Tove Alexandersson breaks Zegama‑Aizkorri course record in Golden Trail opener

Tove Alexandersson opened the 2026 Golden Trail World Series with a course-record win at Zegama-Aizkorri on May 17, taking the women’s race in 4:08:09 on the Basque mountain marathon course in northern Spain. Elhousine Elazzaoui won the men’s race in 3:45:07, repeating as champion after edging Italy’s Daniel Pattis in the closing stages. (irunfar.com) The 25th edition of the race was held on muddy trails after rain and snow in the days before the start, with dry skies on race day. The race is the opening World Series stop on the 2026 Golden Trail calendar. ### How fast was Alexandersson’s record run? (goldentrailseries.com) Alexandersson’s 4:08:09 cut more than eight minutes from the previous women’s course record of 4:16:43, set by Nienke Brinkman in 2022, according to race coverage and published results. iRunFar reported that Alexandersson led the women’s race throughout and finished nearly 16 minutes ahead of second-place Malen Osa of Spain. The women’s podium listed Malen Osa second in 4:23:56 and Sara Alonso Martinez third in 4:25:51. Those times underlined the gap Alexandersson built on a course that covers 42 kilometers with 2,736 meters of climbing. (irunfar.com) ### How did the men’s race turn into a repeat win for Elazzaoui? Elazzaoui finished in 3:45:07 after a close contest with Pattis, who was second in 3:45:27. iRunFar reported that Switzerland’s Rémi Bonnet pushed the early pace on the climbs before Elazzaoui and Pattis reeled him in near halfway, and that Elazzaoui pulled clear on the final downhill. (irunfar.com) The published top five listed Taylor Stack third in 3:52:17, Manuel Merillas Moledo fourth in 3:53:14 and Robert Pkemoi Matayango fifth in 3:53:28. The result gave Elazzaoui back-to-back men’s titles at one of the most prominent races on the trail calendar. (finishers.com) ### What makes Zegama-Aizkorri such a focal point on the trail calendar? Zegama-Aizkorri is a 42.195-kilometer mountain marathon in Gipuzkoa that climbs 2,736 meters and crosses the Aratz-Aizkorri massif, according to the race website. The course starts and finishes in Zegama and includes several of the highest summits in the Basque Autonomous Community. (irunfar.com) The Golden Trail World Series said the 2026 edition marked the race’s 25th anniversary and opened this year’s World Series schedule on May 17. The series calendar lists Zegama-Aizkorri as the first World Series event before Ledro Sky Trentino on May 24. (finishers.com) ### What were conditions like on race day? The race started at 9 a.m. local time on Sunday, May 17, around the Aizkorri massif. iRunFar said rain in the days before the event and snow at higher elevations left the course muddy, although the weather stayed dry during the race itself. (zegama-aizkorri.com) The same report described thousands of spectators lining the Basque course, including the steep Sancti Spiritu climb, where fans traditionally crowd the route. The official race site lists 500 places for the marathon field. (goldentrailseries.com) ### Where does the season go next? The Golden Trail World Series calendar lists Ledro Sky Trentino in Italy on May 24 as the next World Series stop after Zegama-Aizkorri. Later races on the 2026 schedule include Quebec Mega Trail on July 5, Sierre-Zinal on August 8 and the Muju Trail Grand Finale on October 24. (irunfar.com) The Zegama-Aizkorri website continues to host the 2026 marathon timing page, while the Golden Trail World Series site has the season calendar and rankings pages for the next update after the opener. (zegama-aizkorri.com) (goldentrailseries.com) (irunfar.com)