Inside the World Championships: Real Stories from TrailSkin x Elite Trail Team Athletes

The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships only take place once every two years, bringing together quite a separate group of runners: those specialising in short, sharp, uphill-only running or fast “classic mountain races,” and those focused on endurance, with the trail running category (45km and 82km). This year’s event, held in the Northern Pyrenees in Spain, was all that trail running fans had been hoping for - most global elites coming together to battle it out over rugged, tough terrain, with lots of elevation, switchbacks, and some unexpected challenges.

TrailSkin is a partner of the Elite Trail Team, a group of 14 high-performing trail and ultra runners from across Europe who benefit from a unique multidisciplinary support network to improve their performance and wellbeing. We were proud to support five of the runners who were representing their countries on this occasion. Here’s a look back at how they fared and how TrailSkin contributes to their success.

World Championship Highlights: Breakthrough Performances from ETT Athletes

Starting for Croatia in the 45km “short trail” event, Josip Mestric had a fantastic evolution in this year’s race, efficiently moving up through the field all the way to the final descent to Canfranc-Estacion, the host town of the championship. The route involved a unique set of challenges: a very long ascent to iconic peak La Moleta from the valley to start, a second big climb that was also used by the uphill-only race, and a savage descent including 122 switchbacks at the end. It was during this final section, as well as the previous downhills, that Josip’s strengths as a descender really shone through. He crossed the finish line in 5 hours 24 minutes 29 seconds, but the most remarkable data point is that he was 29th, whereas in the 2023 short trail race, he finished 101st!

In the long trail race, the team had Hugh Chatfield running for Great Britain & Northern Ireland in an impressively competitive men’s championship. The route was extremely technical in parts, with quite off-path sections, steep climbs, and breathtaking ridgelines. Over 82km with just over 5400 m of ascent, he found himself rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s best, including previous UTMB podium finishers and winners. Reflecting on the race, Hugh shared how he had actually prepared for the psychological challenge this would pose. Speaking to ETT Coach Doug, they had agreed that his key mantra should be “have faith in your training and your recces,” but also, importantly, “if you find yourself running with these guys, remember that it’s okay to be there.” 

This ended up guiding him well, as he kept himself at the sharp end of the field all day and ultimately arrived at the finish line in a brilliant 12th position, after running for 9 hours 30 minutes 17 seconds. Ahead of him, legends of the sport like Jim Walmsley, Adam Peterman, or Francesco Puppi. He ran and finished in a “UTMB sandwich” - with 2024’s second placed Baptiste Chassagne just in front, and Joaquin Lopez behind him (who had been third in 2024). Chapeau, Hugh!

Altitude, Adversity, and Wasps: The Realities of Racing 

Often, race reports and reflections highlight the success stories, but with a huge challenge like racing the best runners in the world, there are often risks taken, problems encountered, and things that simply don’t go to plan. Training well and being prepared with “What-if” scenarios can only get you so far, especially when your “What-if” didn’t include a wasp attack.

During the 45km, Josip and Kris, along with most of the runners, were attacked by a disgruntled swarm of wasps. It’s possible that one of the first runners accidentally dislodged their nest on the first climb, leaving them to exact revenge on the other competitors. Some were more fortunate than others, with many athletes sharing their stories and multiple sting marks at the finish line later on. Josip had an unbelievable preparation for this, actually: “I had already come across wasps during one of my long runs, so my body sort of knew what to expect… although it did come as a shock to begin with.” 

A lot of runners were unable to continue after suffering from the stings, including Great Britain & ETT athlete Kris Jones, who was running in the World Mountain and Trail Championships for a third time this year after securing a superb 5th place in the OCC, the 50k UTMB World Series Finals a few weeks before. But this wasn’t the only setback.

With significant amounts of time spent at over 2000m of altitude, both trail courses had an impact on runners who hadn’t been able to train in similar environments to start. Hugh spent time at an altitude camp in France, which helped him adapt psychologically and physiologically, making it easier to accept the additional effort and to breathe on the high points. For other ETT athletes like Keith Wigley (running for Team GB&NI) and Catalin Sorecau (running for Team Romania), altitude and a combination of other factors led to the race not unfolding as they had hoped. 

However, simply being part of their national squad is a fantastic honour and experience for each of these runners. This was a first national call-out for Keith and Hugh, with lots of exciting performances ahead for them both. Catalin returned to represent Romania after a brilliant 21st place in the 2023 World Championships in Austria. 

How TrailSkin Helps Elite Runners Push Their Limits 

So, what do all these runners have in common when competing alongside the best in the world? Using TrailSkin to improve their comfort and consequently boost performance!

Kris has been running at elite level for over ten years, competing in orienteering, track, and road before switching to the trails. With all this experience, he has come to consider TrailSkin the best anti-chafe product: “Apply once and you are good for the whole day.” Even when it’s raining on and off through a 50k like this year’s OCC.

These runners all use TrailSkin regularly in training - in fact, Hugh has the Anti-Chafe Salve on rotation for all his long runs and for cross-training with long bike rides: “Essential and easy to apply… simple, but true!”

We also caught up with Josip, who says: “I tested TrailSkin in many conditions, from very hot and dry to extremely wet, and the product never disappointed. It stays comfortable on the skin without feeling greasy or heavy. Other creams would dry out after an hour of running and I would end up with blisters anyway. With TrailSkin Anti-Chafe, I never had that problem. I also love using the Revival Foot Balm after my training sessions. It really helped my feet recover after longer runs.”

We’ve mentioned before how Holly Wootten found the Race Tin to be extremely helpful for taking with her while racing and reducing the size and weight of her pack. Keith says the same: “In those handful of situations where a hot spot does appear, the handy little Race Tin is brilliant, I always carry it in my pack for a quick reapplication.” 

As for Catalin, he swears by the Race Tube: “It’s at the top of my list, very practical and quick to use. You save time because you can apply it directly to your skin without getting your hands dirty.”

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Whether it’s 10 hours in the Pyrenees, 100 km in the rain, or back-to-back days of training, TrailSkin helps runners go the distance.

Because when you’re out there chasing finish lines, comfort shouldn’t be the limiting factor.

SHOP TrailSkin BUNDLES  

Jon the Elite Trail Team (ETT) Run club.