The extremely anticipated Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon is without doubt one of the most fun mountain marathons on the worldwide calendar. In a stacked race wrought with very good techniques and gutsy working, the 2025 version definitely didn’t disappoint. Elhousine Elazzaoui of Morocco and Sara Alonso of Spain stormed to victory in 3:43:28 and 4:27:25.
The twenty fourth version of Zegama comes on the midway level of the extremely contested 2025 Golden Path World Collection. The 42-kilometer race occurred on Sunday, Could 25, within the spectacular Aizkorri-Aratz Pure Park in Spain’s Basque Nation.
Elhousine Elazzaoui amidst Zegama’s raucous followers close to the Sancti Spiritu checkpoint through the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon. Photograph: ©️ Zegama-Aizkorri
The race accumulates over 2,700 meters of climbing throughout 4 of the area’s highest peaks: Aratz, Aizkorri, Aitxuri, and Andraitz. The rugged terrain and steep, rocky climbs make for a extremely technical course, and the unpredictable native local weather typically leads to troublesome working situations. Nonetheless, a latest spell of dry, sunny climate made for mud-free trails and blistering speeds over the runnable sections.
Learn on for the total race report.
The beginning of the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon. Photograph: ©️ Zegama-Aizkorri
2025 Zegama Marathon Males’s Race
With Kilian Jornet, final yr’s champion and 11-time winner, absent this yr, the door was vast open for a brand new title to be inscribed in Zegama’s historical past books. Elhousine Elazzaoui of Morocco was runner-up in 2024, and has already had a terrific begin to the season, with a win on the Chianti Half Path. He ran a superbly executed race, sticking with the entrance earlier than taking the lead within the final main climb round 12 kilometers from the end. Earlier this week, iRunFar’s knowledge scientists defined how this precise race technique has been essentially the most regularly used to win the race in its lengthy historical past.
Andreu Blanes of Spain was the early chief, pulling away shortly to achieve a one-minute lead over the chasing pack by the primary checkpoint at 8.5k. Though Blanes has been comparatively discrete on the path working circuit lately, his previous achievements embody profitable Sierre-Zinal in 2022 and sixth place within the Basic race on the 2022 World Mountain and Path Operating Championships.
Blanes continued to steer by means of the steep climb to Aratz at 16k and again down into Sancti Spiritu at 20k. A bunch of six runners adopted him round one minute behind, together with Elazzoui, Italian runners Daniel Pattis, Nadir Maguet, and Luca Del Pero, and Thomas Cardin of France.
Elhousine Elazzaoui profitable the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon. Photograph: ©️ Zegama-Aizkorri
Pattis and Elazzaoui used the climb to the ridgeline towards Aketegi to overhaul Blanes. Blanes refused to allow them to get away, nonetheless, clinging on by means of the descent and regaining the lead on the quick, flat part between Oltze and Urdia, between 23k to 29k into the race.
Elazzaoui made his transfer round 30k, powering into the lead within the climb to Andraitz, and from there it was his race. Elhousine Elazzaoui flew down the ultimate descent to win in 3:43:28, over seven minutes forward of second-place finisher Andreu Blanes, who completed in 3:50:53. Daniel Pattis rounded off the rostrum, crossing the road in third in 3:51:40.
Andreu Blanes taking second on the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon. Photograph: ©️ Zegama-Aizkorri
2025 Zegama Marathon Males’s Outcomes
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- Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) – 3:43:28
- Andreu Blanes (Spain) – 3:50:53
- Daniel Pattis (Italy) – 3:51:40
- Luca Del Pero (Italy) – 3:54:19
- Lorenzo Beltrami (Italy) – 3:54:58
- Thomas Cardin (France) – 3:55:34
- Antonio Martínez Pérez (Spain) – 3:56:42
- Nicolás Molina (Spain) – 3:58:51
- Stian Angermund (Norway) – 3:59:46
- Marcin Kubica (Poland) – 3:59:50
(Stian Angermund served a 16-month doping ban after testing constructive for the prohibited masking agent chlortalidone on the 2023 OCC race in France.)
Daniel Pattis end third on the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon. Photograph: ©️ Zegama-Aizkorri
2025 Zegama Marathon Ladies’s Race
Sara Alonso went into the race because the agency native favourite on her first return to Zegama since her third-place end in 2022. Having grown up within the space, her information of the course was second to none, and her sights had been firmly set on a win. She went out laborious, main the race from begin to end and crossing the road in 4:27:25, two minutes forward of second place finisher Judith Wyder of Switzerland. A powerful run from Malen Osa, Alonso’s fellow Basque runner, noticed her transfer by means of the rankings from across the midway level to spherical off the ladies’s podium.
Alonso wasted no time without work the beginning line, transferring shortly up the primary climb by means of the primary checkpoint at 8.5k, arriving virtually a minute forward of the remainder of the sector. Behind her, Wyder led the chasing pack made up of Patricia Pineda of Spain, and native runner Oihana Kortazar, with Sylvia Nordskaar of Norway, the returning champion, simply behind.
The sector separated up the steep climb as much as Aratz, and by the summit at 16.1k, Alonso had prolonged her result in three minutes. Wyder was in second, adopted carefully by Swiss runner Theres Leboeuf, with Rosa Lara Feliu of Spain following behind.
Sara Alonso profitable the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon. Photograph: ©️ Zegama-Aizkorri
After a conservative begin, Osa made a giant transfer by means of the descent into Sancti Spiritu at 20k, coming by means of the checkpoint in sixth place. A powerful climb as much as the race’s highest level, Aitxuri at 23k, noticed her transfer additional up the ranks, and by 26k, she had overtaken Leboeuf and Lara Feliu, working simply behind Wyder in third place.
Alonso continued to energy forward, and by 28.5k she had prolonged her result in over 5 minutes. With one final climb earlier than the ultimate descent to the end, her victory appeared all however sealed. Nonetheless, the remaining podium locations had been nonetheless largely up within the air, with lower than one minute separating the second- by means of fifth-place runners. Wyder was working lower than a minute forward of Osa, who was nonetheless simply forward of Leboeuf and Lara Feliu.
It was an exhilarating near the race. Sara Alonso powered right down to the end, crossing the road to win in 4:27:25. A powerful end from Judith Wyder within the closing kilometers noticed her end second in 4:29:47. Malen Osa held onto her place to cross the road in third place in 4:31:18, lower than one minute forward of Rosa Lara Feliu.
Judith Wyder working close to the Sancti Spiritu checkpoint on her option to ending second on the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon. Photograph: ©️ Zegama-Aizkorri
2025 Zegama Marathon Ladies’s Outcomes
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- Sara Alonso (Spain) – 4:27:25
- Judith Wyder (Switzerland) – 4:29:47
- Malen Osa (Spain) – 4:31:18
- Rosa Lara Feliu (Spain) – 4:32:00
- Theres Leboeuf (Switzerland) – 4:33:29
- Ikram Rharsalla Laktab (Spain) – 4:37:39
- Ida Amelie Robsahm (Norway) – 4:38:41
- Oihana Kortazar (Spain) – 4:42:59
- Patricia Pineda (Spain) – 4:44:22
- Marta Martínez (Spain) – 4:44:29
Malen Osa taking third on the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon. Photograph: ©️ Zegama-Aizkorri
