Walter Finch
THE slightly bonkers mountain-running Calamorro Skyrace returns to the Sierra de Benalmadena this weekend to open the Skyrunner World Series.
One of the first Skyrunning events to be held in Andalucia, it will be the inaugural race in a series of 13 that take place across the globe.
The Calamorro Skyrace is a ‘true test of skill, endurance, and bravery’ set amidst stunning scenery and the Mediterranean Sea in the background.
It punishes the 300 competitors signed up with knife-edge ridges, dangerous downhill gradients and 2270m of constant uphill and downhill running on technical terrain and trails.
Participants will face killer slopes of up to 55% across 27.5km and is contested by some of the fittest and most technical runners in the world.
There is also a shorter, less gruelling 17km race for less experienced runners with a further 200 participants.
British competitor Iris Pessey is among the favourites in the woman’s race, but will face stiff competition from Romanian Denisa Dragomir.
Last year’s edition was won by Sara Alonso, who stormed to the finish line in 2022 with a winning time of three hours eight seconds.
“This course doesn’t give you any time to rest,” the champion said.
“It’s fast and hard from the start. And the downhills are extremely technical with many rocks, so you have to be 100% focused at all times!”
The race starts and ends at the Polideportivo Ramon Rico where there will be a big screen for spectators to follow the action.
Spectators can also take the Benalmadena cable car – which is free for residents – to Calamorro where there will be a fan zone.
The race starts at 3:00pm on Saturday April 29 with the women’s category setting off, followed by the men half an hour later.
The World Series then moves from Spain to France to Austria to Portugal, and then jumps across the Atlantic to tackle the Andes mountains in Canada and Peru, before returning to Europe.
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