The Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) 2025 season is baaaack, and it kicked off with a bang this past Saturday (19 April) at the legendary GTWS Kobe Trail in Japan. It didn’t disappoint! Imagine the scene: sweltering heat clinging to the air, humidity you could practically swim in (the race started at 1 pm local time), and a gnarly technical course clinging to the slopes of Mount Maya. This wasn’t just a race; it was a survival test. Sara Alonso and Patrick Kipngeno battled their way to victory.
Over 300 runners faced the music – a brutal 21.3 kilometres with a gut-wrenching 2,100 meters of climbing over four loops. Think relentless stairs, slippery stone paths, and descents that would make your quads scream for mercy. The “flower” course layout meant amazing views for spectators, but that initial downhill? That was pure, unadulterated leg-burner, forcing runners to think strategy from the gun.
Sara Alonso’s Strategic Masterclass
The women’s race set the tone for the day: a fight. Joyce Muthoni Njeru, the reigning GTWS queen, bolted out front on the downhill, looking like she was going to run away with it. However, drama struck near the beginning of the third loop when Njeru experienced a devastating mid-race mishap, taking a wrong turn that would ultimately cost her the victory.
Sara Alonso had other plans. By the first aid station, she’d taken command and refused to give it back. As the humidity became almost unbearable, Alonso dropped the hammer on the second and third loops, proving she had something special.
Alonso gutted out the win in 2:53:57, scoring 200 valuable points. “I trained really hard this winter and I believed I could win this one,” she said, radiating joy. “Once I realised I was leading, I just had to stay focused. I’m really, really happy to start the season with a win.” (Bonus: She grabbed 2nd here last year, showing this course plays to her strengths!)
Madalina Florea ran an absolute beast of a race to take second, while Malen Osa rounded out the podium in third. Osa continues her strong trajectory after her amazing 2024 season (third overall in GTWS, fifth here). The crowd went wild as Japan’s own Takako Takamura battled to a well-earned fourth. Last year’s series champion, Njeru, had a rough day, taking a wrong turn and losing serious time. She fought hard to finish sixth.
Top 10 female finishers:
- Sara Alonso (ESP – Asics) – 2:53:57 – 200 points
- Madalina Florea (ROU – Scott) – 2:59:46 – 188
- Malen Osa (ESP – Salomon) – 3:02:10 – 176
- Takako Takamura (JPN) – 3:02:55 – 165
- Sara Willhoit (GBR – Scarpa) – 3:17:15 – 154
- Joyce Muthoni Njeru (KEN – NNormal) – 3:21:19 – 143
- Honoka Akiyama (JPN – Merrell) – 3:21:55 – 132
- Yoshimi Tanaka (JPN) – 3:24:28 – 121
- Betty Bergstrand (SWE – Salomon) – 3:26:19 – 110
- Courtney Coppinger (USA – Brooks) – 3:27:57 – 99
Kipngeno Proves He’s the King of Kobe
The men’s race, starting 20 minutes after the women, was a pressure cooker. A tight lead pack formed quickly, with Joey Hadorn leading the charge. Right behind him was Patrick Kipngeno, who conquered Kobe last year with an amazing time. Could he do it again?
Loop two saw Kipngeno unleash a monster uphill surge, grabbing the lead and daring anyone to challenge him. Hadorn and his teammate, Philemon Kiriago, tried to stay with him, but the heat was relentless, taking its toll. Bogdan Damian surprisingly started picking up steam, while local star Ryunosuke Omi made his own surge.
Ultimately, Patrick Kipngeno refused to be denied, defending his Kobe crown in 2:29:46 (last year’s record was 2:22:17)! The win earned him 200 points, solidifying his intentions to win the series championship. Kipngeno humbly expressed his gratitude: “First of all, I thank God for allowing me to win this race again. I want to congratulate my fellow competitors and friends — they pushed me all the way to the end. I’m proud of my performance out there.”
Philemon Kiriago kept it a teammate 1-2 in 2:31:53. In a thrilling finish, Bogdan Damian landed the last spot on the podium, finishing just 3 seconds later. It’s a big moment as this secures his first GTWS Podium. Joey Hadorn finished a strong fourth (2:33:45) – he was second last year, and Ryunosuke Omi wowed his hometown crowd with a hard-fought fifth (2:35:49).
Top 10 male finishers:
- Patrick Kipngeno (KEN – Run2Gether On) – 2:29:46 – 200 points
- Philemon Kiriago (KEN – Run2Gether On) – 2:31:53 – 188
- Bogdan Damian (ROU – Datacor) – 2:31:56 – 176
- Joey Hadorn (CHE – Salomon) – 2:33:45 – 165
- Ryunosuke Omi (JPN – Salomon) – 2:35:49 – 154
- Daniel Pattis (ITA – Brooks) – 2:37:21 – 143
- Theo Bourgeois (FRA – Brooks) – 2:39:38 – 132
- Koken Ogasawara (JPN – Team Ruy) – 2:39:48 – 121
- Ruy Ueda (JPN – Red Bull) – 2:46:45 – 110
- Juho Ylinen (FIN – Hoka) – 2:49:11 – 99
Closing thoughts
Overall, The Kobe Trail delivered on its promise, giving us a thrilling preview of what’s to come in the 2025 Golden Trail World Series. Nevertheless, notable absentees from the race included Elhousine Elazzaoui1 (GTWS defending champion, third here last year), Rémi Bonnet, Bart Przedwojewski, Theres Leboeuf, Joyline Chepngeno, and Maude Mathys (GTWS 2024 Kobe Trail champion). The race was not as “stacked” as I hoped.
This year’s race, like last year, was not livestreamed. As a fan, I was more disappointed at the lack of communication. Check the GTWS Instagram account, and you’ll see fans asking about where to watch to no avail.
In the comments section of this short race recap, the GTWS team responded that the second race, Jinshanling Great Wall Trail Race on 26 April, will be livestreamed on YouTube. You don’t want to miss it!
New to the Golden Trail World Series? Read this primer. Keen for a quick overview of the 2024 season, including major athlete storylines? Read this.
- Elazzauoi raced and won the Gran Prix Mediablenio in Dongio, Switzerland ↩︎
