The 2016 Trail World Championships IAU, which took place on 29th October in Portugal’s picturesque Peneda-Gerês National Park, saw HOKA ONE ONE athletes place highly.
In what was the key fight of world trail leaders, second only to the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc, more than 40 nations and 300 athletes tackled 85km over a profile of 4500m in this challenging race. Of the 12 members of the French team, four wore HOKA and achieved commendable results. These were HOKA ONE ONE contracted athletes Caroline Chaverot and Ludovic Pommeret, as well as Aurelien Collet and Nicolas Martin.
Arriving in Geres as a favourite, Caroline Chaverot won the female race to become the new world champion with a time of 09:39:40. This came just months after her incredible fight to win the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc for the first time, hailing her by many as the best female trail runner of 2016.
“Winning both UTMB and World Champs is like a dream,” said Caroline. “The HOKA Speed Instinct was the perfect choice for the race: they’re comfortable, light and smooth”.
Concluding the 2016 season perfectly, Caroline won the women’s Ultra-Trail World Tour 2016, an international ranking based on points from the main ultra-trail races in the world. Nicolas Martin, who ran for Team Sigvaris, achieved 2nd place in the male race with a time of 08:30:06.
“What a wonderful day! It was almost perfect. I attacked from the beginning of the race in order to have no regrets, but Luis Alberto was the strongest this weekend,” shared Nicolas.
“Vice World Champion is amazing. It is a great end for my 2016 season which started in March on Mont Ventoux. What a great evolution since 2010.”
HOKA is excited for Nicolas to be integrated into the official HOKA team in 2017.
Following a win at the 2016 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, Ludovic Pommeret finished 5th with a time of 08:44:15. Ludovic became HOKA’s very first athlete alongside its launch in 2009, his level of prestige in the field providing the brand with valuable exposure on international
platforms.
With France securing the top spot in team ranking for both men and women, Ludovic was delighted with the team effort and spirit, commenting that “from the beginning, it was always French at the front of the course”.
Of the first four placing French men, three were wearing HOKA shoes. A commendable result considering recent injuries, Aurelien Collet finished in 7th place with a time of 08:55:57.
Finishing 3rd in the Grand Raid de la Reunion 2014, Aurelien came to the 2016 Trail World Championships IAU as a serious outsider and responded well to the demands of the race.
HOKA is delighted with the success of its athletes at the UTMB and Trail World Championships and looks forward to this momentum continuing throughout the 2017 season.
INFO: HOKA ONE ONE
