Under unusually hot and sunny skies, the 2025 Sierre-Zinal saw Kenyans sweep the men’s podium and take the top two spots on the women’s. Kenyan Philemon Kiriago improved on his second-place finish from 2024 and earned his second win at this event, and Kenya’s Joyline Chepngeno repeated her victory from last year. While Kiriago didn’t take over the lead until the final descent, Chepngeno led from before the halfway point.
Racers set off on Saturday, August 9, at 11 a.m. local time with a severe high temperature warning for elevations under 600 meters, including in the starting village of Sierre. If the temperatures slowed the racing just a bit, they may have added to the ever-changing dynamics out on the course.
There was never any doubt that the event was going to be a fast and exciting race from line to line for both the men and women. On the men’s side, some 23 men were on the start line who’d previously run under 2:40, including four previous winners and 15 of last year’s top 20. On the women’s side, defending champion Chepngeno was back at the event that proved a breakout performance in 2024. She was joined by 10 other women who’d run under 3:10, including seven of last year’s top 10 women.
Philemon Kiriago was ecstatic at his win at the 2025 Sierre-Zinal. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti
The race is part of both the Mountain Running World Cup and the Golden Trail World Series. In addition to this race’s robust history as a competitive mountain race, this series double-feature ensures a world-class field. Both series are nearing their completions, with the World Cup only having two more events at the end of the month, and the Golden Trail World Series with only its finale remaining.
Starting in Sierre, Switzerland, in the Valais Alps, and finishing in the village of Zinal, the 31-kilometer (19 miles) race covers a staggering 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) of elevation gain with only 1,100 meters (3,600 feet) of descent. The race is known for its steep climbing, huge views of the five surrounding 4,000-meter peaks, and massive crowds lining the trail.
You can learn more about Sierre-Zinal in our deep dive into the event’s history, popularity, and competitiveness.
2025 Sierre-Zinal Men’s Race
It was a hot morning in Sierre as the field took off from the small Swiss village. The high temperatures were forecasted in the mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit), and by the 11 a.m. start, conditions were sweltering as the men’s field shot up the first climb to Ponchette. Just 7.5 kilometers in, but with 1,350 meters of uphill, this section holds much of the climbing. Adrien Briffod of Switzerland, who competed in triathlon in the 2024 Olympics and finished 40th at Sierre-Zinal last year, wasted no time getting to the front, reaching the checkpoint in 49:00 elapsed and 1 minute, 20 seconds ahead of Kenya’s Josphat Kiprotich. Kiprotich was trailed by an additional 20 seconds by the Kenyan duo of Timothy Kibett and Philemon Kiriago, as well as Dominik Rolli of Switzerland. Race favorites Patrick Kipngeno of Kenya and Elhousine Elazzaoui of Morocco ran together yet another 20 seconds back, two minutes down on the leader, a pairing that we’ve seen race together early in races several times before.
The next 4.5 kilometers traverse the mountainside, climbing only another 110 meters or so, to the aid station at Chandolin, 12 kilometers in. Briffod maintained the same lead on the field with 1:08 elapsed on the clock, but this time it was over Kibett and Kiriago, who had closed 20 seconds on the relatively new mountain runner, and Rolli, now in fourth, had also passed a fading Kiprotich, who now had Kipngeno and Elazzaoui hot on his tail.
Patrick Kipngeno on his way to second place at the 2025 Sierre-Zinal. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti
At 16 kilometers in, the race’s halfway point at Tignousa, Briffod still led, but the gap to Kiriago, who had distanced himself from Kibett, was now down to 1:13, and Kipngeno had moved himself into fourth to make a trio of chasing Kenyans.
By the Hôtel Weisshorn, nearly at the high point of the race, 20 kilometers in, Kipngeno was now second alongside Kiriago, just a minute behind Briffod, who reached the checkpoint with 1:45 elapsed. It was another 48 seconds back to fourth place to Michael Selelo Saoli of Kenya before bigger gaps appeared to the rest of the field. With a high traverse and a hectic seven-kilometer downhill remaining ahead of them, it was still anyone’s game, potentially even infamous descender Elazzaoui’s, who sat in seventh, 3:21 down on the leader.
As expected, once the descent started, everything changed. Briffod quickly fell back, and Kiriago spent no time using his good descending skills to open a nearly 30-second gap on Kipngeno by the time the pair got to Barneuza, 27 kilometers in with 2:10 elapsed. Saoli has moved up to make it a Kenyan top three, and Briffod found himself in no-man’s land with four kilometers left to race.
Michael Selelo Saoli en route to third place at the 2025 Sierre-Zinal. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti
No one could touch Philemon Kiriago on the final descent, and he crossed the finish line in Zinal with a time of 2:28:45, which follows from his win in 2023 and second place in 2024. Teammate and friend Patrick Kipngeno finished second in 2:29:08, and Michael Selelo Saoli made it a Kenyan podium sweep by finishing third in 2:29:14. Switzerland’s Adrien Briffod limited his losses on the descent to finish fourth in 2:32:06, and Paul Machoka (Kenya), who made up time on the descent, finished fifth in 2:33:00.
Early pace pushers Kiprotich and Kibett, respectively, just missed finishing inside the top 10 and finished out of competitive contention.
2025 Sierre-Zinal Men’s Results
- Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) – 2:28:45
- Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) – 2:29:08
- Michael Selelo Saoli (Kenya) – 2:29:14
- Adrien Briffod (Switzerland) – 2:32:06
- Paul Machoka (Kenya) – 2:33:00
- Martin Nilsson (Sweden) – 2:33:52
- Dominik Rolli (Switzerland) – 2:34:07
- Andreu Blanes (Spain) – 2:35:19
- Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) – 2:35:58
- Francesco Puppi (Italy) – 2:37:49
The 2025 Sierre-Zinal men’s podium (left to right): 5. Paul Machoka, 3. Michael Selelo Saoli, 1. Philemon Kiriago, 2. Patrick Kipngeno, and 4. Adrien Briffod. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti
2025 Sierre-Zinal Women’s Race
Like the men’s race, the women had an early solo leader in Caroline Kimutai of Kenya after the first major block of climbing. The relative newcomer to the sport who recently won the Golden Trail World Series stop in China this year, the Great Wall 24k, covered the first 7.5 kilometers of climbing in 58:14 elapsed. Last year’s winner, Joyline Chepngeno (Kenya), trailed by 1:43 and ran just ahead of Laura Hottenrott of Germany, who raced in the marathon at the 2024 Olympics. Behind her by nearly a minute, 2:40 down on the leader, came a trio of race favorites with 2022, 2020, and 2019 winner and current course record holder Maude Mathys of Switzerland, 2024 third-place finisher Mădălina Florea (Romania), and 2023 fourth-place finisher Miao Yao (China).
Joyline Chepngeno winning the 2025 Sierre-Zinal for the second consecutive year. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti
By Chandolin, with 12 kilometers covered and 1:20 elapsed on the clock, Chepngeno had closed the gap to Kimutai by a minute and was now only 41 seconds behind. Hottenrott was still well within striking distance in third, 1:41 off the leader, and Mathys and Florea ran a few seconds apart in fourth and fifth, about 2:20 down on the lead. The back half of the top five was now made up of Susanna Saapunki (Finland), 2025 Hardrock 100 and 2024 UTMB winner Katie Schide (U.S.), Yao, Cristina Simion (Romania), and Oria Liaci (Switzerland).
Chepngeno passed her countrywoman Kimutai on the climb to Tignousa and quickly established a 20-second lead, now with 1:39 elapsed on the clock, and the gap to the rest of the field had grown by another 30 seconds with the ordering of the top 10 unchanged. Once in the lead, Chepngeno never looked back. By halfway, at the Hôtel Weisshorn at 16 kilometers covered and not long to go before the seven-kilometer, 750-meter drop into Zinal, Chepngeno had opened the gap on Kimutai to 1:16 and on Hottenrott to 3:23. Mathys and Florea continued to run together, now 4:24 behind the leader.
Caroline Kimutai of Kenya looks elated with second place at the 2025 Sierre-Zinal. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti
Partway down the descent at Barneuza, 27 kilometers in with four kilometers left, Chepngeno held a slim 16-second lead on Kimutai. Mathys had passed Hottenrott and was now 2:53 behind the leader in third but held only an eight-second margin on her podium spot. Meanwhile, longer-distance specialist Schide made a big move to work herself into fifth, 3:37 off the lead. Behind Schide, the gaps began to widen with Liaci 4:34 back and Saapunki nearly another minute behind her.
Katie Schide takes third at the 2025 Sierre-Zinal, less than a month after winning the 2025 Hardrock 100, showing her incredible racing range. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti
Joyline Chepngeno’s descending skills got her to the finish line in the lead for the second year in a row with a time of 2:54:49, narrowly edging out fellow Kenyan Caroline Kimutai, who finished second in 2:55:31. The U.S.’s Katie Schide made good use of her endurance, after winning the Hardrock 100 less than a month ago, to finish third in 2:58:30, moving up two spots in the final kilometers. The Swiss duo of Maude Mathys and Oria Liaci finished in fourth and fifth with times of 2:58:56 and 3:00:20, respectively.
The Romanian duo of Florea and Simion finished in the top 20.
The 2025 Sierre-Zinal women’s podium (left to right): 5. Oria Liaci, 3. Katie Schide, 1. Joyline Chepngeno, 2. Caroline Kimutai, and 4. Maude Mathys. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti
2025 Sierre-Zinal Women’s Results
- Joyline Chepngeno (Kenya) – 2:54:49
- Caroline Kimutai (Kenya) – 2:55:31
- Katie Schide (U.S.) – 2:58:30
- Maude Mathys (Switzerland) – 2:58:56
- Oria Liaci (Switzerland) – 3:00:20
- Laura Hottenrott (Germany) – 3:00:30
- Miao Yao (China) – 3:01:35
- Susanna Saapunki (Finland) – 3:02:29
- Anna Gibson (U.S.) – 3:05:25
- Joyce Njeru (Kenya) – 3:06:03
[In 2015, Maude Mathys received a warning without suspension from the Disciplinary Chamber for Doping Cases of Swiss Olympic for two positive tests for clomifene (previously clomiphene) after it was determined that she was mistakenly taking the drug without first obtaining a World Anti-Doping Agency Therapeutic Use Exemption.]
