossed the line, waving his index finger at his rival, who was lying on the ground after stopping the clock at 1h49m35s.
She repeated her victory at Headlands a week ago, the reward for her fight for a visa, which was denied last year. The same double as Njeru, who went off the rails and easily beat Madalina Florea: her fitness, her performance at altitude and a strong mentality for a time of 2h11m56s. She also reaches the final with the maximum points and the throne bears her name. Nearly ten minutes later, Anna Gibson, who made the most of a life at altitude in Wyoming to finish first in the second place, rounded off the podium.
An ‘easy’ course that has brought in many newcomers: more than 2,000 entrants divided into various distances; 750 did so with the elite of world trail running. “We want Judith (Wyder) and Rémi (Bonnet) to share the start with a newcomer who will inspire their children.” And a pioneering inclusion in terms of gender, since 42% are women, the envy of many races, something that Tollefson explains by his overall welcome message. He, with his exotic socks that do not match, does not let go of the microphone at the finish line and gives a pat on the back to the most exhausted runners: “Welcome to California!” (“Welcome to California!”).
