New Spanish champions of 50 and 100 km

This weekend the Spanish 50 and 100 km ultra-distance championshipswho was crowned Javier Martínez and Jessica More over short distances and Alberto Bravo and Estefania Unzu in the distance.

The heat, with temperatures reaching 28 ºC, was the protagonist of the day and took its toll on the athletes who had gathered in the central part of the Sierra de Gredos, causing many to abandon.

50 km run to the finish

In the 50 km, last year’s runner-up Carles Montllor is the favorite. Along with him, nine other athletes joined the front, including names like Pablo Villalobos, Severino Felipe, Luismi Sánchez, Iván Martínez, Sebastián Veciana or Javier Martínez.

Soon there were four at the front with 50 meters ahead of four others behind, with Montllor always in first position, until attacking alone at around km 35. Martínez, Felipe and Sánchez was paired behind and the last two laps became a chase gradually, reducing the gap to the leader, who was looking for his first national title.

The last five kilometers will be decisive to see the order of the podium. Javier Martínez He was strongest in the final stretch and went full force to win his first national gold, with a time of 06:57:13, 21 seconds back. Severino Felipe and 52 of Luis Miguel Sánchez. Montllor was left on the podium by 15 seconds, empty in the final kilometers.

Jessica Morethe best Spaniard in the European championship held at the same Sotillo de la Adrada circuit, with seventh place, was very solid from the start and was almost a minute ahead of his pursuers at km 15.

A difference that remained strong with Beatriz Martínez, Jesica Tipan and Dolores Marco and gradually increased until it reached almost five minutes with 10 km to go. The Levantine athlete from Atletismo Albacete took his first Spanish championship with 3h31:01, the Aragonese veteran Beatriz Martinez he won the silver in 3h37:18 and four minutes later he entered Yesica Covenantpodium completion.

It hurts to finish at 100 km

Carlos Gazapo came out and scored the best split from the start and the first quarter of the race, followed by Catalan Manel Deli, current runner-up in Spain and eighth in the final World Cup in 2022. Both scored more than three minutes to their rivals.

The halfway point of the race was marked by Gazapo with an amazing 3h12:36, almost six minutes less than Deli, who consolidated second place ahead of Alberto Bravo, with other notable names following such as José Antonio Urbaneja, Francisco Mariano Martínez (bronze last year) or Marco Álvarez.

At kilometer 75, where the race began to be decided, that is, in the last quarter of the competition, Gazapo had an advantage of eight minutes and Bravo marked second place, with an advantage of almost two minutes over Deli .

At kilometer 85 the three arrived with Gazapo having a margin of almost seven minutes on Bravo and more than nine on Deli and the tables began to turn in the last ten kilometers. Then began the test of the debutant Gazapo, who began to see his advantage crumble quickly, being left behind in the last step to the finish line (km 95) in 3:20 to Deli and Bravo who paired up again.

Carlos gave up in the last five kilometers where he literally stopped. The ending was good between Bravo and Deli with victory for the man from Salamanca Alberto BravoM40 master athletes who won by just 10 seconds in a painful finish. Manel Deli So he repeated the silver of 2023 and Carlos Gazapo He came in with 17 minutes to complete the podium, making clear the toughness and wear and tear that competition of these distances can cause.

The team’s success for him Calatrava Athletics Club who took the last campaign title from Rajaos Runners, who were second. No other team finished with three athletes, the lowest score.

The race of women is dominated by Estefania Unzu almost from the start, scoring the best partials from the first lap. She marked kilometer 25 with a 2:22 lead on Alba María Regillo and almost 10 minutes on one of the women with the best track record, María Mercedes Pila. A little further, two more regulars on the podium like Eva Pareja and the former Spanish champion Janine Edith Lima.

By the middle of the competition Unzu from Navarre was left as an increasingly solid leader with 4:33 ahead of Regillo, and almost 20 minutes behind Pila, who decided to retire shortly after.

The difference of five minutes was constant between the first two classifieds until kilometer 75 and shortly after Unzu put another gear to increase the distance and finish his first full Spanish championship. 11 minutes later he crossed the finish line Alba Mariawhile Eva couple, bronze last year in the 50 km, took the bronze medal in this 100 km. It should be highlighted that the champion, Estefanía Unzu, finished 11th overall and Alba María Regillo, 13th.

You can consult the complete classification of the Spanish 50 and 100 km Championships here.