SOBRESCOBIO SKYRACE, SPAIN. GOLD LUCILLE GERMAIN AND LUCA DEL PERO. RESULTS BY MAYAYO.

SOBRESCOBIO SKYRACE, SPAIN. GOLD LUCILLE GERMAIN AND LUCA DEL PERO. RESULTS BY MAYAYO. Our SKYRUNNING brings us the results of the Asturian race

Luca Del Pero italian and Lucille Germain of France, won the Sobrescobio Skyrace. Where 450 runners from around the world braved tough conditions with heavy rain and strong winds on technical and muddy terrain in the Natural Park of Redes, Asturias.

 

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SOBRESCOBIO SKYRACE, SPAIN. SKYRUNNER WORLD SERIES.

GOLD LUCILLE GERMAIN AND LUCA DEL PERO

Asturias hosted an unforgettable race for the Merrell Skyrunner World Series, with Luca Del Pero and Lucille Germain securing top honors amidst tough weather conditions. The race unfolded under demanding weather, with constant rain and cold temperatures, which only increased the significance of the participants’ achievements

Men’s race

Del Pero, from Team Scarpa, set an intense pace from the start, finishing the race in 2:49:26, nearly ten minutes faster than his nearest competitor, Manu Merillas (New Balance), who finished second in 2:50:03. Antonio Martinez (ASICS) rounded out the podium six minutes behind Merillas, while Aitor Blanco and Martin Nilsson completed the men’s top five, each fighting through the course’s challenging descents and inclines.

Del Pero, comments: “Until the last moments I had doubts if I could take the victory. It was very difficult to get ahead of Manu Merillas and it was a great battle between the two of us”.

Merillas comments: “I was always between 15 and 30 seconds ahead of Luca. On the downhills I fell back, but on the climbs I was able to pull away. It was a really fun race… I didn’t even look at the clock!”

Women’s race

On the women’s side, France’s Lucille Germain of Team SIDAS MATRYX took command early, finishing in 3:25:35 and creating a substantial lead over runner-up Oihana Kortazar (Salomon) from Spain, who crossed the finish line nearly twelve minutes later. Júlia Font of Brooks completed the women’s podium with a time of 3:38:20. The women’s Top 5 was completed by the British, Nichola Jackson (team Inov8), and the Basque Ainara Alcuaz.

Female winner, Lucille Germain, comments: “It was incredible. At the beginning I was behind Oihana, but then I felt strong and had speed in my legs so I passed her, and as I didn’t have the split times I pushed and pushed until the end. It was a good race for the final, great to gain confidence”. 

Oihana Kortazar comments: “It was a very hard fought race. I knew that on the first descent Lucille was going to pass me because she descends very well and I did not want to risk falling, so I tried hard to keep the second position, because Júlia was also coming strong. Although I enjoyed myself a lot, I also suffered because the descents were nerve-wracking”. 

Reactions

Race Director Juan Fuego expressed pride in the local athletes competing against world-class runners. “This year’s race has been very exciting. To have many of our local runners competing with some of the best athletes in the world makes me very proud and excited about what we have achieved.”  “The weather conditions today were really tough. It rained all morning and it was very cold outside. I want to mention the great work of all the volunteers who helped with all the runners along the course – they did an excellent job and I am more than proud of them”. “Having our race in the Merrell Skyrunner World Series is an honor and despite the rain, most of the runners enjoyed the race and we made them feel very happy during their stay in Asturias.” 

Merrell Skyrunner® World Series representative, Seana Forbes, added: “It has been an incredible day here in Asturias. Despite the weather conditions, the race was a great success and we witnessed some impressive performances from Luca and Lucille, as well as everyone else who braved the conditions. The local community welcomed SWS with open arms and Asturias has been a great host.”  

Finally, Forbes noted that, “the overall ranking of the circuit undergoes considerable changes after today’s victories by Luca Del Pero and Lucille Germain, and yesterday’s wins by Italian athlete Gianluca Ghiano and Anastasia Rubtsova at the 2Peaks Skyrace in South Korea. We are now one step closer to the final and it is still as unpredictable as ever‘,  she concluded.

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SOBRESCOBIO SKYRACE: The course

The circular route of Sobrescobio Skyrace, starts and finishes in Rioseco and runs along the Redes National Park and Biosphere Reserve, known for its impressive forests, rocky ridges and muddy paths. The 32-kilometer route with 2,100 meters of elevation gain offers athletes the classic and characteristic steep climbs of skyrunning, as well as fast descents and some stretches of technical terrain where concentration will play a key role.

Juan Fuego, race director, comments: “We are delighted to host one of the races of the Skyrunner World Series in Sobrescobio, and we are very excited to show this place to the skyrunning community. The level of the runners will be very high, there are many interesting names on both the men’s and women’s side and we are sure they will put on a great show. The EDP Sobrescobio Redes Trail is special for having an incredible route through the Natural Park of Redes in the autumn season, when it reaches its maximum splendor. The passage through its meadows, forests and villages makes the race unique for runners.”  

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SKYRUNNING 2024 CALENDAR

Sobrescobio race was added later.

1. 2nd May – Acantilados del Norte – La Palma, Spain – 29km, 2,250m+
2. 6th April – Calamorro Skyrace – Benálmadena, Spain – 27km, 2,270m+
3. 4th May – Skyrace des Matheysins – St Honoré, France – 25km, 2,000m+
4. 18th May – Skyraces Des Gorges Du Tarn – Ste Enimie, France – 24km, 1,800m+
5. 25th May – Orizaba Skyrace – Orizaba, Mexico – 45km, 3,200m+
6. 1st June – Hochkönigman Skyrace – Maria Alm, Austria – 31km, 2,600m+
7. 15th June – Madeira Skyrace – Santana, Portugal – 45km, 3,600m+
8. 22nd June – Minotaur Skyrace – Crowsnest Pass, Canada – 33km, 2,900m+
9. 23rd June – Skyrace du Mercantour – Saint Martin Vesubie, France – 30km, 2,150m+
10. 29th June – Kaiserkrone Skyrace – Scheffau, Austria – 25km, 2,770m+
11. 6th June – Cordillera Blanca Skyrace – Huaraz, Peru – 27km, 1,550m+
12. 23rd August – Matterhorn Ultraks « EXTREME » – Zermatt, Switzerland – 25km, 2,900m+
13. 25th August – Trofeo KIMA – Valmasino, Italy – 52km, 4,200m+
14. 22nd September – Maga SkyMarathon – Zorzone, Italy – 39km, 3,000m+
15. 28th September – Gorbeia Suzien – Zeanuri, Spain – 32km, 2,400m+
16. 12th October – Limone Extreme Skyrace – Limone, Italy – 22km, 2,200m+
17. 26th October – 2 Peaks Skyrace – Ulju County, South Korea – 26km, 2,080m+
17. 27th October – Sobrescobio Skyrace – Spain – 32km, 2,100m+
18. 2nd November – Kailas Penang Skyrace – Penang, Malaysia – 42km, 3,800m+
19. 9th November – Sagalassos Skyrace – Burdur, Turkey – 27km, 2,200m+

SKYMASTERS

20. 16th November – Marato dels Dements – Eslida-Aín, Spain – 42km, 3,800m+

As in previous years, the SkyMasters is reserved for athletes who have qualified throughout the season only. Qualification criteria will be published at the time of the event announcement, early next year.

 

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