The 17th XTERRA Trail Run World Championship brought the global trail running community to Gozo on May 9, 2026, for the culmination of the XTERRA Trail Run World Series along the clifftop edges of Malta’s island of adventure.
Athletes from 30 countries arrived for a weekend built together with world championship racing in mind, and an even stronger emphasis on open participation in a setting like no other. France and Germany brought the largest international contingents, while runners also qualified and travelled from Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Colombia, South Africa, China, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, and beyond.
World Championship titles were awarded across the 50K Trail Marathon and 21K Trail Half Marathon. French athletes Severine Guerif and Benjamin Berkoukchi swept the overall Trail Half Marathon wins, while Sebastien Carabin of Belgium and Malta-based Jemima Farley, originally from the UK, topped the Trail Marathon. From 19-year-old Yiu Yiu of Hong Kong to 79-year-old Eric Winkelmann of Switzerland, age-group champions across the field earned their place in XTERRA history, with the full list soon to be added to the official XTERRA Trail Run Champions archive.
Full results are available here.
Built Around Gozo
Local crews, volunteers, partners, international staff, builders, technicians, and the XTERRA Malta team worked together to create a venue built for a full experience. Opening ceremonies, awards, food, drinks, music, exhibits, shopping, and lounge areas all came together to give athletes, families, supporters, and locals a place to gather.
Our Lady of Loreto Parish Church rising above Għajnsielem all became part of the weekend. The island gave the championship something different from its previous homes at Kualoa Ranch, Maui, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Snowdonia, with ancient paths, exposed coastlines, wild valleys, limestone tracks, sandy sections, and villages that carry centuries of life. The Ġgantija temples, among the oldest freestanding stone structures in the world, added another layer of history to a route already tied closely to land and sea.
Jemima Farley said it best: “There really is just something special about the opportunity to race around an entire island.” On Saturday, runners followed the cliffs above the Mediterranean, passed through villages, returned to the coast, and finished with families, supporters, and local crowds waiting for them.
Around the Island, Around the World
The Open Trail Marathon, Open Trail Half Marathon, 12K Trail Run, and Friday’s Community Coffee Run opened the trails to every kind of runner. Mikaela Borg, a Maltese resident and 30-34 age division World Champion, keeps the memory close by saying, “XTERRA Gozo has a special place in my heart.” Race Director Nathan Farrugia added, “Gozo is the perfect playground for nature-loving people.”
The final images from the weekend show athletes looking out over the cliffs, supporters holding signs, runners laughing together and families relaxing in handcrafted lounge areas. Highlights from the weekend can be found on XTERRA Trail Run Instagram, as the XTERRA Trail Run World Series carries on toward its next stop with dreams of 2027 forming through their footsteps.
XTERRA extends its thanks to VisitMalta, the Ministry for Gozo and Planning, VisitGozo, Grenade, Oshee, Garmin, Cisk 00, X-Tribe, and Vistage Malta for their support, along with Minister for Gozo and Planning Clint Camilleri, Malta Tourism Authority CEO Carlo Micallef, the XTERRA Malta team, local crews, volunteers, and international staff whose work helped create a historic and culturally rich championship get-together in Gozo.
