Doha: US ultrarunners Tony Migliozzi and Camille Herron topped in the individual races of the IAU 50km World Championships while Team Kenya and Team Croatia topped the timings in the men and women’s section here on Friday.

The championship hosted by Aspire Zone Foundation witnessed strong competition between more than 100 of the world’s best ultrarunners as selected by their respective national federations.

The Aspire Foundation is hosting the event annually through to 2017.

Aspire Zone Foundation organised the championship in collaboration with the International Association of Ultrarunners and the Qatar Athletics Federation. The championship is officially accredited by the IAU.

The runners that took part represented 21 countries including Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Croatia Germany the United Kingdom Ireland Japan Jordan Kenya Latvia Mongolia Holland Norway Serbia Sierra Leon Taipei the United States Ukraine and Zimbabwe.

First place winner in the IAU 50km World Championships individual male category Migliozzi said: “I am really happy to have participated in this championship which was very challenging. I can confidently say that all factors of the championship were difficult but helped us complete the race successfully.

“I have had an invaluable experience here competing against some of the world’s elite ultrarunners. I would like to thank the organisers for hosting us in Qatar and I look forward to take part in future editions” he added.

Herron first place winner in the IAU 50km World Championships individual female category said: “I was impressed with the level of organisation and participation in the race and it took a full team effort to win. I was inspired and encouraged by my teammates and support staff and I am happy to have been a part of the first edition of the IAU 50km World Championships”.

In conjunction with the championship Aspire Zone Foundation also hosted the “Aspire International 6:50 Race” which gave a number of running enthusiasts in Qatar the chance to compete alongside IAU professional ultrarunners. The race featured 12 Qatari runners in addition to 250 resident runners from 44 countries.

The winners of the Aspire International 6:50 Race were also honoured at the award ceremony held yesterday.

Rashed Al Khayareen Al-Hajri member of the “Qatar Runners” team who won second place in the Aspire International 6:50 Race Open Race said: “Being able to run alongside an elite group of ultrarunners was such a unique experience. I am happy that my strenuous efforts in preparing for the championship have paid off and I would like to thank Aspire Zone Foundation for giving us this opportunity. I look forward to compete in the 2016 race”.

Ali Al Fehaidi Acting Director General of Aspire Logistics; Dr. Mohamed Ghaith Al Kuwari Acting Director General of Aspetar; Abdullah Al Khater Events Manager at Aspire Zone Foundation; and Nadeem Khan IAU Director of Communications presented the winners with their medals and trophies. Speaking at the awards ceremony Dr Mohamed Ghaith Al Kuwari thanked all parties that were involved in making the championship a success.

“We have left no stone unturned in our preparations for the championship which reflects our commitment to provide all the support needed to such international events that attract athletes from around the world to Qatar. This aligns with Aspire Zone’s mission and vision to enhance sports performance and become the reference in sports excellence worldwide”.

The Peninsula