BREAKING INTO THE ‘TOP 10’ OF THE MiM WILL BE A TRUE FEAT AGAINST A SPECTACULAR FIELD
ASICS Penyagolosa Trails has become a reference in the national and international trail running scene. If last year, the 60-kilometer race, the MiM, surprised us with young promises who kept up with Canales until Xodos, this year again presents a spectacular lineup, so a true battle is expected in the queen race on April 12.
As for the MiM, one of the oldest trail running races in Spain, now reaching its 26th edition, it presents itself as one of the most competitive editions in its history. The three men who took the podium last year are returning. The presence of José Ángel Fernández Canales, two-time winner of the race and current record holder with a time of 5:12:54, stands out. The runner from Jaén has spent the last weeks training at the Sierra Nevada High Performance Center to prepare for his goal.
Still in the men’s category, the record holder will face runners such as Julen Calvó, 2nd in 2024, Víctor del Águila, 3rd in 2024, Kevin Vermeulen, winner in 2022, Mario Olmedo, 2nd in 2023, Anders Kjaerevic, 3rd in 2022, Abel Carretero, 3rd in 2021, or Genís Porqueras, 5th in 2024.
Among other favorites debuting this year we find Portuguese runner Miguel Arsenio, second last year at Templiers and winner at Ultra Pirineu 2023, Romanian Leonard Mitrica, Icelanders Thorbergur Jonsson and Thorsteinn Johannsson, Catalans Marc Bernades and Edu Hernández, Claudio Díaz Castan from Madrid, and Jesús Gil from Castilla-La Mancha.
Among the local runners, the presence of Cristian Callau, Adrià Garcia, Eloy Hornero, or veteran Victor Bernad stands out, all familiar with the race and with an extra dose of motivation for running at home. In the women’s category, provincial participation is led by runners such as Isabel Llorach, Anna Martínez, Sonia Mundina, or Silvia Miralles, after the withdrawal of Carla Pitarch from Els Ibarsos, podium finisher in the last edition.
In the women’s category, the level is no less. The five women who occupied the top five spots last year are back: Gemma Arenas, three victories in the MiM and two in the CSP, Mar Pastor from Alicante, 2nd in 2024, Carla Pitarch, 3rd last year and champion of the Lliga Nord, Inés Astrain from Navarre, and Sara Linde from Norway, 2nd in 2023 and 4th in 2022.
Besides them, running the MiM for the first time are: Virginia Pérez Mesonero, runner-up at Lavaredo last year and runner-up in Spain in 2022, Ecuadorian Jessica Tipán, 3rd in the previous year’s CSP, and Catalans Mireia Pons and Eli Gordón.
In the CSP, in the men’s category, some runners from Castellón have a lot to say, like Dani Colom, current runner-up of the race, and Cristóbal Adell, who with four podiums in the MiM will debut at the longer distance. They will face Agustín Luján, a great expert of the race, or international runners such as Japanese Hirokazu Nishimura, 3rd in 2023, or Russian Aleksei Tolstenko, winner in 2021 and 2nd last year, who is currently facing difficulties obtaining his visa due to cross-border bureaucracy.
In the women’s category, three runners who have occupied podium spots in recent editions will be back: Eli Ríos, champion in 2022, Eva Mesado, with two podiums in the MiM and 2nd in the CSP in 2022, Cris Santurino, 4th in 2024, and Raquel Casares from Castellón, 4th in the MiM in 2022 and 5th in her debut last year in the CSP. Also noteworthy is the return of Mercedes Pila, who already knows what it’s like to win the race twice.
A great lineup of national and international runners that suggests spectacular races. Last year already featured a titanic duel between José Ángel Canales and Julen Calvó, which was resolved around Xodos in the men’s MiM, and a similar battle in the women’s race between Gemma Arenas, Mar Pastor, and Carla Pitarch.
We also relived the victory of Ramón Recatalá, 12 years after the launch of the CSP. On the women’s side, Camille Bruyas shattered all records, winning the race and achieving an extraordinary 4th place overall.