Alain Santamaría and Ana Hernández have claimed their first Spanish Vertical Ascent titles after dominating the event held in the province of Palencia, on a course connecting the towns of Barruelo de Santullán and Brañosera.
Due to adverse weather conditions, the finish line was relocated from Pico de Valdebollas to Refugio El Golobar, prompting a very fast start from Barruelo de Santullán that stretched the pack from the early stages.
Alain Santamaría (Beste Iruña At), a Riojan athlete born in Ezcaray and a former cyclist turned trail running specialist, quickly took the lead. He was closely followed by Jonathan Arobes and Marcos López, who stayed just seconds behind while tackling the demanding final section, which featured steep, pathless stretches that tested all competitors’ endurance.
Santamaría, an expert in the discipline—14th place and top Spaniard at last year’s World Championships in Canfranc—and familiar with the terrain from his cycling days, maintained control throughout. As he ascended toward Refugio El Golobar, where increasingly steep ramps forced runners to walk with hands on quadriceps, the Riojan consolidated his lead.
With no changes at the front, Santamaría extended his advantage in the final stretch, winning convincingly in 30:17. He finished 40 seconds ahead of Cantabrian Jonatan Arobes (30:57), a seasoned specialist in this type of ascent who held on to second place. The bronze medal went to Andalusian Javier Gutiérrez (31:23), who staged a strong comeback in the final climb, repeating the medal he won just over a month ago at the Spanish Trail Running Championships in Caldas de Rei.
“With the last-minute change, the race was extremely painful. It forced us to start very fast, but I adapted well to the terrain. By 20 minutes my legs were very heavy, but I found the strength to finish,” commented the new Spanish champion.
The women’s race unfolded quite differently, with tight competition for the top positions. Four runners were vying for medals after clearing the wooded section. Laura Figueiredo (C.A. Penedès) and Ana Hernández (Atletismo Albacete) emerged at the front, closely followed by international runner Sara Alonso (Asics Running), the world short trail runner-up, and Segovian Claudia Corral, a specialist in this type of effort.
As Figueiredo and Hernández set the pace, Sara Alonso passed Corral and tried to catch up to the leaders. However, Ana Hernández launched the decisive attack, overtaking Figueiredo on the left to take the lead. Although the Portuguese runner resisted for several sections, the athlete from La Mancha managed to pull away on the final climb.
Ana Hernández became the absolute Spanish champion with a time of 36:09, followed by Laura Figueiredo (36:34). The third place was decided in a very tight finish between Claudia Corral and Sara Alonso, resolved in favor of the former, both finishing with the same time of 36:24.
The new Spanish champion, Ana Hernández, said after the race: “This was my first vertical ascent race and I just thought about pushing as hard as my body would take me. Plus, I’m very excited to have earned a spot for the European Championships. I started with respect for the level of my rivals, but I knew I had to give it my all.”
