Hannes Namberger wins with a record in CSP, Kevin Vermeulen wins in the best MiM of its history and Eli Rios wins the female CSP
Penyagolosa Trails promised one of the best editions in its history and expectations have been met. Very fast and closely contested races that have been resolved with very tight finishes in the MiM and with a spectacular record from the Hannes Namberger race. Frenchman Kevin Vermeulen beat Aritz Egea for a few seconds, who was proclaimed Spanish champion of Ultra Trail Running of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation. In the female category, Marta Molist has beaten Gemma Arenas and Mónica Vives, in another tight final.
Not even the cold, wind and rain have stopped the runners who have flown through the Penyagolosa Trails trails today. The long-awaited edition of the MiM brought together the best poster in history and a very high race pace has been imposed. In the first part of the race, the great entertainer was Anders Kjaerevik, who was the leader at the Bassa and Les Useres aid stations. There it was already foreseen that everything could be decided in the final part, since the differences were very small and in less than 5 minutes more than a ten athletes marched. In the female category the same thing happened, Mónica Vives, Marta Molist and Gemma Arenas fought one on one with few differences. At Torroselles (km 41), Vermeulen caught up with Kjaerevik and at Xodos (km 50), Aritz Egea overtook the Frenchman. Behind the fight continued with runners like Borja Fernández or José Ángel Fernández who continued to advance a short distance from the head of the race. The Cantabrian, winner in 2019, has gone back to more like in that edition and in the Marinet he has been progressing. Vermeulen and Aritz fought one on one at Marinet and Banyadera, a point 3 kilometers from the finish line where they passed together. In the end, Aritz paid off the effort and Vermeulen won with an incredible time of 5:20:15, ahead of the Basque by 24 seconds. The podium was completed by Anders Kjaerevik, 4:18 behind the winner. In this way, Aritz Egea has been proclaimed champion of Spain, with Borja Fernández (4th in the MiM) second and José Ángel Fernández (5th in the MiM) third. While in the women’s category, Marta Molist has put one more gear after Les Useres and has managed to gain an advantage that in the end would be decisive. However, despite the fact that the winner of the MiM 2021 has lowered last year’s mark (6:19:08 today), Gemma Arenas and Mónica Vives have sold the defeat very dearly and in the end the three have entered in 8 minutes of difference.
Hannes Namberger and Eli Ríos win in CSP
The German Hannes Namberger started as the big favorite in the CSP and has met the predictions. The runner has set a strong pace from the start and has achieved distances that have gradually increased. In the first part of the race, the difference with Dani Jung was 6-7 minutes, but on the climb to Culla he gained a significant advantage. As the race progressed, the German was flying and setting stratospheric partials. So much so that he was the first runner in history to drop below 11 hours, setting a record of 10:49:46. Behind him, Dani Jung and Mark Darbyshire arrived and completed the podium
In the women’s category, the Bolivian Eli Ríos has beaten Eva Mesado and has achieved her first victory in the CSP. The Castellón runner has led the first part of the race, but Eli has overtaken her after she became daylight. In the end, 13:56:19 minutes for the winner, prevailing by 20 minutes.
A day for history
Penyagolosa Trails has experienced a historic day. In the previous edition, this edition was already compared to that of the Trails World Championships due to the expectation, the title at stake and the atmosphere. And so it has been, with the fans dedicated and some races to remember. The race director, Tico Cervera, pointed out that “it is very special that the MiM has hosted the Spanish Championship and that it has done it again with races that we will remember for a long time”. In addition, Cervera wanted to once again thank the sponsors for their support, especially the Diputació de Castelló, the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation and the Generalitat Valenciana. And he has also remembered “all the work carried out by the collaborating clubs, the volunteers and the entire human and technical team that has been behind this edition”.
This year, the races have been followed live on the website www.localhost/penyagolosa and also on À Punt, Teledeporte and Esport 3, with an unprecedented technical deployment, with 25 people working to overcome all the technical difficulties that this tour.