Elhousine Elazzaoui wins Zegama 2026

Elhousine Elazzaoui retained his Zegama-Aizkorri title on Sunday, winning the 25th edition of the Basque mountain marathon in 3:45:07 after a late fight with Italy’s Daniel Pattis. Official live results showed Pattis finishing 20 seconds back in 3:45:27, with American Taylor Stack third in 3:52:17. (kronoak.com) The race was held over 42.195 kilometers in Zegama, Gipuzkoa, with 2,736 meters of climbing on a course that opened the 2026 Golden Trail World Series season. Kilian Jornet, the race’s most decorated runner, finished well down the order after fading in the second half. (goldentrailseries.com) ### How close was the men’s finish? Official timing from Kronoak showed Elazzaoui and Pattis together deep into the race before the Moroccan pulled clear late and reached the line first in 3:45:07. Pattis was second at 3:45:27, a margin of 20 seconds, after leading some intermediate checkpoints. Taylor Stack took third in 3:52:17, more than seven minutes behind the winner. Manuel Merillas placed fourth in 3:53:14, Robert Pkemoi Matayango was fifth in 3:53:28 and Rémi Bonnet, who had led early, finished sixth in 3:53:57. (kronoak.com) ### Where did the race turn? Intermediate splits showed Rémi Bonnet leading through the early checkpoints, including 8.5 km, 13.5 km and 16.1 km. By the 22 km point, Pattis had moved to first, with Elazzaoui second and Bonnet third. The decisive change came later in the race. (kronoak.com) Official timing showed Elazzaoui move into first at the 30 km checkpoint and keep that position through 34.2 km, 37.8 km, 41 km and the finish. RUN247 reported that the race came down to a duel on the final climb and descent, with Elazzaoui using the closing section to seal the win. ### What happened to Kilian Jornet? RUN247 reported that Jornet started near the front with Bonnet and Adrien Briffod before losing contact after halfway. The same report said he crossed the line in 43rd place. (kronoak.com) Spanish outlet El Confidencial listed Jornet in 42nd place in 4:19:26, while the official live timing excerpt available through search results did not show his line in the top positions. Because publicly accessible result snapshots differ by one place, the verified point is that Jornet finished outside the top 10 and far from contention. (kronoak.com) ### Why does this result matter in the 2026 season? The Golden Trail World Series calendar lists Zegama-Aizkorri on May 17 as the first race of the 2026 series. That gives Elazzaoui the opening win in one of trail running’s highest-profile circuits. (run247.com) Zegama’s own regulations describe the event as a 42.195 km course starting in Zegama at 9:00 a.m. and crossing both sides of the Aizkorri range. Organizers said the 2026 race was the 25th edition, a milestone year for the event. ### What else stood out on the day? (elconfidencial.com) Tove Alexandersson won the women’s race in 4:08:09, according to RUN247, which said the Swedish runner set a new course record. The same report listed Malen Osa second in 4:23:56 and Sara Alonso third. The Zegama-Aizkorri website has described the anniversary edition as the race’s 25th running, and organizers opened pre-registration in January before the May 17 event. (goldentrailseries.com) The marathon is one of the most sought-after races on the trail calendar, with entry controlled through bib allocation and draws. (zegama-aizkorri.com) ### What comes next after Zegama? The Golden Trail World Series calendar lists Ledro Sky Trentino in Italy on May 24 as the next stop after Zegama. Later races on the 2026 schedule include Quebec Mega Trail on July 5, Sierre-Zinal on August 8 and the grand finale in Muju on October 24. (run247.com) (goldentrailseries.com) (zegama-aizkorri.com)