Philemon Kiriago closed the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup long-distance season with the maximum 150 points, having won all four of his starts. The title was already his before the final race in Poland, a measure of how completely he controlled the campaign.
Four wins, no defeats, a title decided early
Kiriago won the Transvulcania Half Marathon, the Broken Arrow 23K, Sierre-Zinal and Trofeo Nasego. With only the best three results counted, his perfect score could not be matched. The season-closing Rollercoaster 21 in Poland became a formality for the men's crown.
His closest rival, Patrick Kipngeno, finished on 120 points. Michael Saoli took third with 72 points.
Sierre-Zinal: the race that defined the sweep
The clearest picture of Kiriago's dominance came in August at Sierre-Zinal. Over 31 kilometres and 2,200 metres of climbing, he ran 2:26:24 to win the Swiss classic for a third straight year.
Kipngeno finished 32 seconds behind, and Saoli completed an all-Kenyan podium. Kiriago's time sat within a minute of Kilian Jornet's 2024 course record of 2:25:34. Jornet missed the race through injury, removing Kiriago's most decorated rival.
Kiriago had never finished worse than second in three prior starts at Sierre-Zinal. His only defeat there came by a single second to Jornet in 2024. The 2026 result left no doubt about who now owns the race.
A second season of complete control
The perfect tally extended a pattern of season-long authority. A year earlier, Kiriago had already dominated the 2025 World Cup finals. In 2026 he raised the standard again: maximum points, no defeats, and a title secured well before the final start line.
