USA&rsquo;s Camille Herron added eight kilometres to her own world best time to win the women&rsquo;s race at the IAU 24 Hour World Championships in Albi, France, on 26-27 October.
The 2018 IAU International Athlete of the Year covered 270.116km during the race, which was held on a 1.5km loop surrounding the Terrain Honneur Stadium, breaking the world best of 262.193km she had set in December last year. She also led the US to their fifth consecutive victory in the women&rsquo;s team race with a combined distance of 746.132km, winning by 25 kilometres.
Aleksandr Sorokin became Lithuania&rsquo;s first ever medallist at the IAU 24 Hour World Championships, winning the men&rsquo;s title in a national record of 278.972km and adding a kilometre to the championship record.
USA won the men&rsquo;s team title with a combined time of 799.754km, another championship record, in what was the biggest IAU 24 Hour World Championships to date with 45 member federations taking part.
Herron led for the duration of the women&rsquo;s race. She started to break away from the rest of the pack after the first three hours and had covered a marathon distance &ndash; 42.195km &ndash; in about 3:21.
Radka Churanova of the Czech Republic was her closest opponent during the early stages but still trailed Herron by more than four kilometres after four hours of running. Herron maintained a consistent pace, ranging between 4:43 and 4:46 per kilometre, for the next few hours.
Although her pace dropped slightly, Herron was ahead of most of the men&rsquo;s field and found herself gaining on Sorokin, the overall leader, as she approached the half-way point of the competition. After 12 hours of running, Herron had covered 146.221km, putting her 12 kilometres ahead of the second-placed woman, which was now Nele Alder-Baerens of Germany.
Having been passed by Alder-Baerens, Churanova was soon overtaken by Poland&rsquo;s Malgorzata Pazda-Pozorska and Japan&rsquo;s Aiko Kanematsu. Further back, defending champion Patrycja Bereznowska led a small chase pack that included USA&rsquo;s Pam Smith and Denmark&rsquo;s Stine Rex.
While Sorokin &ndash; and the other eventual medallists in the men&rsquo;s contest &ndash; pulled away from Herron in the second half, she continued to extend her advantage in the women&rsquo;s race. After little more than 14 hours of running, she had covered the equivalent of four marathons (168.78km). After 20 hours, Herron had covered 228.226 and had a 10.5-kilometre lead over Alder-Baerens.
Herron added another 12.07km to her total distance in the final hour of the race and finished with a combined distance of 270.116km. Alder-Baerens maintained her position to finish second with 254.288m while Bereznowska broke away from Smith and Rex in the closing stages to take bronze with 247.724km.
It was Herron's third individual IAU world title, following the gold medals she won over 50km and 100km in 2015.
In the men&rsquo;s race, France&rsquo;s Erik Clavery led for the first eight hours, followed by Sorokin and Spain&rsquo;s Ivan Penalva Lopez. Sorokin moved into the lead after nine hours and by the half-way point he had a 1.5km advantage over Clavery.
Clavery managed to hold on to second place for another seven hours, but he and Penalva Lopez were overtaken by Hungary&rsquo;s Tamas Bodis before the 20-hour mark. With little more than an hour left, USA&rsquo;s Olivier Leblond moved into a medal position, bumping Clavery and Penalva Lopez into fourth and fifth respectively.
Sorokin took the title with a distance of 278.972 with Bodis holding on for silver and Leblond taking bronze.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Aleksandr Sorokin (LTU) 278.972km 2 Tamas Bodis (HUN) 276.222km 3 Olivier Leblond (USA) 275.485km
Team 1 USA 799.754km 2 Hungary 782.241km 3 France 779.076km
Women 1 Camille Herron (USA) 270.116km 2 Nele Alder-Baerens (GER) 254.288km 3 Patrycja Bereznowska (POL) 247.723km
Team 1 USA 746.132km 2 Poland 721.124km 3 Germany 696.846km

USA’s Camille Herron added eight kilometres to her own world best time to win the women’s race at the IAU 24 Hour World Championships in Albi, France, on 26-27 October.

Herron sets world best to win IAU 24 Hour World Championships

France&rsquo;s Francois D&rsquo;Haene defied wet and windy conditions at the 15th edition of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc to complete the famous ultramarathon in record time on Saturday (2).
The race, widely known as the &lsquo;UTMB&rsquo;, is held on a 166.9km loop around Mont Blanc, starting in Chamonix and crossing the borders to Italy and Switzerland before returning to Chamonix, having covered 10,253 metres of vertical gain.
The skies above the Mont-Range decided to celebrate 15 years of trail running in their own unique way, by turning on the hose full blast over the hundreds of kilometres of trails travelled by competitors. Mixing rain, wet snow, hurricane-force winds, fog at the higher elevations, and mud, nothing was spared for the several thousand runners, including some who spent two nights out in the mountains to endure the abominable conditions.
This year's race featured an incredibly talented field like never before, including a highly anticipated duel between the world's top two trail runners, D'Haene and Kilian Jornet, with the addition of USA&rsquo;s Jim Walmsley and two-time winner Xavier Th&eacute;venard.
It resulted in the quickest race in UTMB history, completed by D'Haene in just 19:01:32. It was a level of running never before reached in its 15-year history, with a truly unknown outcome until the last few kilometres of the race.
In spite of a final herculean effort by Jornet to chase down D&rsquo;Haene, the Spaniard still came up short. With three victories to his name, D'Haene has now matched Jornet&rsquo;s record tally of UTMB wins.
Catalonia still enjoyed its moment of glory thanks to Nuria Picas, who finally won the UTMB after two second-place finishes and frequent disappointment in a race that had denied the two-time Ultra Trail World Tour champion (2014 and 2015) several times.
The Spaniard climbed to the podium's top step, but it would not have taken much for her dream to evaporate just a few kilometres from the finish line. After an asthma attack during the long ascent to La Fl&eacute;g&egrave;re, Picas saw the comfortable lead she had built over the first 150 kilometres of the race come crumbling down, just 20 minutes before the final descent to Chamonix.
Miraculously, over the last eight kilometres she was able to hold on to her lead by a thread. Picas crossed the finish line in tears, finishing just two-and-a-half minutes ahead of her nearest pursuer.
Switzerland&rsquo;s Andrea Huser was satisfied with another second place, and only expressed slight regret after crossing the finish line. &ldquo;On the last descent, I was in a dreamlike state, a bit detached,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I did not realise that I was so close to Nuria. I think that if I had known that beforehand, I would have given it my all to catch up with her to cross the finish line hand in hand.&rdquo;
The real surprise came from France&rsquo;s Christelle Bard, who finished third after running a superb second half of the race in what was her first 100-mile race.
Organisers for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Francois D&rsquo;Haene (FRA) 19:01:32 2 Kilian Jornet Burgada (ESP) 19:16:38 3 Tim Tollefson (USA) 19:53:00
Women 1 Nuria Picas (ESP) 25:46:43 2 Andrea Huser (SUI) 25:49:18 3 Christelle Bard (FRA) 26:39:03

France’s Francois D’Haene defied wet and windy conditions at the 15th edition of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc to complete the famous ultramarathon in record time on Saturday (2).

D’Haene makes history at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc

Japan&rsquo;s Hideaki Yamauchi and Australia&rsquo;s Kirstin Bull won the 29th IAU 100km World Championships in the Spanish town of Los Alcazares on Sunday (27).
Competing on a 10km loop along the Mediterranean Sea, the men&rsquo;s race started off fast with the five-man South African team running within world record pace. But the tight turns on the course soon put paid to any hopes of breaking Takahiro Sunada&rsquo;s mark of 6:13:33.
South Africa&rsquo;s Ludwick Mamabolo and Rufus Photo &ndash; followed by a three-man chase pack of compatriots David Gatebe Bongmusa Mthembu and Gift Kelehe &ndash; took turns leading the race up until the half-way point.
Meanwhile, Yamauchi and USA&rsquo;s Patrick Reagan opted not to run with the leaders during the early stages but always kept them within sight.
It wasn&rsquo;t until 60km that Yamauchi entered the top five and he continued to slowly make his way through the field. Yamauchi went past Mthembu, his final opponent, on the last lap to take gold in 6:18:22.
Mthembu held on for second place, while Reagan finished strongly to take bronze.
Despite missing out on the individual victory, Mthembu led South Africa to the men&rsquo;s team title with Japan taking the runner-up spot.
By contrast, the top three finishers in the women&rsquo;s race were in the mix from the start.
Kim Mulder of the Netherlands set a fast pace at the start and led the race until the 55km mark when Kirstin Bull passed her. Bull had steady command at the front, while Croatia&rsquo;s Nikolina Sustic and Britain&rsquo;s Joasia Zakrzewski were locked in their own battle for second and third place.
Bull went on to win in 7:34:25. Further down the field, Sustic managed to shake off Zakrzewski at the 80km mark and went on to take the silver medal. Zakrzewski held on for the bronze medal.
Although none of their runners made it on to the individual podium, Japan won the team competition with a combined time of 23:23:14. Croatia took team silver ahead of the USA.
In total, 187 athletes from 37 countries competed in the championships.
Nadeem Khan (IAU) for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Hideaki Yamauchi (JPN) 6:18:22 2 Bongmusa Mthembu (RSA) 6:24:06 3 Patrick Reagan (USA) 6:35:42 4 Tomasz Walerowicz (POL) 6:37:23 5 Geoff Burns (USA) 6:38:34
Team 1 South Africa 19:51:40 2 Japan 19:55:46 3 USA 20:03:04 4 Norway 20:39:06 5 Australia 20:55:44
Women 1 Kirstin Bull (AUS) 7:34:25 2 Nikolina Sustic (CRO) 7:36:10 3 Joasia Zakrzewski (GBR) 7:41:38 4 Karin Freitag (AUT) 7:45:58 5 Mikiko Ota (JPN) 7:47:38
Team 1 Japan 23:23:14 2 Croatia 23:48:19 3 USA 24:05:33 4 Canada 24:39:53 5 France 24:46:58

Japan’s Hideaki Yamauchi and Australia’s Kirsten Bull won the 29th IAU 100km World Championships in the Spanish town of Los Alcazares on Sunday (27).

Yamauchi and Bull win IAU 100km World Championships

Jonas Buud of Sweden and Joasia Zakrzewski of Great Britain will lead the field at the 29th IAU 100km World Championships in Los Alcazares, Spain on Sunday (27).
In the men's race Buud, who clocked 6:22:44 at last year&rsquo;s championship, will start as the defending champion. Among his chief rivals are David Gatebe of South Africa, winner of this year&rsquo;s Comrades Marathon, alongside his teammate Gift Kelehe, the Comrades winner in 2015. The Comrades Marathon, an 89km race&nbsp;between the South African cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg, is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon.
Geoff Burns of the US ran 6:30:37 at the Mad City 100km in Madison, Wisconsin, this year and will be looking at using that speed to make the podium. Meanwhile Asier Cuevas of Spain, the reigning silver medallist, will be running on his home soil and should be in the hunt for another top-three finish. Italy&rsquo;s Giorgio Calcaterra, who has several world titles under his belt, will also be looking at finishing in the top three having won bronze last year in 6:36:49.
In the women's race, 2015 winner Camille Herron of the US will not be returning to defend her title, leaving Zakrzewski as the woman to beat. The Briton has the credentials, having run 7:31:33 at last year's championships where she finished fifth. Chiyuki Mochizuki of Japan will be hoping to run up at the front as well having finished second in 2014 in a time of 7:38:20.
Another athlete to watch is Frida Sodermark, who with a 7:52:05 performance to her credit, will be looking to continue the dominance of the Swedish runners on the international stage. Meghan Arbogast of the US, who clocked 7:52:12 at the 2014 world championships and Laurence Klein of France, who ran 7:56:24 at last year's world championships, will be in the hunt for a podium spot as well.
Los Alcazares is a small coastal town in the province of Murcia in southeastern Spain, renowned for its clean and well-maintained beaches. Several portions of the 10km looped course run along the coast line.
A masters championship organised by the World Masters Athletics (WMA) will be contested concurrently.
Nadeem Khan (organisers) for the IAAF

Jonas Buud of Sweden and Joasia Zakrzewski of Great Britain will lead the field at the 29th IAU 100km World Championships in Los Alcazares, Spain on Sunday (27).

Buud and Zakrzewski the favourites at IAU 100km World Championships

Australians Barry Loveday and Nikki Wynd triumphed at the IAU 24-Hour Asia and Oceania Championships in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei, on Sunday (20).
Loveday tallied 235.868km over the 1.75-kilometre loop course around Kaohsiung&rsquo;s National Stadium, the host venue of the 2009 World Games, to claim the title over pre-race favourite Takayoshi Shigemi of Japan, who talled ran 230.794km. John Pearson, the next Australian, took bronze with 224.000km.
In the women&rsquo;s contest, Wynd led a a podium sweep for Australia with 209.497km, ahead of Nicole Barker who tallied 205.995km. Sharon Scholz was third with 189.000km to easily clinch Australia's team gold over host nation Chinese Taipei.
Australia also won the men's team title, with Chinese Taipei second and Korea third.
In all 101 athletes competed in the event, with teams from Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines and New Zealand taking part.
Organisers for the IAAF

Australians Barry Loveday and Nikki Wynd triumphed at the IAU 24-Hour Asia and Oceania Championships in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei, on Sunday (20).

Loveday and Wynd lead Australian sweep at IAU 24-Hour Asia and Oceania Championships

Japan&rsquo;s Takayoshi Shigemi will take on a trio of top Australian athletes at the inaugural IAU 24-Hour Asia and Oceania Championships in Kaohsiung from Saturday to Sunday (19-20).
Shigemi is the lone Japanese runner in the field but the one who has run the farthest. With a personal best of 269.225km in 2013 and a distance of 252.030km in 2015, Shigemi will be looking to be on the top of the podium on Sunday.
Australia&rsquo;s leading men Barry Loveday (257.593km), Ewan Horsburgh (249.716km) and John Pearson (241.430km) all have run farther than 240km in the past year and will pose a strong threat to Shigemi.
Korea&rsquo;s Kwang Bok Kim has a 233km personal best and might try to squeeze into the top three.
In the women's race, Jodie Oborne leads a strong Australian contingent. With a 230km personal best, she will be looking for high mileage during the 24-hour time period. Teammate Nikki Wynd will also be looking to make it on to the podium, having recently run 221.113km.
The host nation will be led by Yen-Ling Huang with a recent best of 200.792km. Chinese Taipei has Ya-Fen Wang and Mong-Chi Lin running in the competition and will take on Australia in the team contest.
The race route is a 1.75-kilometre loop around Kaohsiung&rsquo;s National Stadium, venue of the 2009 World Games. Seven countries will contest the championship race: Australia, New Zealand, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, Philippines and Chinese Taipei.
Frank Kuo and Nadeem Khan for the IAAF

Japan’s Takayoshi Shigemi will take on a trio of top Australian athletes at the inaugural IAU 24-Hour Asia and Oceania Championships in Kaohsiung from Saturday to Sunday (19-20).

Shigemi to face Australia’s best at IAU 24-Hour Asia and Oceania Championships

Tony Migliozzi of the US and Kenyan Risper Kimaiyo prevailed at the 2nd IAU 50km World Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Friday (11).
Migliozzi and Kimaiyo ran times of 2:55:02 and 3:22:45 respectively over the 2.5km course located on the Aspire Academy grounds near the center of the Qatari capital. Migliozzi&rsquo;s victory guided the US to the men&rsquo;s team title while Great Britain captured the women&rsquo;s.
In the men&rsquo;s race Collen Makaza of Zimbabwe took the early lead, with teammate Zivanai Portpher Dombojena and Sharabutu Philips of Nigeria choosing to follow. Warm conditions early on slowed many of the runners, while some chose to follow a more cautious pace. By the halfway point, four runners remained in contention, with Phillips dropping back and Migliozzi and teammate Tyler Andrews moving up.
With Makaza shadowing him closely, Andrews took the lead at 27.5 kilometres, but it would prove short-lived. Migliozzi, who won here in 2015, remained within striking distance throughout, and made his move at the 35-kilometre mark to the front for good.
Andrews held on for second clocking 2:56:04, with Makaza third in 2:56:58.
In the women's race, Kimaiyo prevailed by more than three minutes over Germany&rsquo;s Nele Alder- Baerns.
Deborah Badung of Nigeria took the early lead, leading the field through the first 15 kilometres, with Kimaiyo running second. Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh of Mongolia and Czech Petra Pastorova ran in tandem behind the leaders, and even moved to the front just before the halfway point.
At 27.5 kilometres, Kimaiyo assumed the lead. Behind her, Alder-Baerns and Briton Amy Clements were also making their moves to strike for podium finishes. Those moves reaped dividends for the pair even as Kimaiyo padded her lead to run away with the title. Alder-Baerns was a distant second in 3:25:53 with Clements taking bronze in 3:26:17.
In the men's team battle, the US took the top spot with a combined time of 8:56:37. Great Britain and Germany finished second and third in 8:59:29 and 9:45:58 respectively.
In the women's team fight, Great Britain took home the gold in 10:36:01, nearly four minutes ahead of the US squad which clocked 10:40:00. Further back Croatia took the bronze with a time of 11:26:36.
Nadeem Khan (organisers) for the IAAF
<div>Leading Results:</div>
<div>MEN -</div>
<div>1. Tony Migliozzi (USA) 2:54:02</div>
<div>2. Tyler Andrews (USA) 2:56:04</div>
<div>3. Collen Makaza (ZIM) 2:56:58</div>
<div>4. Nao Kazami (JPN) 2:57:47</div>
<div>5. Andrew Davies (GBR) 2:58:25</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Teams: 1. USA 8:56:37; 2. Great Britain 8:59:29; 3. Germany 9:45:58</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>WOMEN -</div>
<div>1. Risper Kimaiyo (KEN) 3:22:45</div>
<div>2. Nele Alder-Baerns (GER) 3:25:53</div>
<div>3. Amy Clements (GBR) 3:26:17</div>
<div>4. Heather Tanner (USA) 3:29:01</div>
<div>5. Rebecca Hilland (GBR) 3:34:08</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Teams: 1. Great Britain 10:36:01; 2. USA 10:40:00; 3. Croatia 11:26:36</div>

Tony Migliozzi of the US and Kenyan Risper Kimaiyo prevailed at the 2nd IAU 50km World Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Friday (11). 

Migliozzi and Kimaiyo win IAU 50km World Championships

Defending champion Tony Migliozzi and 2015 runner-up Marija Vrajic will start as favourites at the 2nd IAU 50km World Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Friday (11).
The race will take place over a 2.5-kilometre course that differs slightly from the one that passed through the Aspire Grounds in the Qatari capital last year, giving runners a slightly different glimpse of the sprawling sporting facility in the center of Doha.
Migliozzi of the US, who took the title last year in 2:52:09, is back to defend his crown. He&rsquo;ll face stiff competition at the front led by Collen Makaza of Zimbabwe who knows the streets around Aspire very well having won the 2014 50km World Trophy Final in Doha.
Other athletes who will be vying for a spot on the podium include Ross Houston of Great Britain who recently posted a 2:56:37 performance; Niels Buber of Germany with a personal best of 2:55:16; Zivanai Dombojena of Zimbabwe; and the Kenyan trio of Charles Maina, Arnold Kiptoi and Samuel Ongeki. The field is expected to be very competitive suggesting the race might come down to the last few laps.
In the women's race, Croatian distance running veteran Vrajic returns as the top finisher from 2015 after her silver medal-winning performance in Doha last year.
A prolific racer, Vrajic, 40, has competed in eight marathons already in 2016, including the Olympic contest in Rio. She set her marathon lifetime best of 2:40:41 earlier this year in Treviso, and has a bronze medal to her credit from the 2015 100km World Championships.
Those joining Vrajic at the front include Czech Petra Pastorova who has a personal best of 3:30:37 from this year, and London 2012 Olympian Tanitha Maxwell of South Africa, who finished second at this year&rsquo;s 56km Two Oceans Marathon.
Rebecca Hilland of Great Britain and Caroline Boller of the US are also expected in the chase.
The race begins at 18 local time (GMT+3).
IAU for the IAAF

Defending champion Tony Migliozzi and 2015 runner-up Marija Vrajic will start as favourites at the 2nd IAU 50km World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Migliozzi and Vrajic the favourites at IAU 50km Championships

Reigning champions Sylvain Court and Nathalie Mauclair of France will defend their world titles at the IAU/ITRA Trail World Championships at the Peneda-Gerês National Park in northwest Portugal on Saturday (29).
Court, 33, won the title in Annecy, France, last year by nearly four minutes over Luis Alberto Hernando of Spain, and led France to the team title.
Mauclair, 46, won the women's contest by more than two minutes over teammate Caroline Chaverot. The pair led France to the women's team crown as well. Mauclair also took the world title in 2013.
The race will cover an 85km course with 4800m of vertical drop and gain through Portugal's only national park, declared a World Biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2009.
Others to watch in the men&rsquo;s race include Spain&rsquo;s Hernando, while Luis Fernandes will defending home turf for Portugal.&nbsp;
Other podium contenders include Tom Owens of Great Britain and Stephan Hugenschmidt of Germany. Surprises could come from Nepal's Bhim Gurung and Norwegians Torbj&oslash;rn Ludvigsen and Lars Erik-Skjervheim.
The US team has been hit by some key injuries of late but Alex Varner will be present and could be a factor.
On the women's side, Chaverot will once again give chase hoping to avenge last year&rsquo;s loss to Mauclair. Swede Emelie Forsberg should also be considered a favourite, along with Yiou Wang and Larisa Dannis of the US.
Watch out too for Spanish duo of Azara Garcia and Uxue Fraile, along with Ewa Majer of Poland. Ester Alves will be wearing Portugal&rsquo;s colours.
In all, entrants from 38 countries are expected.
Organisers for the IAAF

Reigning champions Sylvain Court and Nathalie Mauclair of France will defend their world titles at the ITRA Trail World Championships at the Peneda-Gerês National Park in northwest Portugal on Saturday (29).

Court and Mauclair to defend their titles at Trail World Championships

Dan Lawson of Great Britain and Swede Maria Jannson won the 21st IAU 24 Hour European Championships in Albi, France, on Sunday (23). Lawson won the men's division with a distance of 261.843km. In the women&rsquo;s contest Jannson broke the previous European Best Performance running a distance of 250.647km.
Both the men's and women's race, contested on a course of approximately 1.1 kilometres, was a clinic in patience and pacing as was witnessed throughout the 24 hours. The competition was a unique one where strength one lap can translate into weakness the next. The competition and race was top notch and the results proved that brilliantly with six national records, several personal bests and one European best performance set.
In the men's race, Aleksandr Sorkin of Lithuania put in a very gutsy performance for the first 21 hours leading the charge, at one time leading by as much as 18 kilometers over the rest of the field. Good form, cool temperatures and a fast course contributed to the fast pace. That pace however caught up to Sorokin in the last three hours and he eventually faded to sixth.
Employing a different strategy, Lawson paced himself through the early afternoon hours and late evening to move into the top five, and at 7am made his move, taking the lead which he did not relinquish.
Czech Ondrej Velicka had the same game plan in mind moving up the field in the second half of the race, and in particular making a move during the early morning hours to finish with a distance of 258.661km to take second.
Stephane Ruel of France was the only podium finisher who was consistently featuring in the top five from the early stages of the event. With a strong last four hours, Ruel finished in the bronze medal spot on his home ground running a distance of 257.296km.
<h3>European best for Jannson - women&rsquo;s race</h3>
In the women's race, Jannson, the defending champion, came into the race to make a statement. She started steady and controlled making her move at the 12-hour mark when she moved by Croatia&rsquo;s Antonija Orlic who had set a fast pace in the first half of the event.
Jannson, who is known for her night running, increased her pace in the cooler temperatures as darkness descended and when the sun came up again, she was knocking on the door of a European best performance which she achieved with a distance of 250.647km to take the gold.
Patrycja Bereznowska of Poland ran a superbly timed raced making her move when it mattered the most. She wanted to make the podium and it could be seen as she moved through the crowded field placing herself in the top five at the 13 hour mark. She finished with a distance of 241.633km to grab second.
Her teammate Agata Matejczuk also started conservatively similar to the other podium finishers and started moving up the field in the first three quarters of the event. By the 17th hour mark she featured in the top five and started gaining on athletes in front of her eventually finishing in the bronze medal position with a distance of 232.285km.
In the Men's team competition, France won the gold medal with a distance of 763.291km. Great Britain won silver and Germany bronze running distances of 743.268km and 720.006km respectively.
In the Women's team race, Poland took the title with a distance of 701.429km. Sweden finished second with 691.656km and France tallied 655.332km to take the bronze.
Nadeem Khan (organisers) for the IAAF 
Leading Results: MEN - 1. Dan Lawson(GBR) 261.843km 2. Ondrej Velicka(CZE) 258.661km 3. Stephan Ruel (FRA) 257.296km 4. Piero Lattarico (FRA) 253.631km 5. Patrick Ruiz (FRA)252.364km Teams - 1. France 763.291km 2. Great Britain 743.269km 3. Germany 720.006km 4. Denmark 717.869km 5. Czech Republic 686.710km WOMEN - 1. Maria Jannson (SWE) 250.647km 2. Patrycja Bereznowska (POL) 241.633km 3. Agata Matejczuk (POL)) 232.285km 4. Therese Falk (NOR) 228.323km 5. Milena Grabska-Grzegorczyk (POL) 227.511km Teams: 1. Poland 701.429km 2. Sweden 691.656km 3. France 655.332km 4. Germany 651.486km 5. Hungary 638.675km

Dan Lawson of Great Britain and Swede Maria Jannson won the 21st IAU 24 Hour European Championships in Albi, France, on Sunday (23).

Lawson and Jannson take IAU European 24 Hour titles in Albi

Aleksandr Sorokin of Lithuania and Sweden&rsquo;s Maria Jansson are the key entrants in the 21st IAU 24 Hour European Championships taking place on 22-23 October in Albi, France.
In the men's field, the absence of Germany&rsquo;s Florian Reus will mean that a new European champion will be crowned. Going into the weekend Sorokin will command the men&rsquo;s spotlight. With a personal best this year of 260.491km Sorokin will look to put in an early fast pace. Hungarians Bela Mazur and Zoltan Csecsei will be looking to stay close to Sorkin; with personal bests of 247.040 km and 243.460km doing so is within their capabilities.
The field is very tight in terms of bests achieved in 2016. Dietmar Korntner of Austria and James Elson of Great Britain have achieved distances of 243.068 and 242.490km respectively this year, with veteran Irish runner Eoin Keith, with a distance of 241.938km in 2016, also vying for that men&rsquo;s top spot.
In the women's race, Jansson is back to defend her continental title gained at the world and European Championship in Turin last year. With a best distance of 242.686km this year the 31-year-old will be a strong favourite.
Hungarian teammates Viktoria Makai and Boglarka Vago, with bests of 225.600km and 223.540km respectively, will also be aiming their eyes on a podium finish.
The women's field has several runners running in the 215-225km range. Anne Marie Vernet of France, the 2008 world 24 hour champion, is back in the mix having run 222.419km this year. Amy Masner of Ireland completes the top-five with a 217.068km result from this year.
Albi is located in southern France on the River Tarn about 85 kilometres northeast of Toulouse. Albi was voted as the Top Town of Sport Events in 2012 by the French sports daily l'Equipe.
The day-night event will be contested on a 1120-metre course. One hundred and eighty runners representing 24 countries are expected on the start line. The race begins at 10:00 and promises to be an exciting one.
Top-five entrants (based on 2016 results):
Men: Aleksandr Sorokin (LTU) 260.491km Bela Mazur (HUN) 247.040km Zoltan Csecsei (HUN) 243.460km Dietmar Korntner (AUT) &nbsp;243.068km James Elson (GBR) 242.490km
Women: Maria Jansson (SWE) 242.686km Viktoria Makai (HUN) 225.600km Boglarka Vago (HUN) 223.540km Anne Marie Vernet (FRA) 222.419km Amy Masner (IRL) 217.068km
Nadeem Khan (organisers) for the IAAF

Aleksandr Sorokin of Lithuania and Sweden’s Maria Jansson are the key entrants in the 21st IAU 24 Hour European Championships taking place on 22-23 October in Albi, France. 

Sorokin and Jansson the favourites at IAU 24 Hour European Championship

American runners Tony Migliozzi and Camille Herron took the gold medals at the inaugural IAU 50km World Championships, crossing the line in 2:52:08 and 3:20:59 respectively on Friday (4).The men&rsquo;s race started with a big group of runners running in a pack from the start with Migliozzi, Kenyan trio of Arnold Kiptaoi, Samuel Ongaki and Charles Wachira, USA&rsquo;s Tyler Andrews and Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Michael Fokorani in the mix during the first half of the race.On the fifth lap, Fokorani and Wachira started to put daylight between themselves and their rivals and passed the 25km mark in an unofficial halfway split of 1:25:57 with Migliozzi 16 seconds in arrears in third place and Kiptaoi another two seconds further back.The leading pair stayed together for the next 10km, passing 35km in 1:58:31 and increasing their advantage slightly over Migliozzi to 20 seconds. However, unlike his two African rivals, Migliozzi had timed his race to perfection and on the eight lap started to close and then overhauled Wachira and Fokorani, who were eventually to fall back to fourth and seventh respectively.Migliozzi hit 40km in front in 2:16:38 with Wachira 10 seconds further back and the flagging Fokrani losing even more ground. Over the final 10km, Migliozzi continued to maintain a fine pace, clocking 17:21 and 17:52 for the final two 5km laps on the Aspire grounds.Migliozzi crossed the line in 2:52:08 to win by more than three minutes. Kiptaoi and Ongaki moved up in the final 5km, both men overtaking the struggling Wachira, to take second and third in 2:55:34 and 2:56:15 respectively and edge their compatriot out of the medals.With three men in the top four, Kenya comfortably won the men&rsquo;s team gold medals in an accumulated time of 8:49:09, USA second in 8:57:52 and Australia third 9:37:51.One of the pre-race favourite, Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Shingirai Badza, was part of the main leading group through to 15km but started to fall out of contention on the fourth lap and eventually finished a disappointing 15th.Unlike Badza, in the women&rsquo;s race Camille Herron certainly did like up to her pre-race billing and fulfil her role as favourite.In sharp contrast to the men&rsquo;s race, Herron taking an early lead never relinquishing it and increasing her advantage lap-by-lap. Consistently clocking under 20 minutes per lap over the first half of the race, she reached the 25km mark in 1:38:28Caitlin Smith held second place throughout the first half of the race, but was almost two minutes adrift of her compatriot by 25km and soon started to pay the price for her audacious early effort, finally finishing sixth.Even though Herron&rsquo;s slowed down slightly over the second half of the race, her advantage over her rivals continued to grow by the lap but behind her a fascinating battle for the other medals was developing.A four-woman group of Croatia&rsquo;s Marija Vrajic, Canada&rsquo;s Catrin Jones, Ireland&rsquo;s Catriona Jennings and Mongolia&rsquo;s Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh had been running together for the first half of the race and gradually reeled in Smith.Shortly after 35km, Vrajic and Jones broke away and were still together well into the final lap, until Vrajic just managed to edged away and take the silver medal in 3:28:15 with Jones four seconds further back. In the women&rsquo;s team contest, Vrajic climbed the podium again after leading Croatia to the women&rsquo;s team title with an accumulated time of 10:50:08. Canada took the silver in 11:10:41 and Australia was third in 11:31:40.Phil Minshull and IAU for the IAAF

American runners Tony Migliozzi and Camille Herron took the gold medals at the inaugural IAU 50km World Championships, crossing the line in 2:52:08 and 3:20:59 respectively on Friday (4).