Heras, Ramirez break the tape at Valhöll Argentina by UTMB

Spain’s Miguel Heras and Argentina’s Veronica Ramirez claimed dominant victories in the EPIC 125K race at Valhöll Argentina by UTMB.

Heras took victory by around 20 minutes, with Ramirez beating the field by 27 minutes. The pair secured four UTMB Running Stones with the victories in South America.

The performance of the day went to USA Cody Lind in the ADVANCE 80K race. The American bested the field by over 47 minutes to claim victory.

Ramirez heads Argentine 1-2-3

Ramirez extended her run of podiums in 50K and 100M category events to 11 with victory in the Valhöll EPIC 125K. The Argentine added a fifth victory in her career following wins at Huemules Challenge 2023, Sendero del las Águilas 2019, Mendiak Trail Running 2018 and Patagonia Run 2018.

Ramirez completed the course in a time of 21:20:08 and finished 27 minutes and 49 seconds ahead of compatriot Mairela Vigliocco (21:47:57). The pair were some distance ahead of the third place finisher Loreno Saravia (23:36:29) who finished two hours, 16 minutes and 21 seconds after the victor broke the tape.

Valhöll Argentina by UTMB [Photo credit: UTMB]

Heras dominates men’s EPIC 125K

The men’s EPIC 125K race was ably won by Heras (14:51:44) who finished 19 minutes and 22 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. Heras is another competitor with a sustained track record over the 50K, 100K and 100M categories. He has finished first or second in 14 consecutive registered races with ten victories in that span – the latest at victory at Trencacims Pauls 2023 two weeks ago.

Cristofer Clemete Mora (15:11:06), another Spanish national, crossed the line in second place, with Ecuadorian runner Gonzalo Calisto (15:37:23) a distance third, 45 minutes and 39 seconds off the pace.

Lind excels, Faukner and Hawgood class above

Lind (7:43:32) was in dominant form as he claimed victory by 51 minutes and 26 seconds over the 81km distance. The nearest finisher to him was in fact the winner of the women’s race – fellow American Helen Mino Faukner. The victory was Lind’s first in the 100K category after multiple successes over the shorter distances.

Alex Xavier Lozano Espinosa (8:30:52) was the second male to cross the finish line, with another American TJ David (8:46:15) the third man on the podium.

In the women’s ADVANCE 80K, it was a two horse race throughout as the USA’s Faukner battled with Zimbabwe’s Emily Hawgood for the victory. It was Faukner, however, who claimed her first success in the 100K category since 2021 – a Castle Peak 100K triumph – in a time of 8:30:52.

Hawgood completed the course in a time of 8:39:46, eight minutes, 56 seconds off the pace. The dominance of the leading two was showcased in the gap to third place. American Zoe Rom finished in a time of 10:19:25 – one hour, 48 minutes and 33 seconds behind the race winner.