“I wasn’t really prepared, but I took a shot!” XTERRA sees stunning performances on a scorching day in the Dolomites

Former XTERRA World Cup champions Arthur Serrières and Alizée Paties of France pulled on their trail shoes and claimed the 2026 XTERRA European Championship Full Distance titles on Saturday, June 20 in Molveno, Trentino, Italy.

With Lake Molveno sitting at 21°C, air temperatures rising to 29°C, and the Brenta Dolomites towering over three days of active and festive celebrations, the first European Championship in Molveno carried the familiar feeling that made the village a home of the XTERRA World Championship for four straight years.

What happened in the men’s race

The Elite men’s Full Distance race ended in a French sweep, with Serrières winning in 2:35:38 to claim the sixth European title of his career. Felix Forissier finished second in 2:38:58, with Nicolas Duré third in 2:40:44.

“That was a different Molveno today,” said Serrières. “It was very dry and super hot. I’m quite happy about this win because I’m coming back from a big sickness. I wasn’t really prepared, but I took a shot, and Molveno suits me so well.”

Michele Bonacina from Italy opened the men’s race with the fastest swim in 20:26, while Sébastien Carabin produced the fastest bike split in 1:29:53. Serrières made his move where he has so often made the difference, recording the fastest run of the day in 40:58 to break the race open and return to the top step in a place already tied closely to his career.

“You come here and you see what’s special about it,” he said. “I travel a lot everywhere in the world, and finding a place like that is really unique. You have the lake, you have the Dolomites, you have everything. It’s a typical village, people are really good, the cuisine is good, so it’s a full experience. For me, it’s one of the best places I ever raced in my life.”

What happened in the women’s race

Paties, also from France, won the women’s race in 3:08:01 after building her advantage across the bike and holding it through a difficult run. Kerri-Ann Upham from Great Britain finished second in 3:14:09, while Marta Menditto from Italy brought the home crowd to life with the fastest women’s run of the day, moving through the field to take third in 3:16:33.

Isla Hedley from Great Britain was fastest in the women’s swim in 21:56, Paties was strongest on the bike in 1:47:37, and Menditto closed with the fastest run in 52:56. Paties said the win was far from expected after a difficult stretch away from racing.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to win today,” said Paties. “It’s just unbelievable. I’m very happy because I had a lot of hard moments. Last month was so hard, and now I feel so happy to be back here.”

“XTERRA is nature, outdoors, just have fun,” said Paties. “Even if you are on a bad day, you don’t care because you have good travel, good food here in Italy, and beautiful landscapes. Even a bad day is a good day.”

Upham described her second-place finish as the result of a measured effort through every section of the course. “We’ve just had the best week,” said Upham. “We got here on Sunday and it’s been like a little holiday. The weather’s been amazing, riding the dry trails and just relaxing before the race. It’s just a proper adventure out there. Up in the mountains, wonderful views, it’s amazing.”

Bonacina, the first Italian man across the line, said it was important to show the rest of the field what Molveno and the Dolomites have to offer. “For us it’s very important to show around this beautiful place,” said Bonacina. “We are in the Dolomites, one of the best places in the world I think, so I’m enjoying showing it to the other guys.”

All images: XTERRA