Spanish Omar Hernandez joins the International Board of the World Mountain Running Association

At the congress of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), which took place during the 2025 World Mountain Running Championships in Canfranc, Omar Hernandez from Spain was elected to the International Council. His candidacy was proposed by the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation.

The WMRA is the main organization in the world of mountain running, which has existed since 1984 and cooperates with World Athletics. They are involved in the development of mountain running worldwide, organizing world championships and the WMRA World Cup, as well as developing safety rules and quality standards together with national federations. They want runners to have more opportunities, for the rules in each country to be clearer, and for more young people to participate in this sport.

The World Championships in Canfranc 2025 became the venue for these elections. More than 1,200 athletes from 50 countries gathered there, which emphasizes the importance of Spain in the world of sports.

Also at the congress, Sarah Rowell from Great Britain was elected as the new president of the WMRA. She will replace Tomo Šarf from Slovenia, who has led the organization since 1999. He was thanked for his many years of dedication to the development of mountain running.

Here is the new composition of the WMRA International Council:

• Sarah Rowell (Great Britain) – President
• Tito Tiberi (Italy) – General Secretary
• Trevor Mugg (Great Britain) – Treasurer
• Omar Hernandez (Spain) – Advisor
• Nancy Hobbs (USA) – Advisor
• Tommy Hughes (Ireland) – Advisor
• Pavel Brydl (Czech Republic) – Advisor
• Hiroaki Matsunaga (Japan) – Advisor
• Alessio Punzi (Italy) – Advisor

Omar Hernandez has over 25 years of experience in sports. He has done a lot for the development of trail and mountain running in Spain. He is currently the Deputy Mayor of El Paso (La Palma), where he is involved in projects related to sports, tourism and ecology.

He founded and manages Reventón Trail El Paso, a competition that has twice been recognized as the best trail event in Spain. He was also the head of the Spanish trail running team at the World Championships in Argentina (2019) and Thailand (2022).

In addition, in 2023 he was appointed head of the Athletics Federation of the Canary Islands. There he organized competitions, conducted inspections and was involved in elections. He was also the coach of the trail running team and was responsible for trail in the Federation, organizing national championships and qualifying competitions.

Thanks to his experience in management, organization and international representation, Spain will have a voice in the decision-making of the WMRA Council.