Road to Dements: Grigne Skymarathon

20 de September de 2025

We’ve reached the 18th race of the circuit, continuing to count down races and days until the grand finale in Eslida and Aín on November 8.

Pasturo, in the Lombardy region of Italy, hosts the Grigne SkyMarathon—a true skyrunning classic. Possibly, along with Kima, the two most technical and demanding races in Italy, and perhaps the world. 43 km, over 3900 m of elevation gain, exposed ridgelines, and sections where helmets are mandatory.

Two races held on the same Saturday make up the event:

Grigne Skymarathon: 43 km, +/-3900 m
Short Race: 14 km, +/-975 m

Alongside the grand finale at Dements and Tatra Skymarathon, these are the marathon-distance races of the season.

Although the top-ranked runners weren’t present—many are just a week away from the IAAF World Championship in Canfranc—Pasturo still witnessed a race day with an incredibly high level of competition.

One of the circuit’s core principles, which we fully share at Dements, is to give every runner, elite or not, the chance to compete head-to-head with anyone, with 23 opportunities throughout the year to reach the Dements Marathon and qualify for the Skymasters. As we’ve reflected in previous reports, each athlete must make the most of the opportunities presented at each race to maximize their season’s potential.

So, fundamentally, we start from an unwavering principle: the amateur runner is the protagonist of the race, the main reason for its organization. And a handful of extraordinary elite runners raise the level of competitiveness and popularity.

Yes, we won’t deny that being part of a circuit gives elite athletes certain “privileges,” but in the case of races organized by nonprofit clubs—like our own Club de Muntanya Dements—being part of the circuit is a chance for growth and consolidation that must be seized. And the day we’re no longer part of it, we’ll return to being the race we’ve always been: a local event organized by four mountain-running Dements, who since the first edition in 2014 have simply tried to highlight our territory and villages, organize the kind of race we’d love to run, avoid losing money, and reinvest all income into the race.

Let’s get to it—the race menu. First course: a major climb of about 10 km up to Rifugio Carlo Porta, helmet on for about 10 km, and then even steeper up to the summit of Campioni. Next, alpine descents aided by ropes before climbing again to the highest point of the race, Rifugio Brioschi at 2410 meters—second course. And for dessert, a 2000 m descent back to Pasturo.

Man’s Race

Today, the local hero was Daniel Antoniolli (ITA–Scarpa), running with the colors of the local club “Team Pasturo”—his personal amusement park, as he calls it. But the competition was fierce, with technical terrain specialist William Boffelli (ITA/Kailas Fuga) and teammate Gianluca Ghiano (ITA/Scarpa), both of whom have already won circuit races this year.

Joining the party was Dimas Pereira (ESP/Asics), who led the race at the first checkpoint (km 11, Refugio Rosalba), followed closely by Ghiano, Boffelli, and Antoniolli—all within 10 seconds. But by the second checkpoint at Rifugio Bogani, Boffelli had taken solo control, passing with a 7-minute lead over Ghiano, 10 over Antoniolli, and 11 over Dimas. From that point, Boffelli’s gap only grew until the finish line in Pasturo, proving that on hyper-technical terrain, he’s one of the best skyrunners today.

Gianluca held onto second place, finishing 25 minutes behind William. Pereira completed the podium, rallying in the final stretch and earning his first podium in a circuit race—showing he’s finishing the season strong.

The Top 5 was rounded out by Mattia Gianola (ITA/LAB4YOU) and the tireless Daniel Antoniolli. Noteworthy were Marcel Romaní (ESP/FEEC Inverse) in sixth and Marc Bernades (ESP/Fanté) in seventh, both completing four races and qualifying for the Skymasters.

@Maurytorri

Woman’s Race

As for the women, the clear favorite was French runner Iris Pessey from Team Scott, a specialist in high-mountain and technical-profile races. Although she started the season with modest results, she’s steadily improved across the 8 circuit races she’s run in 2025, earning a strong overall position with today’s victory at Grigne Skymarathon.

The race began with Iris taking the lead, passing the first checkpoint with a three-minute advantage over British runner Natalie Beadle and five over local Aurora Bosia (ITA/Team Pasturo). Elena Karanfiloska (MKD) and Ohiana Zubillaga (ESP/Domusa T Lana) followed two minutes behind.

The Top 3 held their positions to the finish: Iris first, Natalie second just over a minute and a half behind (a tight finish), and Aurora third at seven minutes. The Top 5 was completed by Oihana Zubillaga and Elena Karanfiloska, who swapped positions throughout the course.

@MauryTorry

Let’s not forget the Top 10 warriors who, race after race, have earned their Skymasters qualification by completing four races:

6th: Ruut Joensuu (FIN/Merrell)
7th: Lina El Koot Helander (SWE/Merrell)
8th: Essi Haapaniem (FIN)
9th: Silvia Zanchi (ITA)
10th: Tanja Löwenhagen (GER/Dynafit)
Sabrina Pabst (AUT/Coffessky) P14
Suzuha Kusuda (JAP/Team Sky Kyoto) P21

They’ve also completed four races and are eligible for the final.

MSWS

Qualified for Skymasters

In summary, we have 10 athletes who, if they choose, have access to the Skymasters:

Marcel Romaní
Daniel Antoniolli*
Marc Bernades
Pascal Egli
Abraham Hernández*
Jean de Bardonnèche
Natalie Beadle
Elena Karanfiloska
Ruut Joensuu
Sabrina Pabst
Suzuha Kusuda
Kalie MacCrystal

*Due to the cancellation of the Minotaure Skyrace in Canada, registered athletes count it as a completed race but earn zero points.

Overall Standings

Although Iris Pessey currently has the most points in the women’s overall ranking, when counting the top 5 results plus the Skymasters, her adjusted score is 378 points, placing her in 5th.

As more competitors reach five or more races, the overall standings will continue to update until the final regular circuit race on October 26 at Sobrescobio Skyrace®.

Next stop: Gorbeia Suzien

Gorbeia Suzien in Zianuri, Euskadi needs little introduction—a true classic of skyrunning and Basque trail running.

Running in the Basque Country, if you haven’t done it, is a unique experience… if you want to feel it in your soul, you know what to do…

Traverse the Gorbea Natural Park, technical climbs and descents, green pastures where you can fly, where you’ll enjoy yourself to the limit.

32 km and +/-2400 m of pure mountain passion, for racing, for the land. It will also be available via streaming.

Favourites, the level is enormous, most of them seeking their fourth participation in the circuit to get tickets for the Skymasters (*3 races finishers):