Elhousine Elazzaoui wins Zegama-Aizkorri

Elhousine Elazzaoui and Tove Alexandersson delivered the headline results at Zegama-Aizkorri on Sunday, with the Moroccan defending his men’s title and the Swedish runner setting a new women’s course record. The 25th edition of the Basque mountain marathon was held on May 17 in Zegama, Gipuzkoa, over 42.195 km with 2,736 meters of climbing, according to the race regulations. Elazzaoui finished in 3:45:07, while Alexandersson won in 4:08:09. Zegama-Aizkorri is also the opening World Series race on the 2026 Golden Trail World Series calendar. ### How close was the men’s race at the front? Elhousine Elazzaoui won by 20 seconds after a late duel with Italy’s Daniel Pattis, according to race coverage published Sunday. RUN247 reported that the pair were together on the final climb before Elazzaoui used the descent to the finish to secure the win in 3:45:07, with Pattis second and Taylor Stack third in 3:52:17. (zegama-aizkorri.com) Manuel Merillas finished fourth and narrowly missed the podium, Sport.es reported in its live coverage. The same report said Kilian Jornet, the race’s most decorated men’s runner, did not contend for victory and later wrote on Instagram that he was “very happy” for Elazzaoui after what he called “a difficult day.” (run247.com) ### What made Alexandersson’s win stand out? Tove Alexandersson’s 4:08:09 was a new women’s course record, according to race-day reports from Sport.es and RUN247. Sport.es said the Swedish runner lowered the previous mark by six minutes, while RUN247 reported that she broke the race open on the climbs and finished well clear of the field. (sport.es) Malen Osa finished second in 4:23:56 and Sara Alonso took third, just under two minutes behind Osa, according to RUN247. Sport.es also reported that Osa and Alonso completed the women’s podium and described the edition as historic because of the pace despite muddy conditions. ### What is Zegama-Aizkorri, exactly? Zegama-Aizkorri is a mountain marathon staged in the Basque town of Zegama and run across the Aratz massif and Aizkorri range, according to the organizer’s course page and regulations. (sport.es) The route covers 42.195 km with 5,472 meters of accumulated elevation change, includes 13 control points and 13 aid stations, and started at 9:00 a.m. local time on May 17. The race is capped at 500 runners under the event rules. (run247.com) The organizer has long positioned the event as one of trail running’s signature races, and the Golden Trail World Series lists it as “Zegama – Aizkorri” on its 2026 World Series calendar. The series said before the race that the 2026 season would begin in Zegama on Sunday. ### Where do these results fit in the recent history of the race? Sport.es listed Elhousine Elazzaoui as the men’s winner for both 2025 and 2026, making Sunday his second straight victory at Zegama. (zegama-aizkorri.com) The organizer’s earlier announcement for the 2026 edition had identified Elazzaoui and Sara Alonso as the defending champions after their 2025 wins. (goldentrailseries.com) The women’s race produced a change at the top after Sara Alonso’s 2025 victory. Sport.es’ winners list shows Alexandersson succeeding Alonso in 2026, with Osa second and Alonso third on Sunday. ### What comes next after Zegama? The Golden Trail World Series calendar lists Ledro Sky Trentino in Italy as the next World Series race on May 24, 2026. (sport.es) The 2026 schedule published by the series runs from Zegama in May to the Grand Finale in Muju, South Korea, on October 24. (goldentrailseries.com)