American runners took surprise individual victories at the world mountain running championships on Sunday in Albania, becoming the second and third U.S. runners ever to win titles in the championship’s 27-year history. Vermont’s Kasie Enman, a marathoner who had never competed in the event, finished clear of the woman’s field in 40:39. Oregon’s Max King took a surprise win in the men’s race, bettering his 16th-place finish last year. King, a former national-class steeplechase runner, also won the last last September, in two weeks. “I’m tired, but I feel very good,” King said. Colorado runner Jay Johnson is the only other American to win a mountain running title, which he did in 1989. Both U.S. teams finished fourth.
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