With less than one month to go until the Lagoa 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, experienced duo Elena Burkard and Markus Görger cranked up their preparations with home victories in the senior races at the Sparkassen Cross Pforzheim, World Athletics Cross Country Tour Silver meeting on Saturday (15).
33-year-old Burkard has represented Germany on five occasions at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships, her best result being fifth in the senior women’s race at Šamorín 2017.
And she was in fine fettle as she cruised to victory on the 6.6km course in 23:15. Second place went to the Netherlands’ Veerle Bakker, who was seven seconds adrift at the finish in 23:22. Germany’s Lisa Tertsch was third in 23:44.
Fourth was the leading U23 finisher Kira Weis, who won 10,000m silver at the Bergen 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships and will be eyeing another potential podium appearance at Lagoa 2025.
In the men’s 8.8km senior race, Görger strode clear to win in 27:12 ahead of fellow German runner Nick Jäger (27:28). The U23 classification was runner headed by Yihun Fantahun Gezahign of Ethiopia, who was third overall (27:42).
Elite level U20 race
There was a high-quality duel in the women’s U20 race over 4.4km Shirin Kerber getting the better of Julia Ehrle by three seconds, finishing in 15:26.
Kerber was 4th in the women’s 1500m final at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima last year and Ehrle won 5000m bronze at the Tampere 2025 European Athletics U20 Championships this summer.
The duo will likely spearhead the German women’s challenge in the U20 races at Lagoa 2025 next month.
The men’s U20 race was won by Switzerland’s Matthieu Bührer, who was fourth in the classic mountain discipline at the World Mountain Running and Trail Running Championships in Canfranc-Pirineos in September.