Seventeen races in 11 different countries will form the World Mountain Running Association World Cup in 2022, organisers announced today.
The series, which has been divided into "gold label" and "silver label" races for the first time, will begin in May. The Montemuro Vertical Run in Portugal on June 19 will be the first gold event.
The last fixture of the cup and of the 12 gold label events will be the Chiavenna-Lagunc Vertical Kilometre on October 8.
Races will fall into one of three categories: short uphill, classic mountain and long mountain. Last year's overall winners were Kenya's Joyce Muthoni Njeru and Italy's Henri Aymonod, with Britain's Charlotte Morgan being crowned women's long mountain champion.
The second fixture will be a new addition to the series but a well established race in the form of the Großglockner Berglauf in Austria on July 10. However, arguably the most famous event on the circuit will be the Sierre-Zinal on August 13.
The only visit to the British Isles will be for the Severn Sisters Skyline event in Ireland on May 21, which will be a silver label race.
The overall standings will be calculated from athletes' best six results and the category rankings are formed from the best three results.
"I'm delighted to announce the new 2022 WMRA World Cup calendar," said World Cup manager Justin Maxwell. "We start with a relatively new but exciting race in Montemuro and we finish at Chiavenna-Lagunc KV, a race steeped in history. In between we have an array of classic mountain running events, some new, some old, but all unique in one way or another. A true mountain running test for any aspiring World Cup Champion.
"I'd like to thank all of the race organisers who applied to be part of the 2022 WMRA World Cup, we are very grateful for your support."
2022 World Mountain Running Association World Cup calendar
Gold Label
Montemuro Vertical Run, Portugal, June 19
Grossglockner Berglauf, Austria, July 19
La Montee du Nid d'Aigle, France, July 16
Giir di Mont KV, Italy, July 30
Giir di Mont, Italy, July 31
Sierre-Zinal, Switzerland, August 13
Vertical Nasego, Italy, September 3
Trofeo Nasego, Italy, September 4
Canfranc-Canfranc Vertical, Spain, September 9
Canfranc-Canfranc 16km, Spain, September 11
Zumaia Flysch trail 22km, Spain, October 2
Silver Label
Severn Sisters Skyline, Ireland, May 21
One hundred Douro-Paiva, Portugal, July 2
Krkonossky Half-marathon, Czech Republic, August 7
Andes Race, Peru, August 25
Smarna Gora Race, October 1