May
29
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ZEGAMA AIZKORRI ALPINE MARATHON 2017 GOES TO STIAN ARGENMUND AND MAITE MAIORA, WITH NEW CR.
The Zegama-Aizkorri 2017 marathon has crowned Stian Argenmund and Maite Maiora, who also set new course records. The 16th edition was ran yesterday at the Basque Country in Spain under fresh but dry weather, in what promised to be most open field of the last years, due to the absence of such dominant players as Kilian Jornet, Tadei Pvik or Luis Alberto Hernando.
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Stian Angermund-Vik (3h45’08 ”) and Maite Maiora (4h34’27 ”) won this Zegama runing under the heat, wind and over a terrain with less mud than usual, while Marco De Gasperi and Marc Lauenstein completed the men’s podium, and Silvia Rampazzo and Sheila Avilés took second and third in the women’s race
Race report, results and photos in spanish here at CARRERASDEMONTANA.COM
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ZEGAMA AIZKORRI 2017 MARATHON: RACE REPORT.
The Zegama Aizkorri marathon arrived this 2017 to his 16th edition under a most friendly meteo. Although many trail fans do associate it with rain, clouds and permanent mud, the truth is that we have also had some editions under strong heat, such as it happened back in 2013.
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This year, Zegama alpine marathon arrived with sun. Plus some cool wind, somewhat drier terrain and clearer sky than usual, which undoubtedly has favored the achievement of the new course records, in as much as the ever rising quality of the leading runners in the sport. The classic track of 42km / D + 2,736m saw the pelotón setting off to a very high pace, running below the rythm of Kilian Jornet record (2014) and that of Emanuela Brizio (2009). In fact, on the 35km mark, the leader Stian was almost 5 minutes below Kilian´s record, although in the final stretch he did seem to ease out just a bit, as compared to the somewhat mythical race of 2014 where Kilian Jornet, Marco de Gasperi and Luis Alberto Hernando left a historic podium, and where tthis year´s winner Maite Maiora was bronze after Stevie Kremer and Elisa Desco.
In any case, for this Zegama 2017 we celebrate new records by Stian Angermund-Vik and Maite Maiora, and most impressive they are as they bring down for more than 3 minutes the men’s category (3h45’08 “) and almost four in the women’s (4h34’27” ).
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Norwegian Stian Angermund-Vik reached this event for the first time and has done it in a big way, signing a historic double: On Friday he won the Vertical Kilometer and today Sunday was the first to cross the goal of the marathon. Marco Di Gasperi, who already achieved silver after Kilian back in 2014, came back to it again, this time also lowering Jornet’s record. The podium was completed by another Salomon runner, Marc Lauenstein who came in third after being second the previous year.
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Angermund has proven yet again that he’s tops in both the VK and Sky Classic categories after clinching the win in Friday’s Vertical Kilometer World Circuit race here. As reigning World Champion title for the combined title, it’s evident he excels in the double challenge.
Italian Marco De Gasperi, after announcing it would be his last race here, was an excellent second in 3h48’19”, just 3” off the previous record set by Kilian Jornet. Marc Lauenstein from Switzerland dropped from his 2016 second place to third, but shaved six minutes off his time, crossing the finish line in 3h53’20”.
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Angermund-Vik declared: “It was the most crazy and fantastic race I have ever done. The people here gave me so much energy at the Sancti Spiritu. I never experienced anything similar. I love Zegama!. I didn’t focus on the record. I think the conditions were quite good today so I wasn’t sure I was running ahead of the record. The last 12k was so painful. I was ready to lay down. I was so happy but so exhausted, too tired to think, to stand up. It was so fantastic, not the last time I’ll be here. I’ll come back!”
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In the women’s race, Maite Maiora was the local´s favorite, and won to great acclamtion from the crowd confirming the great sensations that she had been delivering over the last weeks, where she proclaimed herself as champion of Spain of the vertical kilometer. Italian Silvia Rampazzo and young Sheila Avilés have completed the podium. The new women´s record holder Maite Maiora also holds the Skyrunning World Championships combined title and is a four-time veteran of the race. Finally, she took the win and smashed the long-standing record set by Emanuela Brizio in 2008 by nearly four minutes. In second place, also below record time, Italian Silvia Rampazzo in 4h37’17” and third, Spaniard Sheila Avilés in 4h43’24”.
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Maite Maiora declared: “I was very focussed, keeping a cold head the whole time,” commented Maiora. “It’s something I’ve been working on for months and today, I put it in practice. It’s really emotional to win here, everything is really special, a dream. One of the reasons I run in the mountains is for the Zegama marathon. The dream has become reality. I thought the record would be impossible. I trained here in Zegama several times and I knew that I could go below five hours, but not get the record. I knew I was in good shape and I knew if I kept a strong rhythm, few could keep up with me, so I concentrated on that.”
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ZEGAMA AIZKORRI MARATHON 2017: RACE RESULTS.
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Men
Stian Angermund-Vik (NOR) – 3h45’05”
Marco De Gasperi (ITA) – 3h48’19”
Marc Lauenstein (SUI) – 3h53’20”
Aritz Egea (ESP) – 3h55’41”
Adrien Michaud (FRA) – 3h56’33”
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Women
Maite Maiora (ESP) – 4h34’27”
Silvia Rampazzo (ITA) – 4h37’17”
Sheila Avilés (ESP) – 4h43’24”
Oihana Azkorbebeitia (ESP) – 4h47’38”
Celia Chiron (FRA) – 4h48’09”
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ZEGAMA AIZKORRI ALPINE MARATHON: PHOTOGALLERY.
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MORE ON SKIMO, TRAIL RUNNING AND MOUNTAIN GEAR
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Info by Mayayo Oxígeno for Trailrunningspain
