The surprising winner of the Salomon Ultra Pirineo that no one expected

BagáThe Salomon Ultra Pirineu is a special race. It always brings you stories that move you. The 16th edition of the iconic race through the trails of the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park was special for the eternal Núria Picas, a five-time winner. The athlete from Manresa was participating in the 100km Ultra Pirineu for the tenth time, but fell while descending from the Nido del Àliga. Courageously, she continued running with blood in her legs and remained in the top ten until she had had enough. She couldn't finish the race. It seemed that victory would go to the Ecuadorian Mercedes Pila, a tireless woman. Born in a village at almost 3,000 meters near Cotopaxi, she had to emigrate, fleeing poverty. Then she ran away from a husband who wouldn't let her run. Settled in Extremadura, where she worked caring for the elderly, she began training and within a few years had become the Spanish marathon and mountain race champion. The petite Ecuadorian led for much of the race, but with 10 km to go, she was overtaken by a bullet hurtling down towards Bagà: Anna Ongaro.

No one expected her. This woman born in Vicenza (Italy) had never participated in a 100 km mountain race or the Salomon. She already has years of experience in marathons and races, but the fact that she was able to win in her first participation in this event surprised even her. "I didn't expect it, not at all. I had a good feeling, I expected to be among the top ten, but it all worked out perfectly," she said. Her secret? The Montseny Mountains. "After high school, I came to Barcelona and stayed. I've been living in Montseny for a few years, and it's the ideal place to train. I've done mountain marathons before, but it was my first time tackling this distance, and everything went well," she confessed, somewhat shyly. Her time was 12:58:47. Catalan Aïna Cusí finished third, joining her on the podium.

Picas, 48, was unlucky in a race she loves: "It's my home, it's where I grew up as a runner and where I've experienced some of the most intense and emotional moments of my career. As always, I've trained with enlightenment and consistency, endurance, power, and recovery," she said.

Albon, a British rocket

In the men's category, Briton Jonathan Albon won, setting a very high pace from the very first hours. A world mountain marathon champion who lives in Norway, where he usually trains with Kilian Jornet, Albon achieved a time of 10 hours, 40 minutes, 2 seconds. "I dropped out of the UTM du Montblanc and I was coming back feeling angry. I wanted to get a good result, and this race is very beautiful," said a man who had already won the marathon in Bagà. "Being able to come back after completing the Marathon and try the Ultra for the first time has been a lot of fun. Being able to experience the sunrise was spectacular, and the trails really surprised me. I struggled a bit at first, but in the second part of the race, I had very good feelings, which, together with the fans, made for a fantastic race," he said.

Albon gave Igualada native Marc Bernades no chance, and Bernades took second place after years of trying to reach the podium. His time was 10 hours, 44 minutes, and 1 second. It could have been better, as he spent some time attending to the great champion Miguel Heras, who had suffered a fall. Third place went to Julen Calvó from Tarragona, who had just participated in the World Championships, but couldn't wait to get on the podium.

The marathon was spectacular.

In the men's category, the absolute protagonist was the Catalan Miquel Corbera, who took the lead from the very start in the Porxada square in Bagà. With a brave strategy and a firm pace from the first meter, he remained in the lead throughout the course until crossing the finish line ahead of Pablo Bautista and Genís Porqueras.

In the women's category, Marta Pérez and Leire Fernández engaged in an exciting battle for victory. Both maintained a constant pulse, pushing each other on every section of the course and putting on a true spectacle for the spectators. It wasn't until the final kilometers that Pérez managed to overtake Fernández and open up a sufficient gap to secure a well-deserved victory, having competed in several previous editions of the Pyrenees Marathon. Gisela Carrión was third

The French runner Killian Allaire, national trail champion in 2024, won the Half Marathon, setting a new record, surpassing Miquel Corbera's mark. Adrián Ivars and Jan Margarit completed the podium after a very close finish. In the women's category, Maria La Chica won, engaging in an intense duel with Gabriela Lasalle for almost the entire race. The Barcelona-born rider ultimately prevailed. Natalia Bermúdez completed the podium in third place, more than a minute behind the two leaders.