Once again, the Club Alpino Benalmádena hosted the fourth event of the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series season, one of the classic races of the Skyrunning World Cup: Calamorro Skyrace®, in Benalmádena, Málaga, on the shores of the Andalusian Mediterranean.
Circular race, starting and finishing in the heart of the town. This year, the course was extended by about three kilometres compared to previous editions to bring the race atmosphere closer to Benalmádena Pueblo, resulting in a final route of 31 km and +/- 2200 m, roughly 3 km longer than in past years.
The terrain is pure Mediterranean: technical, tricky underfoot and very demanding. Even so, if both legs and mind are at 100%, it is possible to run very fast, except for the first climb to the Calamorro summit, an impressive scramble.
One of the hallmarks of the Andalusian race is the separate start for men and women, as well as the evening schedule: women started at 17:00, men at 17:30, and fifteen minutes later the open category, with popular runners, on a 13 km +/- 700 m course.
There were several last‑minute elite withdrawals for various reasons: Denisa Dragomir (ROM/Merrell), Madalina Florea (ROM/Scott), Luca del Pero (ITA/Scarpa), Madalina Amariei (ROM/Kailas Fuga), Alain Santamaría (ESP/XBionic Integrity), Martina Cumerlato (ITA/Altra Running), Naiara Irigoyen (ESP/XBionic Integrity), Dominik Tabor (POL/Salomon) and Tanja Löwenhagen (GER/Bix).
Despite adverse weather forecasts in the days leading up to the race, conditions turned out favourable. Mild temperatures, alternating clouds and clear skies, and the typical Mediterranean humidity created a perfect spring afternoon for Skyrunning.
@nachogimeno
Women’s race: overwhelming victory for Sara Alonso
Same dominance as in Acantilados, same strategy, same outcome: Sara Alonso (ESP/Asics) set an impossible pace for the rest and crossed the finish line eight minutes ahead of the runner‑up.
The start through the streets of Benalmádena was extremely fast, with a lead group formed by Sara, followed by Malen Osa (ESP/Salomon), Patricia Pineda (ESP/La Sportiva), Marta Martínez Abellán (ESP/FYE), Greta García (ESP/Asics) and Estel Roig (ESP/Scott).
As the climb to the iconic Calamorro summit began, the group stretched out and the first positions became clear. Sara, true to her style, pushed hard from the start. She reached the summit with more than a minute of advantage over Patricia Pineda, Jane Maus (USA/Archteryx) —the big surprise of the day—, Shangave Balendran (NOR/Patagonia VJ) and Elena Karanfiloska (MKD/Lurbel), another revelation of the race.
The descent to the second checkpoint maintained the positions, and at the second summit, Cerro Castillejo (km 14), Sara remained solid while the chasers exchanged places. Patricia suffered cramps and dropped to fifth place. American runner Jane Maus surprised with a brilliant second place, while Norwegian athlete Shangave Balendran completed the podium after overtaking an outstanding Elena Karanfiloska in the final descent. Karanfiloska confirms that her 9th place in the 2025 MSWS overall was no coincidence.
The women’s top 5 was completed by Patricia Pineda.
Notable withdrawals included Malen Osa, Greta García, Marta Martínez, June Villarroel and Amanda Nilsson, highlighting the toughness of sky races. Also noteworthy were Iris Pessey’s (FRA/Scott) 7th place, confirming she will once again fight for the MSWS, and Laia Montoya (ESP/New Balance) 8th place, reinforcing her strong form shown in Acantilados.
Sara Alonso has proven that, besides being fast in less technical mountain races, she is also extraordinarily competitive on demanding terrain. It is a pity that, according to her own words, fighting for the MSWS overall is not one of her goals this season. The season is long and anything can happen; we will see how it unfolds.
Men’s race: another Merillas–Tranchand duel
Merillas vs. Tranchand. Fredo vs. Manu. A spectacular start to the European races, with the same result as in Acantilados and even more excitement: only 24 seconds separated them at the finish, with Manuel Merillas (ESP/New Balance) taking the win.
The men’s race had two main fronts. At the front, Manuel and Frédéric ran practically together until km 21, where the runner from Valseco pushed hard on the final descent, gaining a few seconds on the Frenchman, aware that if they reached the town together it would be very difficult to beat him.
Behind them, positions changed constantly among Stian Angermund (NOR), Nico Molina (ESP/Scott), Damien Bogdan (ROM/Fuga) and three U23 athletes who put on a real show: Marcos Villamuera (ESP/Scarpa), Tom Spencer (GBR/Innov8) and Finlay Grant (GBR/Scarpa).
Tom overtook Marcos on the final descent, and on the last stretch of false flat from km 25 onwards, the young British talent from Team Innov8 managed to pull away, finishing a minute and a half ahead.
The men’s top 5 was completed by Mattia Tanara (ITA/Scott). Looking ahead to the Skymasters, both in the absolute category and the U23 final in Sobrescobio, the athletes completing the top 10 were: Nico Molina, Finlay Grant, Damien Bogdan, Dimas Pereira (ESP/Asics) and Jaime Romo (ESP/La Sportiva).
With the course change, previous course records became invalid. However, there was a timed segment with a cash prize for the fastest male and female, won by Sara Alonso and Tom Spencer.
U23 Esteban Olivero Trophy
Calamorro Skyrace® also counted toward the U23 Esteban Olivero Trophy, with outstanding podiums, especially in the men’s category, where all three podium finishers placed within the top 7 overall::
Boys U23
- Tom Spencer (GBR/Innov8)
- Marcos Villamuera (ESP/Scarpa)
- Finlay Grant (GBR/Scarpa)
Girls U23
- Lola Oyarzabal (ESP/Euskal Selekzioa), 19a absoluta
- Nikola Matkova (SLV/Inverse), 20a absoluta
- Mar Ribas (ESP), 34a absoluta
RESULTADOS OFICIALES CALAMORRO SKYRACE
Overall
After four races —two in South America and two in Europe— the overall standings are beginning to take shape. The upcoming events, Penang Skyrace® in Malaysia and Skyrace® des Matheysins in France, will increase the excitement and uncertainty in the fight for the final victory and the qualification spots for the Skymasters.
Next Stop: Penang Skyrace®
The first Asian stop of the 2026 Merrell Skyrunner® World Series, in Malaysia. This is the third consecutive year visiting the lush jungle of Penang Island, with its suffocating humidity and a technical terrain full of hills, steep trails and demanding sections around Penang Hill.
White, circular race, a continuous 30 km rollercoaster with +/- 2200 m of elevation gain and loss, where hydration and nutrition will once again be key. It is also worth noting that it will count toward the U23 Esteban Olivero trophy.
In addition to the local runners—whose final list is not yet available—among the international athletes the standouts are Nico Molina (ESP/Scott), Morgan Eliott (USA/Merrell), Elena Karanfiloska (MKD/Lurbel), Jan Ballbe (ESP/Dynafit), Weston Hill (NZL/Merrell), Liam McKenzie (AUS/Merrell), Lucas Mouret (AND/Inverse) and Shoma Otagiri (JAP/Merrell).
