Elhousine Elazzaoui and Sara Alonso Victorious – iRunFar

The extremely anticipated Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon is without doubt one of the most enjoyable mountain marathons on the worldwide calendar. In a stacked race wrought with excellent 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 came about 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 in the course of 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 usually leads to tough working situations. Nevertheless, a latest spell of dry, sunny climate made for mud-free trails and blistering speeds over the runnable sections.

Learn on for the complete race report.

The beginning of the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon. Photograph: ©️ Zegama-Aizkorri

2025 Zegama Marathon Males’s Race

With Kilian Jornet, final 12 months’s champion and 11-time winner, absent this 12 months, the door was vast open for a brand new identify to be inscribed in Zegama’s historical past books. Elhousine Elazzaoui of Morocco was runner-up in 2024, and has already had an incredible begin to the season, with a win on the Chianti Half Path. He ran a wonderfully 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 information scientists defined how this actual race technique has been probably the most ceaselessly used to win the race in its lengthy historical past.

Andreu Blanes of Spain was the early chief, pulling away rapidly 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 in recent times, his previous achievements embrace profitable Sierre-Zinal in 2022 and sixth place within the Basic race on the 2022 World Mountain and Path Working Championships.

Blanes continued to guide by 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 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

1. 1. Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) – 3:43:28
   2. Andreu Blanes (Spain) – 3:50:53
   3. Daniel Pattis (Italy) – 3:51:40
   4. Luca Del Pero (Italy) – 3:54:19
   5. Lorenzo Beltrami (Italy) – 3:54:58
   6. Thomas Cardin (France) – 3:55:34
   7. Antonio Martínez Pérez (Spain) – 3:56:42
   8. Nicolás Molina (Spain) – 3:58:51
   9. Stian Angermund (Norway) – 3:59:46
   10. Marcin Kubica (Poland) – 3:59:50

Full outcomes.

(Stian Angermund served a 16-month doping ban after testing optimistic 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 Girls’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 data of the course was second to none, and her sights have been firmly set on a win. She went out onerous, 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 the rankings from across the midway level to spherical off the ladies’s podium.

Alonso wasted no day off the beginning line, shifting rapidly up the primary climb by the primary checkpoint at 8.5k, arriving nearly a minute forward of the remainder of the sphere. 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 sphere 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 intently 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 an enormous transfer by the descent into Sancti Spiritu at 20k, coming by 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. Nevertheless, the remaining podium locations have been nonetheless largely up within the air, with lower than one minute separating the second- by 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 solution to ending second on the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon. Photograph: ©️ Zegama-Aizkorri

2025 Zegama Marathon Girls’s Outcomes

1. 1. Sara Alonso (Spain) – 4:27:25
   2. Judith Wyder (Switzerland) – 4:29:47
   3. Malen Osa (Spain) – 4:31:18
   4. Rosa Lara Feliu (Spain) – 4:32:00
   5. Theres Leboeuf (Switzerland) – 4:33:29
   6. Ikram Rharsalla Laktab (Spain) – 4:37:39
   7. Ida Amelie Robsahm (Norway) – 4:38:41
   8. Oihana Kortazar (Spain) – 4:42:59
   9. Patricia Pineda (Spain) – 4:44:22
   10. Marta Martínez (Spain) – 4:44:29

Full outcomes.

Malen Osa taking third on the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon. Photograph: ©️ Zegama-Aizkorri