Morocco’s Elhousine Elazzaoui has set his stall out for an unprecedented third Golden Trail World Series title in a row after starting the 2026 campaign in perfect style.
He powered to victory in the 25th edition of the iconic Zegama-Aizkorri in Spain’s Basque country, repeating his win in the mountain marathon from 12 months ago.
He becomes only the second man to win that event twice, though he has a way to go to match the other athlete – his NNormal teammate Kilian Jornet having triumphed there an incredible 11 times!
“It’s historic!”
The race also doubled as the GTWS opener and Elazzaoui said afterwards: “Before coming here, I felt some pressure because everyone saw me as the favourite.
“The race was very tough, but I know the course well. I have a lot of experience and managed it intelligently, staying very focused.
“It’s incredible to win Zegama again, it’s historic! Kilian [Jornet] didn’t win today, but since we are on the same team, it’s almost like we won together. I’m grateful for his support and advice.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the campaign, he added: “This year, I’m back in the GTWS aiming for a third overall title, something no athlete has achieved yet. Next stop: Ledro, next Sunday!”
“A battle against the mountains”
But arguably the day’s most impressive performance came from Tove Alexandersson in the women’s race as the Swedish star smashed Nienke Brinkman’s course record of 4:16:43 from 2022 by more than eight and a half minutes.
The effort it took was evident as she collapsed to the ground almost straight after crossing the finish line.
After recovering, she said: “It was a very tough race, I was suffering for a long time. I gave everything I had and I’m really happy about it.
“There were a lot of expectations, even more than I had for myself. It’s not just about showing up and racing, many things have to come together.
“In the first part I was very focused on myself, and in the second part on getting to the finish as fast as possible because I was suffering a lot.
“Today was a battle against the course and the mountains.”
The GTWS circuit now moves to Ledro Sky Trentino on May 24, the scene of the Grand Final in 2025.
