The eleventh stop of the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series 2026, one of the most spectacular mountain settings on the planet, Merrell Cordillera Skyrace® Extreme, part of the 11th Ultra Trail Cordillera Blanca,
once again placed Huaraz and Peru’s Áncash region at the heart of the global skyrunning scene.
Surrounded by glaciers, turquoise lakes and peaks rising above 6,000 metres, the Cordillera Blanca offers a unique racing experience where technical terrain is combined with the demanding challenge of competing almost entirely above 4,000 metres above sea level.
The event also remains strongly committed to sustainability through its three core pillars: social, economic and environmental responsibility.
Held from July 2 to 5, the four-day mountain festival featured seven race formats:
KV – 5,5 km | +1.000 m
- 6K – 7 km | +315 m
- 12K – 13 km | +629 m
- Sky Race – 23 km | +1.450 m
- 50K – 47,5 km | +2.250 m
- 70K – 71 km | +3.900 m
- Merrell Cordillera Skyrace® Extreme – 25,9 km | +1.950 m
This year’s World Series race featured a completely redesigned course. While the increase in distance and elevation gain appeared modest on paper, the new route proved significantly more technical and demanding, extending race times by around 45 minutes in the men’s race and nearly one hour in the women’s event.
With an average altitude above 4,000 metres and a high point at 5,018 metres on Cerro Cachijirca, the race became the highest point reached anywhere on the 2026 circuit so far, surpassing even the maximum elevation of the Yading Skyrace®.
@ultratrailcordillerablanca
A true skyrunning challenge in its purest form, where proper acclimatisation is virtually essential to avoid the effects of altitude sickness.
Among the safety measures, mountain helmets were mandatory between kilometres 8.5 and 19.5, covering the Laguna Churup and Cerro Cachijirca section, an extremely technical stretch crossing an ancient glacial moraine.
Classified as a White Race, the event awarded 100 points to the winners and carried a 1x scoring coefficient for both the Overall and U23 rankings.
Sunday’s SkyRace brought the event to a close under perfect weather conditions, with clear skies, bright sunshine and ideal temperatures for such a demanding contest.
Men’s Race
The race started at a blistering pace. At Pitek (km 8.5), Jorge Luis Castro (PER/Perú Trail Lab) led the field, holding a two-minute advantage over José Manuel Quispe (PER/Merrell Civa), while Miguel Ángel Pérez (PER/Salomon) and Tom Spencer (GBR/Inov8) remained in contention.
Pre-race favourite José Manuel Quispe moved into the lead before reaching Laguna Churup (km 11), closely shadowed by Castro. The two Peruvians engaged in an extraordinary battle that continued throughout the climb to Cerro Cachijirca (5,018 m avove sea level) and the descent to Hof (km 19.5).
Meanwhile, Spain’s Dani Izquierdo (Os2O) steadily moved up into third place during the downhill section.
From Hof onwards, the pace intensified. Quispe maintained relentless pressure and eventually secured another memorable victory in front of his home crowd, preserving his remarkable record of four wins from four appearances.
The winning margin was just 13 seconds over Jorge Luis Castro. Dani Izquierdo completed the podium approximately 18 minutes behind the leading duo.
Tom Spencer (GBR/Inov8), first U23 athlete, and Miguel Ángel Pérez Alvarado (PER/Salomon) rounded out the men’s Top 5.
Altitude, local knowledge and mountain experience once again proved decisive. The Peruvian athletes dominated the race, leaving little room for the international Skymasters contenders. Among them, only Pascal Egli (SWI/Cimalp) managed a Top 10 finish, placing sixth. Luis Ovalle (CHI/Merrell) finished twelfth, while U23 athlete Finlay Grant (GBR/Scarpa) crossed the line in sixteenth place.
Women’s Race
As in the men’s competition, the opening kilometres were exceptionally fast thanks to the more runnable terrain despite the constant climbing profile.
At the first major aid station, after refilling water and putting on the mandatory helmet, Aydee Loaiza (PER/Adidas Terrex) held a narrow lead over Estela Castro (PER/Perú Trail Lab), while Amanda Nilsson (SWE/HOKA) occupied third place.
One of the most concerning moments of the day involved Nikola Matkova, who collapsed at an aid station following a week affected by stomach issues and was forced to withdraw. Fortunately, she is recovering well.
During the ascent towards Laguna Churup and Cerro Cachijirca, Estela Castro gradually closed the gap to Loaiza. The two Peruvians remained virtually inseparable throughout both the climb and descent before reaching Hof (km 19.5).
Behind them, Amanda Nilsson consolidated third place while Claudia Corral (ESP/Scarpa) and local runner Diana Espinosa (PER) continued their pursuit.
In the final kilometres, faster terrain better suited to Loaiza’s road-running background allowed her to create a small but decisive gap. She crossed the finish line just over one minute ahead of Estela Castro.
Amanda Nilsson completed the podium three minutes later.
Claudia Corral (ESP/Scarpa), making her debut in the senior category, and Diana Espinosa (PER) completed the women’s Top 5.
Rosalía Zegarra (PER/Civa) finished seventh after another strong performance, while notable international finishes came from Ohiana Zubillaga (ESP/Domusa Teknik Euskal Selekzioa), 9th, Ana María Pineda (COL/Merrell), 11th, Paola Morales (COL/Track & Mountain), 13th, Rachel Hebaus (USA/Hagan Ski USA), 15th and Kalie McCristal (CAN), 17th, all continuing their quest for Skymasters qualification.
The race also produced a unique statistical coincidence: the runners-up in both elite categories were siblings Jorge Luis and Estela Castro.
U23 Category
Two athletes once again stood out in the U23 rankings:
- Tom Spencer (GBR/Inov8) claimed the men’s victory, 4th absolut.
- Lucero Chocca (PER/Adidas Terrex) secured the women’s title.
Overall Standings Taking Shape
Following the Peruvian round, several athletes took major steps towards Skymasters qualification:
- José Manuel Quispe
- remains at the top of the standings and secures his Skymasters ticket.
- Fran Muñoz also confirms qualification after scoring one Red Race and three White Races.
- Amanda Nilsson strengthens her lead in the women’s standings.
- Rosalía Zegarra completes four finishes and earns her place in the final.
- Finlay Grant i Tom Spencer, Skymasters Qualified… will they dare to compete in the final seniors’ category?
After eleven races, the following athletes have already secured their place at Skymasters 2026:
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Next Stop: Beast of Big Creek
After several years away from the United States, the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series returns to North America with the Beast of Big Creek, the continent’s only race included in the 2026 world calendar.
The event will take place on August 1, 2026, in Washington State’s Olympic Mountains.
The 24 km course features 1,600 metres of elevation gain, starting almost at sea level before climbing to the summit of Mount Ellinor. Competitors will enjoy spectacular views of the glaciers surrounding Mount Olympus and, on clear days, the iconic Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens.
A completely different environment from the Peruvian Andes, yet equally demanding, awaits athletes as the race for Skymasters qualification enters its decisive phase.
All eyes will be on the list of contenders, especially the strong North American team led by Morgan Elliott.
