The Mountain Running World Cup returns to one of its most storied venues this weekend, with the Vertical Nasego and Trofeo Nasego double header taking place in Casto, in Italy's Val Sabbia, on 5 and 6 September. Two races in two days, on some of the steepest and most technical terrain the circuit visits, make this one of the defining weekends of the season.
Saturday's Vertical Nasego is a pure uphill test, short and unrelenting, with gradients severe enough that athletes are forced onto their hands in the steepest sections as the course climbs towards the finish high above the valley. Sunday's Trofeo Nasego is a different challenge altogether: a classic mountain race of 20.6km with around 1,300m of ascent, opening at speed before a long climb to Rifugio Nasego and a punishing final descent back to Casto.
The 2026 World Cup is the 27th edition of the series and its most ambitious yet, spanning sixteen races across ten countries and four continents since the season opened on 19 April. Races are grouped into three disciplines — Uphill, Classic Up & Down and Long Distance — and with the season entering its closing block, the double header in Val Sabbia carries real weight in both the overall and discipline standings.
The Nasego weekend has a habit of rewarding versatility. Most of the leading contenders are expected to contest both races, and the combination of a lung-searing vertical on Saturday and a tactical, descent-heavy classic on Sunday tends to expose any weakness. Passionate local support in Val Sabbia, where the races have been part of the community for two decades, adds to the sense of occasion.
For followers of the circuit, the weekend also sets up the run-in to the end of the season, as the World Cup builds towards its final rounds through the autumn. After a year that has already taken the series from Transvulcania's volcanic trails in May to Beijing's Changping hills, the return to Italian soil feels like the championship coming home.