5K Winners Circle

🏆 NWANA 5K Winners Circle

2026 NWANA Open 5K Nordic Walking Series

The 5K Winners Circle preserves the performances that define the 2026 NWANA season — the breakthroughs, the category victories, the returning athletes, and the marks that become targets for the next stage.

Each athlete competes within a Performance Level. A Competition Category combines Performance Level and Gender, such as Elite Men, Performance Women, or Open Men.

Places shown here are category places, not overall race places. Series standings are determined by accumulated points. If athletes are tied on points, the fastest single result achieved within that Performance Level is used as the tiebreaker.

Seven stages. One season. Every approved 5K becomes part of the official NWANA competition record.

Stage 3 — August 30, 2026

Stage 3 added another step to the 5K story. Albert Fatikhov improved his Elite mark to 32:49, while Susan Otto entered the 5K season with the first approved women’s result and became the opening Competitive Women category leader.

Category: Elite Men (< 33:00)
🥇 Albert Fatikhov — 32:49

Category: Elite Women (< 33:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: High Performance Men (< 35:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: High Performance Women (< 35:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Performance Men (< 37:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Performance Women (< 37:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Competitive Men (< 40:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Competitive Women (< 40:00)
🥇 Susan Otto — 38:11

Category: Open Men (40:00+)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Open Women (40:00+)
No approved finisher in this category.

A faster Elite performance and the arrival of the first women’s 5K result gave Stage 3 its own place in the season. The record is becoming broader as well as faster.

Stage 2 — July 26, 2026

Stage 2 produced the first major level change of the 5K season. Albert Fatikhov broke 33 minutes and moved from High Performance into Elite, while Sven Thorslund and Michael Blanchard returned to strengthen their season records in Competitive and Open.

Category: Elite Men (< 33:00)
🥇 Albert Fatikhov — 32:54

Category: Elite Women (< 33:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: High Performance Men (< 35:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: High Performance Women (< 35:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Performance Men (< 37:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Performance Women (< 37:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Competitive Men (< 40:00)
🥇 Sven Thorslund — 37:22

Category: Competitive Women (< 40:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Open Men (40:00+)
🥇 Michael Blanchard — 40:06

Category: Open Women (40:00+)
No approved finisher in this category.

The second stage showed exactly what a season can reveal: progression into a higher level, returning competitors, and a growing record against which every future performance can be measured.

Stage 1 — June 28, 2026

The inaugural 5K stage immediately created a spread across three Performance Levels. Albert Fatikhov established the opening High Performance Men mark, Sven Thorslund opened the Competitive Men record, and Michael Blanchard became the first Open Men category winner.

Category: Elite Men (< 33:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Elite Women (< 33:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: High Performance Men (< 35:00)
🥇 Albert Fatikhov — 33:26

Category: High Performance Women (< 35:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Performance Men (< 37:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Performance Women (< 37:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Competitive Men (< 40:00)
🥇 Sven Thorslund — 37:09

Category: Competitive Women (< 40:00)
No approved finisher in this category.

Category: Open Men (40:00+)
🥇 Michael Blanchard — 42:57

Category: Open Women (40:00+)
No approved finisher in this category.

Three athletes, three different Performance Levels, and three opening category standards. The first 5K stage gave the season an immediate competitive structure.

Upcoming Stages

Four 5K stages remain. The early part of the season has already produced a move into Elite, repeat category victories, a new women’s category winner, and marks that now belong to the official record. What happens next is still open.

Stage 4 — September 27, 2026
Results will be posted after review and approval.

Stage 5 — October 25, 2026
Results will be posted after review and approval.

Stage 6 — November 29, 2026
Results will be posted after review and approval.

Stage 7 — December 27, 2026
Results will be posted after review and approval.

The marks are on the board. The rest of the season belongs to whoever comes back and challenges them.