A duel of titans between the runners Marta Molist and Gemma Arenas ended with Marta Molist being the first to cross the finish line at 12:28, with a time of 06:28:04.

Gemma Arenas and Eva Mesado complete MiM’s female podium.

All eyes were on Marta Molist, Gemma Arenas and Eva Mesado, the three runners who have won the Penyagolosa Trails 2021 MiM. The victory however went to Marta Molist, after being the first to finish the race with a time of 06:28:04. This adds another success to her long list of sports achievements. Molist came with the desire to win and she did it, after a titanic fight with Gemma Arenas, who finished second with a time of 06:37:54. During the course of the race both fought for the leadership. Gemma was the head of the race for the first half of the course, but Marta got ahead while passing through Les Useres (31.5km) dominating the entire second half of the course and finally obtaining the victory. Meanwhile, Eva Mesado completes the podium with a time of 06:56:37, reaching the third position, which she maintained throughout the 60km of the Marató i Mitja.

The latest winner, Marta Molist, accumulates a new victory to what is undoubtedly the best year of her sports career. Recent Spanish Ultratrail champion in Tenerife (71km), bronze in the last Skyrunning World Championship and winner of the 100km of the CCC, she has now taken the first position in the Penyagolosa Trails 2021 MiM. Meanwile, Gemma Arenas has three victories in Penyagolosa Trails (one in the 2016 MiM and two in the CSP, in 2017 and 2019), and, this year she placed second in the 100km race of the Salomon Ultra Pirineu and has been proclaimed runner-up in the Skyrunning world championship.

The Aragonese runner crossed the finish line at 11:34am with a time of 05:34:16, winning for the third time the Penyagolosa Trails Marató i Mitja.

José Ángel Fernández and Abel Carretero had magnificent performances placing second and third on the MiM men’s podium.

After a disputed competition, Miguel Caballero eventually became the first to cross the finish line at 11:34 with a time of 05:34:16. Caballero, who had entered Xodos (50.1km) as leader, fought for the victory until the very last moment with José Ángel Fernández, who crossed the finish line second with a time of 05:41:13. Finally, Abel Carretero placed third with a time of 05:45:29, completing a podium in which the authority and experience of the Spanish runners became evident.

Miguel Caballero, as a deep expert over the course and former MiM winner, was eager to reach the top of the ranking again, after winning in 2015 and 2017, and reaching second in 2019. The runner up José Ángel Fernández participated in Penyagolosa Trails after recently winning in Ultra Trail Bosques del Sur 2021 (98km); and bronze medalist Abel Carretero was first in Tenerife Bluetrail 2019 (67km) and eighth in this year’s edition (71km). Not only the Penyagolosa Trails 2021 Marató i Mitja podium was composed of three Spanish athletes, but the fourth place also went to the Spanish – and local – runner Cristóbal Adell. Finally, Czech runner Tomas Hudec crossed the finish line fifth.

The Russian runner crossed the finish line at 11:48 with a time of 11:48:45.

The men’s podium was completed by Spain’s Rodrigo Monasor and Romanian runner Robert Hajnal.

Aleksei Tolstenko was the first man to cross the CSP finish line and, thus, win it, with in a time of 11:48:45 and by a narrow margin. Tolstenko now writes his name with golden letters after his victory at the 2021 Penyagolosa Trails CSP. Tolstenko managed to position himself as head of the race in Culla (63.4km), getting ahead of the Spanish runner Rodrigo Monasor, who held the leadership up until that point. Monasor followed the Russian athlete very closely, disputing an epic race that kept him only five minutes apart despite the slight increase over the last kilometers. A duel of titans that led to the final victory of Russian Aleksei Tolstenko.

Finally, Rodrigo Monasor arrived second at the podium, with a time of 12:07:11; followed by the Romanian runner Robert Hajnal, who started as one of the favorites and got the third position, in a time of 12:08:50, thus completing the podium of the CSP Penyagolosa Trails 2021.

Aleksei Tolstenko, brand new winner of CSP 2021, recently reached the 14th position in Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc UTMB 2021 (171km). Likewise, Rodrigo Monasor finished second in Transgrancanaria HG – Advanced 2021 (63km) and third in Ultrail La Covatilla (74km). It was the first time both runners competed at Penyagolosa Trails. Robert Hajnal, however, disputed the 2018 Penyagolosa Trails World Championship and placed 15th place, reaching that same year the UTMB podium with a second place, only behind Xavier Thévenard; In 2020-21 he won three times: once over Salewa Olympus Mythical Trail 2020 (106km) and twice over Bucovina Ultra Rocks: 110km in 2020 and 86km in in 2021.

The 60 kilometers Marató i Mitja started at 6am at UJI in Castelló and will finish in Sant Joan de Penyagolosa.

At 06:00 on October 16, 2021, from the athletics tracks of the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló, the Penyagolosa Trails MiM runners have started the race that passes through some of the greatest natural treasures of the province of Castellón. The competition is one of the most unique and special editions in the history of the Penyagolosa Trails Marathon and Half Marathon. We remind you the favorites for the triumph.

Men Favorites

The Castellón local Ricardo Cherta (869 ITRA points) dreams of winning Penyagolosa Trails in front of his people, after reaching two podiums at the Skyrunning World Cup. Miguel Caballero (864 ITRA points) already knows what it feels like climbing to the top of the MiM podium, as he won both the 2015 and 2017 editions. Also local from Castellón. Cristóbal Adell (855 ITRA points) deserves to be reckoned, as he won in 2013 and has climbed the podium in the last three editions. Likewise, Pablo Villalobos (859 ITRA points) and the Czech Tomas Hudec (845 ITRA points), fifth and sixth respectively in the Penyagolosa Trails 2019 MiM, have returned with confidence to dispute a great race.

Other names to keep an eye on are Sebas Sanchez (828 ITRA points) and Victor Bernad (796 ITRA points).

Women Favorites

Marta Molist (763 ITRA points) and Gemma Arenas (750 ITRA points) have started as favorites. After being crowned Ultratrail Spanish champion in Tenerife (71km), winning the bronze in the last Skyrunning World Championship, and getting the victory in the 100km of the CCC, Catalan Marta Molist bets on Penyagolosa Trails to climb again to a podium. For her part, Gemma Arenas from La Mancha may achieve her second MiM victory and her fourth in Penyagolosa Trails, after winning the 2016 MiM, the 2017 and 2019 CSP, and placing fourth at the Penyagolosa Trails World Championship. Moreover, this same year, Arenas placed second in the Salomon Ultra Pirineu (100km) and has been proclaimed runner-up in the Skyrunning World Championship.

Marta and Gemma are not the only contenders for victory, and eyes are also on Eva Mesado (707 ITRA points), Patricia Barreda (613 ITRA points), Raquel Casares (605 ITRA points), Ioana Petenchi (640 ITRA points) and Tereza Kubickova (625 ITRA points).

The 110 kilometers ultratrail has started at 00:00 at the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló and will end in Sant Joan de Penyagolosa.

Penyagolosa Trails celebrates the start of the CSP (Castelló-Penyagolosa) in its 2021 edition. This has been an edition meticulously planned by the organization to ensure everyone’s safety. Its starting signal was given at 00:00 at the athletics tracks of Universitat Jaume I of Castelló. We remind you the favorites for the victory.

Men’s Favorites

At the international level, Simen Hjalmar Wästlund (867 ITRA points) and Robert Hajnal (865 ITRA points) stand as a danger for the Spaniards. Hjalmar won the Spartan Trail World Championship 100K in 2020, and has placed 12th in Transgrancanaria HG – Classic 2021 (129km). This is the first time the Swede will run the Penyagolosa Trails, unlike Hajnal. The Romanian athlete, who competed in Penyagolosa Trails in its 2018 edition disputing the World Championship and placed 15th, has returned to Castellón after three years in which he has risen with important victories in the most representative races of Romania. And the Norwegian Tom Erik Halvorsen (785 ITRA points), has returned confident to Penyagolosa Trails (where he placed 14th in the 2018 Trail World Cup), after having won the 95km Fjord Xtreme Triathlon.

At the national level, Jesús Gil García (839 ITRA points) and Ramón Recatalá Vera (833 ITRA points) have started as favorites. Recatalá was the CSP’s first winner in 2012 and, in the last edition, has managed to climb the podium placing third. Other names to keep an eye on are Agustín Lujan Maldonado (826 ITRA points), Jokin Garai (816 ITRA points), and Rodrigo Monasor (812 ITRA points).

Women’s Favorites

In the group of Spaniards, all eyes are on Leire Martínez Herrera (664 ITRA points), third in Penyagolosa Trails CSP 2018 and C.M. Vistabella club athlete María Obrero Catalán (655 ITRA points), second senior at the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc CCC. Esther Hernandez (609 ITRA points), Roser Nicolau (607 ITRA points) and Sonia Chuve (567 ITRA points) are also repeating in the race. At the international level, we highlight the Latvian athlete Anete Svilpe (662 ITRA points) who returns to Penyagolosa Trails after competing in the 2018 edition of the World Championships.

Vicent Marzà, Counsellor of Education, Culture and Sports of Generalitat Valenciana; José Pascual Martí, President of Diputació de Castelló; Tania Baños, Deputy of Sports of Diputació de Castelló; and Juan Miguel Gómez, director of Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, met today with the organization of Penyagolosa Trails.

The 2021 edition of Penyagolosa Trails is just hours away. This is a long-awaited edition that represents a return to the original format of the race, taking all relevant measures to ensure the safety of the agents involved in this event.

The organization wanted to celebrate the immediate start of this new edition by inviting the Counsellor of Education, Culture and Sports of the Generalitat Valenciana, Vicent Marzà; the President of Diputació de Castelló; José Pascual Martí; the Deputy of Sports of Diputació de Castelló, Tania Baños; and the director of Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, Juan Miguel Gómez, to Plaza de las Aulas in Castelló, to thank them for their involvement and support over the past years and, above all, during the covid pandemic health situation experienced, which led to the cancellation of the edition scheduled for 2020.

The sponsors of Penyagolosa Trails 2021 are: Diputació de Castelló as Official Sponsor; Generalitat Valenciana and Trinidad Alfonso Foundation as Main Partners (Comunitat de l’Esport project); FACSA, Endavant Esports – Villarreal CF, Nutrinovex and Anitin as Premium Partners; Universitat Jaume I, Servei d’Esports de la UJI and Patronat Provincial de Turisme as Regional Partners.

Meanwhile, until 9pm today, participants of Penyagolosa Trails will be gathering in the Plaza de las Aulas to collect the runner’s bag and the bib through a system of prior reservation offered by the organization.

The organization of the race will provide runners with a series of indications on safety distances, masks, disinfection and hygiene.

In order to ensure maximum safety during the Penyagolosa Trails races, on October 16 and 17, the organization of the sports event has developed a Covid protocol to all participants and staff involved in the races, both MiM and CSP, before, during and after the event.

Penyagolosa Trails appeals to the individual responsibility of all runners and urges them to consult the official rules of the event, which include indications on the use of masks, safety distances and hygiene guidelines. These recommendations are in line with the latest information provided by the competent health authorities.

Pre-event measures

For the collection of the race bib and runner’s bag on October 15, a phased reservation system has been set up, which can be requested through the Penyagolosa Trails website (www.localhost/penyagolosa). Despite of the organizations careful planning, it is essential to respect the distancing measures at the pick-up point, organized by lanes, with markings on the ground, informative signs and whose accesses will be equipped with hydroalcoholic gel. Likewise, participants must wear masks at all times. The official T-shirt, which will be included in the runner’s bag, will be packed at the factory and no changes will be allowed.

Measures during the race

The start of the CSP and the MiM will take place both from the athletics track of the Universitat Jaume I, the first one at 0:00 on the 16th and the second one at 6:00 on the same day.

In the refreshment areas, with conveniently separated tables, distances will be kept between runners and volunteers, both with masks and the latter with gloves, which will provide the required products without contact in the delivery of food and bottles between them. On the other hand, the resting points next to the refreshment posts, equipped with chairs or benches, will keep a distance from the feeding area and from each other.

When the runners arrive at the finish line, the staff will disinfect the finish line tape after the arrival of the MiM and CSP champions. The finishers, who must use hydroalcoholic gel, will receive their pack, medal and food without physical contact with the staff. This year, given the circumstances, the eating area and massage services will be eliminated. In the medical services, on the other hand, hygiene measures will be taken to the utmost detail by the medical staff.

Measures at the end of the race

During the trophy ceremonies in the absolute categories, the first three finishers of each race will go up to the podium keeping a safe distance and wearing masks, except for the moment of taking the winners photograph, as long as this distance is guaranteed. The trophies will be strictly sanitized and the volunteer delivering them will comply with all the required safety measures. On this occasion, only one VIP will be allowed on stage for each ceremony.

The life bags of each runner, which have been previously marked with their identification, will be delivered by a team of volunteers without physical contact with the participants.

The organization plans to provide participants with hydroalcoholic gel at all recommended points, as well as indicative signs at various locations. Likewise, they will carry out a rigorous disinfection of all areas, surfaces and tools used at the start, refreshment posts and finish line.

Use of masks

During the race, masks must be worn at the following: bib pick-up area, start area up until otherwise signaled, refreshment points, finish area, during medical services, trophy ceremony area, during bus transportation, and in urban areas. In line with the event’s philosophy of respect for the environment and the municipalities on the way to Sant Joan de Penyagolosa, containers will be set up to discard used masks.

The organization of Penyagolosa Trails offers different ways to enjoy the course of the races in person or remotely.

There are five days left for the start of the most awaited sports event in the province of Castellón. The 60km Marató i Mitja (MiM) and the 110km Castelló-Penyagolosa race (CSP) will kick off next Saturday, October 16, and the organization is finalizing all the preparations to cover the event and broadcast it through different channels, in order to offer the best experience to runners, companions and trail lovers.

On the one hand, the app Live Trail will be the main tool for real-time monitoring of the Penyagolosa Trails runners. It is an app of great prestige in this sports field. In it users can identify runners, detect at all times at what checkpoints they are, and know the estimated times in which they will reach the next refreshment point and the finish area. The app is a very useful tool, especially for those partners and family members who move between checkpoints to encourage their athletes.

This year, Penyagolosa Trails will also have a special program on the regional channel À Punt, which will be broadcasted on Sunday, October 17 from 11:00. The television program will report the summary of the start and finish, as well as the monitoring with six cameramen and several drone aerial views of the race’s leaders (both in men’s and women’s categories) during the stretch between Xodos and Sant Joan de Penyagolosa. This shall be an important media deployment, given the difficult terrain conditions and the scarce coverage in the area.

Also, the organization will broadcast the key moments of both races through the social media profiles of Penyagolosa Trails, specifically on Facebook (@penyagolosatrails), Twitter (@PenyagolosaTr) and Instagram (@penyagolosatrails). Those interested will be able to follow and interact with the hashtag #PenyagolosaTrails to be in in every detail.

 

Accompanying persons

People who wish to travel to watch the races live and cheer on the runners will also be able to do so, although with certain limitations for covid-related health reasons. Accompanying persons will be able to watch the start of the two races (at 00:00 for the CSP and at 06:00am for the MiM) from the athletics tracks of the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló (UJI), always keeping a safe distance, wearing a mask and respecting, at all times, the measures stipulated by the organization.

From that moment on, accompanying persons will be able to move with their own vehicles to different refreshment points, except for La Bassa (22.9km, MiM and CSP), La Banyadera (56.8km, MiM), Sant Bertomeu (73.8km, CSP) and El Collao (98.3km, CSP), where external assistance is not allowed. To go up to Sant Joan de Penyagolosa, the organization of Penyagolosa Trails will provide shuttle buses, which will depart from the parking located in the surroundings of Vistabella.

On this occasion, for health and environmental reasons, the awards ceremony will not be held in Sant Joan de Penyagolosa as in previous years, but will take place in Vistabella, as this will be the main point of meeting and celebration between runners, families, volunteers and organization.

Both the bag and the local products are aligned with the sustainable and environmentally conscious spirit of Penyagolosa Trails. 

As every year, Penyagolosa Trails gives the participants of both the MiM (Marató i Mitja, 60km long) and the CSP (Castelló-Penyagolosa, 110km long) their now traditional runner’s bag, which includes gifts from the race and the sponsors that support it. The runner’s bag will be handed out together with the race bib on 15th October, between 11:00 and 21:00 at Plaza de las Aulas in Castelló, a day before the start of the race.

The Penyagolosa Trails organizers, with the aim of avoiding crowds and providing a better service to runners, have set up a reservation system for the collection of the race bib and runner’s bag. To make a reservation, participants must access their personal area and then the registration list on the website (www.localhost/penyagolosa).

The runner’s bag contains the official Penyagolosa Trails 2021 T-shirt, created by Sport HG; a selection of typical local products, with the aim of presenting the gastronomic wealth of the province, caring for the environment and supporting sustainability; Nutrinovex soft flasks, in a 500ml format; stickers, donuts with sunflower seeds from Anitin and a HG collar cap. All of this will go inside an organic cotton backpack, following the Penyagolosa Trails philosophy of generating as little environmental impact as possible. 

Penyagolosa Trails will take place on October 16 and 17, starting in Castelló de la Plana and finishing in Sant Joan de Penyagolosa.

Diputació de Castelló, Official Sponsor of the event, has renewed its support for Penyagolosa Trails, reinforcing the province as a national and international sports venue. 

Penyagolosa Trails celebrates Diputació de Castelló’s firm commitment to promote the province through the organization of a sports event of this magnitude. Diputació de Castelló is once again an Official Sponsor of the event, projecting the province of Castellón as a top-level sports venue. Penyagolosa Trails is an important race in the national and international sports calendar that not only promotes sport, but also consolidates itself as an excellent tourist attraction, generating a positive impact on the economic fabric of Castellón, enhancing the value of the territory brand for the province.

The organizers of Penyagolosa Trails indicate that, of the 1,800 participants who will run the CSP (110 kilometers) and the MiM (60 kilometers), 90% are men and 10% are women. In terms of demographic data at a domestic level, it is worth noting that 85% of those registered come from the Valencia Region, and of these, 51% are from the province of Castellón. Likewise, 5% of the participants in Penyagolosa Trails are foreigners, an admirable percentage after this singular year with an ongoing pandemic, with France and the United Kingdom standing out. It should be noted that all of them come with a vaccination certificate, a recovery certificate, a negative PCR certificate (whose sample must have been taken within 72 hours prior to arrival in Spain) or a negative certificate of antigens (taken within 48 hours prior to entry into the country).

After cancelling its 2020 edition, and overcoming a period marked by the global health and economic crisis, in which many industries saw their activity paralyzed. The visit of runners and accompanying persons to the municipalities through which both races take place during its celebration weekend (from 15 to 17 October) brings with it the registration of tourist overnight stays and the generation of activity in local businesses. In so doing Penyagolosa Trails supports the return of the province’s tourism industry. It should be noted that the organizers have established a series of strict safety measures to guarantee the health of all those involved, including the obligatory use of masks at the entrances to certain services and on sections of the route which cross an urban center.

Diputació de Castelló, under the brand “Castellón, escenario deportivo”, values the combo of tourism and sports. Once again they support Penyagolosa Trails as a sports event that has become a benchmark for Trail Running and that promotes Castellón as a territory of great value to visit, and to practice and compete in outdoor sports.

About the Penyagolosa Trails 2021 trophy

Tania Baños, head of the Sports Department of the Diputació de Castelló and Tico Cervera, director of Penyagolosa Trails, have posed with the trophy that the winners of Penyagolosa Trails 2021 will receive. Designed by the renowned artist Manuel Sáez, the trophy was born from the crossing between the real and metaphorical footprints left by the pilgrims of Les Useres, with the trail that the athletes follow in the race, sharing a territory that they feel as their own. The trophy represents a footprint that, in three dimensions, is literally reminiscent of a foot. It is a small sculpture that takes shape by chaining one oval shape after another, which is an element that in different cultures symbolizes eternity. For this edition, the trophy has been designed in purple, a color associated with the feminist movement, which represents a significant change after the blue and green colours used in the two previous editions (2018 and 2019 respectively).