December 14

SPAIN’S TRAIL RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIP 2020 BY REGIONS: VALENCIA AND CATALONIA WIN GOLD. ANDREU BLANES AND SARA ALONSO WIN.

Posted by Héctor Rubio on December 14, 2020 in trail running spain | Leave a comment

SPAIN TRAIL RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIP 2020: Gold for Valencia and Catalonia. Andreu Blanes and Sara Alonso won. The race was developed in Classic Mountain Race WMRA mode, on a 21k/D+872m trace. Since 1985 the WMRA World Cup has hosted this specialty, where Spain has been less competitive than in its sisters Uphill (Vertical) Long Distance (Maraton) or Ultras, who arrived later. This 2021 both the European and the World Cup will have the CLASSIC one again.

Catalonia came as a favorite to revalidate the 2019 double. It couldn’t happen. The women got it, with splendid Gisela Carrión (2nd) Marta Molist (3rd) and Anna Comet (5th). In men category however, Valencia, Andalusia and Murcia ended up in front.

SPAIN TRAIL RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIP 2020.
VALENCIA GOLD AND CATALONIA. ANDREU BLANES AND SARA ALONSO WIN

THE PLOT. CLASSIC WMRA MOUNTAIN RACE. The race occured in the classic modality, the original of the mountain races from 1985 until today. Not only is it original in international mountain racing, but it will be present at the European and World CHampionships in 2021. After the RFEA (Spanish Athletics Royal Federation) Individual Championship in El Reventón on the 44km LONG DISTANCE MOUNTAIN RACE WMRA, it was logical that yesterday here it would bet on the Classic.

As Juan Carlos Granado of RFEA noted during the race: This event has served to identify athletes with the potential to be in the Classic race in the European and World Championships in2021. At the 2019 World Cup, Spain won three medals in Long Distance… but left the Classic deserted, where the USA thus achieved a double with Grayson Murphy and Joe Gray who left them in front in the final medals counting.

The start and finish line were located on the Sant Josep de Sa Talaia football field. The absolute category started at 11:00. It had a 21km track for a cumulative elevation of +782m. The layout was pure CLASSIC: It had nothing to do with an Athletics Cross, very different both on unevenness and in terrain type. Not even with the most common LONG DISTANCE races in Spain, mountain marathons. South of the Pyrenees, WMRA’s long races usually have 42k-45k and altitudes from 2,750m of the veteran Madrileño Alpine Marathon to 3,900m of the Alpine Canfranc Marathon.

Similarly, a promotion category was run on an 8km track and its accumulated elevation of +425m. In the main race, the Organization had two aid stations, located approximately at kilometer 7.6 and 14.1.

SPAIN TRAIL RUNNING 2020 MALE CHAMPIONSHIP:
VALENCIA WIN AND ANDREU BLANES

With good weather and a quiet day, the departure was done in a staggered way: Every 30 seconds the drawers were coming out, with maximum groups of 10 people, one per team present. Athletes had to carry with the usual containers, whistle, mobile phone, chip, thermal blanket and bibs, a mask. The mask was not necessary in competition, but on the starting line and after crossing the finish line.

In the male category, ten Regional Federations competed in Ibiza: Andalusia, Aragon, the Canary Islands, Castilla y León, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Balearic Islands, Madrid, Murcia and Navarra added 49 bibs. A year ago, in Murcia, Catalonia, Andalusia and Castilla y León completed the first podium in the history of this Championship.

VALENCIA , THE SURPRISE IN 2020.

The 2020 gold goes to VALENCIA, in a big way: it arrived with an exceptional Andreu Blanes as leader, who came from scoring 1h.0341 in the Valencia Half Marathon. Andreu won with a spectacular 1h21m27s. Again, he proved that he is probably the most versatile athlete in our country today, with achievements such as the 8:33 in 3000 steeplechase, top10 world championship orientation or top15 in Spain cross Championship.

He was joined by another proven elite, Antonio Martínez, who already boarded the 2019 World Cups by signing top10 in both and coming from winning the 16k Canfranc. Antonio complied by signing a top5 with a time of 1h25m40s. Ricardo Cherta tied valencian gold, with 8th place and a time of 1h27m01.

Silver was for a solid ANDALUCIA that repeated podium after 2019. The white-green team was led in a great career of two of its components. First a combative Mario Olmedo, who finished fourth with 1h25m28s fighting bronze to the end. And after him, with the sixth place the young Juan Javier Jiménez Oller with 1h25m59s. Alvaro Gomez’s 12th place with 1h29m03s finished mooring the second drawer for Andalusia.

The final bronze was for a brilliant MURCIA TEAM. Alejandro García with his third absolute place and Zaid Ait Malek with the seventh were next to the top15 of Santiago Pérez the three pillars of the revelation of the day. A success that also consolidates Alejandro García among the elite of our country’s mountain races, following the good results noted in previous races.

A BAD DAY CONDEMNS CATALONIA OFF THE PODIUM

Catalonia came as a big favorite to revalidate the title achieved in the first edition. It featured Andreu Simón, Spanish trail running champion 2020 among his ranks. Also with talents such as Eduard Hernández, champion of the Half Marathon 3 Days or an Abel Carretero who this year signed the Spanish vertical record.
Unfortunately, although Andreu responded by signing a good silver after a brilliant Blanes, Iquel Corbera with 11th place was the solid support that kept Catalonia close to the podium, but it was not enough. Eduard did not have his best day and suffered to make a top15. Worse still for Abel, who was disqualified in the race. Thus, Catalonia was left off the podium in the men’s race.

SPAIN TRAIL RUNNING 2020 WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
CATALONIA AND SARA ALONSO WIN

In the women’s category there were also ten Regional Federations represented: Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Extremadura, Balearic Islands, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra and The Basque Country will add 41 bibs. A year ago, the podium went to Catalonia, Murcia and Andalusia.

CATALONIA was a favorite to revalidate women’s title and embroidered it, with outstanding gold. The Catalan team was a dream team with enormous depth. It has two medalists from the last Spanish Trail Running Championship: Spanish champion Gisela Carrión, who today signed silver and the third ranked in El Paso, Marta Molist who added bronze again here. In addition, they are also part of the Anna Commet team, fifth today in goal.

Silver for CANARIAS is a well-deserved award for serious work in the Islands. Illusion and a lot of base work make the Canarian elite more and more projected in mountain races. Runners such as Aroa Merino, (6th), Elsa Padrón (12th) and Estela Guerra (13th) are the ones who have made this achievement possible today.
MADRID signs a bronze with an award for creativity. The Madrid national team set out to offer this modalid to athletes with extensive experience in other tests. Thus, the Madrid triplet in goal was composed of runners over thirty years old all, but perhaps not well known in mountain races. Thus, the landing of Elena García Grimau served to put a runner in absolute top10, then aimed at the goals of veteran Charlotte Coton (11th) and Elena Lorenzo (17th)