Spotted: A Course Record at Trofeo Kima, a New Leader at the Vuelta & a Camel

From a course record at the "Everest of skyrunning" and a self-supported FKT in the Swiss Alps to a new leader at the Vuelta a España, there was a lot happening on Strava last week.

Scotsman Finlay Wild (UK) broke Kilian Jornet’s course record last weekend at Trofeo Kima, a biennial race known as the "Everest of skyrunning." Over the 32.3 mile / 52km course, which includes 13,780 feet / 4,200m of elevation gain, racers traverse moraine, snowfields and exposed crests. Wild, who also won the 2022 race, crossed the finish line in 6 hours, 5 minutes and 4 seconds to break Jornet's record. Jack Kuenzle (US) finished second, only three minutes behind Wild, and also broke Jornet's old record. Cristian Minoggio (Italy) was third on the podium with a time of 6:11.

The women’s race was just as close. Hillary Gerardi (US) edged out Elisa Poncet (France) for first place in 7 hours, 32 minutes. This was Gerardi's third consecutive victory. Poncet was less than three minutes behind Gerardi (7:35), and Henriette Albon (Norway) finished third (7:40).

Just across the border from the Trofeo Kima, in Switzerland, Christian Eggerman was embarking on some technical trail running of his own. Billed as "the Alps first Grand Tour specifically for trail runners," the Via Valais winds through the Swiss Alps and covers about 146 miles / 235km of stunning terrain, with 45,335 feet / 13,818m of elevation gain. Eggerman ran the route in just under 4 days, setting a new self-supported FKT. Check out the elevation gain on his third and final day on the route. (And also check out his first and second days.)

Deo Kato is running from Cape Town to London to tell the history of human migration from Africa to the rest of the world. Last week, on day 397 of his epic run, he made it to Alexandria, Egypt, his last stop on the African continent.

Switching gears to cycling, Australian Ben O'Connor earned a dominant stage 6 win that put him over six minutes ahead of some of the race's top contenders. After nine stages, O'Connor still holds the lead, with Slovenian Primož Roglič (+3:53) and Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (+4:32) rounding out the top three.

Finally, a camel appeared in the sand dunes of Brazil. Gustavo Lyra and friends took a hike just north of Natel to create this Strava art 🐫