Tove Alexandersson breaks the Zegama-Aizkorri record by eight minutes on her first try

Zegama-Aizkorri is 42 km with 2,736 m of climbing around the Aizkorri massif in the Basque Country, starting and finishing in a village of about 1,500 people that fills every ridge with spectators. The 25th edition on Sunday 17 May opened the Golden Trail World Series, and Tove Alexandersson, running it for the first time, took the women's course record apart.

She led by two minutes at 8.5 km, was ahead of Nienke Brinkman's record pace by 16 km and led by eleven minutes at halfway. She finished in 4:08:09; Brinkman's 2022 mark was 4:16:43. Malen Osa was second in 4:23:56, the fastest a Basque athlete has ever run here, and Sara Alonso, last year's winner, third in 4:25:51. Alexandersson was fastest on all three timed segments of the course. She said afterwards: "Today was a battle against the course and the mountains."

The men's race was a chase. Rémi Bonnet led from the start, more than a minute clear at one point and on Kilian Jornet's 2022 record pace of 3:36:40 until about 20 km. Elhousine Elazzaoui and Daniel Pattis caught him on the Sancti Spiritu climb and were together at Andraitz, 30 km, before Elazzaoui opened 20 seconds on the final descent. He won in 3:45:07, Pattis ran 3:45:27, and Taylor Stack of the United States came through late for third in 3:52:17. It was Elazzaoui's second Zegama win; only Jornet, with eleven, had won it more than once before.

Eight minutes off a record held by one of the best mountain runners of the decade, on a first visit. The orienteers have been telling us for years that they can run. Now we know.

Sources: Golden Trail World Series; iRunFar.