Blake Wins World Master M40 Mountain Running Championship

Central Connecticut State head cross country and track & field coach Eric Blake won the 2023 World Master Mountain Running Championship Friday, in the men's 40-year-old age group. It is his second title, having won the 35-39 age group at the 2014 championship in Austria.

Results | WMRA Recap

"It was a great course," said Blake. "The race went as well as I could ask. It was mostly up hill and mostly on trails, with a bit of road. It was great to mix it up with some many great runners from around the world."

The 22^nd Annual World Master's Running Championship was held in Madeira, Portugal. The course was 9,200 km in length, with a 900-meter rise. Blake won the race in a time of 43:11, 52 seconds clear of the runner-up, Shaban Mustafa of Bulgaria. Fellow American Mike Popejoy placed third, in a time of 44:36. There were 84 competitors that began the race, with 83 crossing the finish line.

Blake was the first finisher in the men's 35-50 race on Friday morning.  The M40 second place finisher crossed at 44:52.