Sweden’s Tove Alexandersson (pre-race and post-race interviews) received the 2026 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon and smashed the ladies’s course report with a time of 4:08:09, whereas Morocco’s Elhousine Elazzaoui (pre-race and post-race interviews) edged Italy’s Daniel Pattis (pre-race interview) to repeat as males’s winner in 3:45:07.
Sweden’s Tove Alexandersson on her solution to profitable the 2026 Zegama Marathon. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
The race across the Aizkorri Massif began at 9 a.m. native time on Sunday, Might 17. Rain within the days main as much as the race and even snow up excessive made for muddy trails, however the skies have been dry on race day. It was the race’s twenty fifth yr, the primary race of this yr’s Golden Path World Collection, and there was once more a fully electrical ambiance with hundreds of spectators lining the Basque Nation course. There was a 3,000 Euro money prize to the winners, with prize cash paid 10 deep.
Alexandersson led all the girls’s race, and even with tough situations, broke Nienke Brinkman’s 4:16:43 course report, which had stood since 2022. Alexandersson completed over eight minutes higher than historical past, and he or she was nearly 16 minutes higher than second-place Malen Osa from Spain. In a efficiency paying homage to her fall 2025 Path World Championships Quick Path win, Alexandersson actually appears to be like to be racing at a stage higher than everybody else.
Within the males’s race, Switzerland’s Rémi Bonnet (pre-race interview) blitzed the early climbs and went method up on target report tempo, set by Kilian Jornet in 2022 at 3:36:40. Elazzaoui and Pattis chased him down close to the midway level, and Elazzaoui acquired away from Pattis on the ultimate downhill to win by 20 seconds.
The beginning of the 2026 Zegama Marathon. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
The race was run on an historic loop that began and completed within the village of Zegama in northeastern Spain. The course climbed 4 of the very best peaks within the space — Aratz, Aizkorri, Aitxuri, and Andraitz — after which descended again to Zegama. The mountain course has 2,736 meters (8,976 toes) of climbing over 42 kilometers (26.2 miles). The primary 16k was almost all up because the race climbed as much as Aratz earlier than briefly dropping again down forward of the Sancti Spiritu climb at 20k. That is the “wall of noise” the race has develop into recognized for, and spectators lined the steep 600-meter climb 10-deep on both aspect. The cycle repeated with one other spectator-lined downhill and climb, and a ultimate 12k descent again to Zegama, the place hundreds of followers awaited the runners.
Learn on to see the way it all performed out.
2026 Zegama Marathon Girls’s Race
Defending champion Sara Alonso (pre-race interview) of Spain and Tove Alexandersson (pre-race and post-race interviews) of Sweden stood aspect by aspect initially, however that was the final time Alonso or anybody else would see Alexandersson, as she moved to a fast early lead that ballooned by the tip of the race.
A multisport athlete and a multi-time world champion throughout path working, orienteering, ski orienteering, and ski mountaineering, Alexandersson is, for the primary time, prioritizing path working in 2026. She was on target in Spain for greater than every week forward of race day, and her talent and health seem with out parallel.
Tove Alexandersson ascends by way of the well-known crowds of Sancti Spiritu through the 2026 Zegama Marathon. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Racing on muddy trails and at Zegama for the primary time, Alexandersson was sporting full-length tights, just like the 2025 Path World Championships race, when she received by 34 minutes towards a world-class area.
Alexandersson already had a two-minute lead on Alonso on the 8.5-kilometer checkpoint, and Norway’s Ida Amelie Robsahm was in third forward of fourth-place Judith Wyder (pre-race interview) of Switzerland.
Regardless of the course situations, initially thought to have taken away any probability of a course report, Alexandersson was solely 14 seconds behind Nienke Brinkman’s 2022 report break up on the 13.5k mark. Her lead over Alonso was now almost 4 minutes. Robsahm was nonetheless third, however María Fuentes from Spain had moved to fourth as Wyder began to fall additional again.
Malen Osa of Spain begins the ultimate descent of the 2026 Zegama Marathon, the place she’d take second. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
At 16k, after the race’s first large climb, Alexandersson was now 15 seconds forward of Brinkman’s report. She’d proceed to place extra time into the report for the remainder of the race. Alonso was nonetheless second right here, and 45 seconds behind her profitable tempo from final yr. After a affected person begin, Malen Osa (Spain) moved into fifth for the primary time on the day, and he or she’d transfer up the remainder of the way in which.
Close to the midway level at 23k, Alexandersson’s runaway lead had grown to 11 minutes, and he or she was now over three minutes sooner than course report tempo. Alonso was nonetheless second, however Osa lurked solely 38 seconds again and would overtake Alonso throughout the subsequent 5k.
The rostrum positions — Alexandersson, Osa, and Alonso — have been thus locked in the remainder of the way in which.
Sara Alonso of Spain took third on the 2026 Zegama Marathon. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Tove Alexandersson would proceed to achieve time on the report by way of the race’s second half and win in 4:08:09.
Native runner Malen Osa completed in 4:23:56 for second. Osa’s time was a giant enchancment on her 4:35 from 2024 and 4:31 from 2025, and the race’s third-fastest end ever, trailing solely Alexandersson and Brinkman. It was her third straight podium end right here, too.
The defending champion from 2025, Sara Alonso, additionally an area runner, was third in 4:25:51.
Ida Amelie Robsahm was by no means any worse than fourth and completed there in 4:28:19. Equally, María Fuentes was by no means any worse than fifth and completed there in 4:33:10.
Spain’s María Fuentes was a crowd favourite on the Sancti Spiritu climb of the 2026 Zegama Marathon. She would finally end fifth. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
2026 Zegama Marathon Girls’s Outcomes
- Tove Alexandersson (Sweden) – 4:08:09 (pre-race and post-race interviews)
- Malen Osa (Spain) – 4:23:56
- Sara Alonso (Spain) – 4:25:51 (pre-race interview)
- Ida Amelie Robsahm (Norway) – 4:28:19
- María Fuentes (Spain) – 4:33:10
- Judith Wyder (Switzerland) – 4:38:31 (pre-race interview)
- Barbora Bukovjan (Czech Republic) – 4:39:22
- Lucille Germain (France) – 4:40:15
- Julie Lelong (France) – 4:43:36
- Estel Roig (Spain) – 4:45:28
The highest 5 girls of the 2026 Zegama Marathon (left to proper): 5. María Fuentes, 2. Malen Osa, 1. Tove Alexandersson, 3. Sara Alonso, 4. Ida Amelie Robsahm. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
2026 Zegama Marathon Males’s Race
After an 800-meter run by way of city initially, the course began climbing, and Switzerland’s Rémi Bonnet (pre-race interview) jumped to an early lead. A climbing powerhouse, Bonnet was strategically working his favored uphill terrain forward of the race’s pivotal, late-race downhill. Fellow Swiss runner Adrien Briffod and Spain’s 11-time Zegama champion Kilian Jornet have been out rapidly, too.
Bonnet stayed on the fuel and totally opened a spot on his chasers half-hour into the race. Behind the frontrunner, defending champion Elhousine Elazzaoui (pre-race and post-race interviews) of Morocco was now lining up alongside Jornet and Briffod. Italy’s Daniel Pattis (pre-race interview) and Taylor Stack from the U.S. quickly joined to make it a five-man chase pack 45 minutes into the race, however Bonnet was now over a minute in entrance. On the 13.5k checkpoint, Elazzaoui was working over two minutes sooner than he did in 2025, however Bonnet was even sooner and was 47 seconds higher than Jornet’s 2022 course report break up.
Elhousine Elazzaoui, 2026 Zegama Marathon champion, for a second yr in a row. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
The primary excessive level got here at 16k, and Bonnet was nonetheless within the lead, however Pattis and firm had already began to shut the hole, and Bonnet’s lead on the course report was beginning to shrink too. Elazzaoui was now third and some seconds behind second-place Pattis, and fourth-place Jornet was now 40 seconds behind Pattis. Briffod was gone totally from the entrance group and would end exterior the highest 10.
Bonnet briefly turned to acknowledge the followers on the backside of the crowded, spectator-lined Sancti Spiritu 600-meter climb 20k into the race. Bother was coming, although. On the high, Bonnet had fallen behind course report tempo for the primary time on the day, and extra critically, Pattis was now simply 9 seconds behind. Elazzaoui was closing in third, six seconds behind Pattis, and Stack was in fourth simply forward of Jornet. The 11-time champion, Jornet, would fall down the leaderboard the remainder of the way in which and end exterior the highest 10, reportedly with a leg challenge.
Elhousine Elazzaoui chases Daniel Pattis on the high of the ultimate descent of the 2026 Zegama Marathon, the place the 2 would take first and second. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
By 23k, Pattis and Elazzaoui had each swallowed up Bonnet, and it was a profound leap. Bonnet was instantly gone from the lead. Pattis led Elazzaoui by 11 seconds, and each have been almost two minutes forward of the now third-place Bonnet. The course report watch, nevertheless, was over. Race chief Pattis was 4 minutes again of Jornet’s 2022 break up.
After stalking him by way of the center of the race, Elazzaoui lastly pulled even with Pattis at 28k, and the 2 wouldn’t separate till the ultimate kilometers, albeit in a really predictable method.
Elhousine Elazzaoui, as he has so many instances earlier than, went on to blast the ultimate downhill and received in 3:45:07. The 2-time Golden Path World Collection total winner once more appears to be like primed for a run on the collection win.
The U.S.’s Taylor Stack made strikes late to maneuver into third place on the 2026 Zegama Marathon. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Daniel Pattis improved on final yr’s third-place end with a second-place run in 3:45:27, solely 20 seconds behind Elazzaoui.
The 2023 race winner and downhill ace, Manuel Merillas from Spain, briefly handed Bonnet early within the ultimate downhill, however Taylor Stack jumped over each to complete third in 3:52:17, a uncommon prevalence of an American podiuming at this race.
Manuel Merillas was fourth in 3:53:14, and Robert Pkemoi of Kenya moved into fifth late with a 3:53:28 end time. Rémi Bonnet finally acquired across the loop in 3:53:57 for sixth place.
The following Golden Path World Collection race is the Ledro Sky Trentino race in Italy on Might 24 — simply subsequent weekend.
Kilian Jornet within the crowds of Sancti Spiritu through the 2026 Zegama Marathon. Whereas he ran with the leaders early, he moved again later with a reported leg challenge. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
2026 Zegama Marathon Males’s Outcomes
- Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) – 3:45:07 (pre-race and post-race interviews)
- Daniel Pattis (Italy) – 3:45:27 (pre-race interview)
- Taylor Stack (U.S.) – 3:52:17
- Manuel Merillas (Spain) – 3:53:14
- Robert Pkemoi (Kenya) – 3:53:28
- Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland) – 3:53:57 (pre-race interview)
- Maximilien Drion (Belgium) – 3:55:05
- Benjamin Roubiol (France) – 3:55:21
- Aitor Ajuria (Spain) – 3:57:56
- Antonio Martínez (Spain) – 3:58:20
The highest 5 males of the 2026 Zegama Marathon (left to proper): 5. Manuel Merillas, 2. Daniel Pattis, 1. Elhousine Elazzaoui, 3. Taylor Stack, 5. Robert Pkemoi. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
