NE🇩🇪

Nina Engelhard

WikipediaUTMB IndexITRA
Kassel, GermanyBorn 1996-11-27
UTMB 810ITRA 797Wins 7Podiums 7

German mountain runner from Kassel and the breakout star of European off-road running. After a track-and-cross-country background and a master's degree in ecotoxicology, Engelhard discovered mountain running in 2023 and within a year became double European Champion (Uphill and Up & Down, 2024 Annecy). She backed it up in 2025 by sweeping both the Uphill and Up & Down titles at the World Mountain Running Championships in Canfranc, smashing the uphill course record in 45:33. Engelhard deliberately races without a sponsor or coach, runs only 50-70 km per week, and frequently competes without a watch.

Race Results

2025
3 races3 wins
1st
World Mountain and Trail Running Championships/Mountain Classic
Sep 28
14.3km
775m+
1:11:00
World Champion - won by nearly 2 minutes
1stCR
World Mountain and Trail Running Championships/Vertical Uphill
Sep 25
6.4km
990m+
0:45:33
World Champion - course record
1st
Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail/P15 Zirbensteig Trail
Aug 2
16.9km
790m+
1:33:08
2nd overall
2024
4 races4 wins
1st
Grossglockner Mountain Run
Jul 7
13.3km
1,300m+
1:22:09
WMRA World Cup Gold Label; 25th overall
1st
European Off-Road Running Championships/Up & Down
Jun 2
16km
960m+
1:22:43
European Champion
1st
European Off-Road Running Championships/Uphill
May 31
7.6km
0:50:08
European Champion - won by 95 seconds
1st
Alpenplus Ötzi Naturns Skyrace/Naturns Skyrace
Apr 6
15km
1,150m+
1:22:55
10th overall

Career Highlights

2023: Won the Gamperney Berglauf (Switzerland) - her first mountain race
2023: Won Hochfelln-Berglauf in Bergen (48:58, 10th overall) and qualified for the German national team
2024: Naturns Skyrace 1st woman (Ötzi Alpine Marathon weekend) - international debut on the world stage
2024: Double European Champion at Annecy - Uphill (50:08) and Up & Down (1:22:43)
2024: Won the Grossglockner Mountain Run (WMRA World Cup) in 1:22:09
2025: Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail P15 - 2nd overall, 1st woman (1:33:08)
2025: Double World Champion at Canfranc-Pirineos - Uphill course record 45:33 and Up & Down 1:11:00

Key Achievements

World Mountain Running Champion - Uphill and Classic Up & Down (2025, Canfranc)
European Mountain Running Champion - Uphill and Up & Down (2024, Annecy)
Grossglockner Mountain Run Winner (2024) - WMRA World Cup
German Mountain Running Champion (2025)
Hessian Mountain Running Champion (2022, 2023)
Hochfelln-Berglauf Winner (2023) - European Championship qualifier
World Athletics 10km road PB: 36:32 (2021); 5000m PB: 17:21.35 (2022)

Notable Traits

Daughter of a climber and paraglider; mother was a hobby runner
Spent a gap year in the German Army before studying forensic science and ecotoxicology
Started trail and mountain racing in 2023, in the months between finishing her master's and starting work
Trains alone with no coach; runs 50-70 km per week supplemented by swimming, rowing and cycling
Refuses sponsors to keep full control of her race calendar
Frequently races without a GPS watch
Track background: 17:21 over 5000m (2022) and 36:32 for 10km on the road (2021)