Dimitry Mityaev and Julie Roux crown the Salomon Ultra Pirineu 100K® 2024 and are proclaimed champions of its 15th edition

• The podiums of the Salomon Ultra Pirineu 100K® were completed by Gemma Arenas and Ekaterina Mityaeva in the women's category, and Abel Carretero and Raul Butaci in the men's category.

• Júlia Font and Robert Pkemoi repeat victory in the Salomon Marató Pirineu 42k®, turning the Cadí Moixeró Natural Park into the nerve centre of world trail running.

This weekend, the imposing trails and peaks of the Cadí Moixeró Natural Park were the perfect setting for a new edition of the Salomon Ultra Pirineu. Bagà has once again become the epicentre of trail running, hosting on Saturday the iconic Salomon Ultra Pirineu 100K  and the Salomon Marató Pirineu 42K®. 

SALOMON ULTRA PIRINEU 100K®

Saturday 5 October started shortly before 5:00 a.m., when some runners were already warming up near the starting line to get ready for the 100 km and more than 6,600 m of elevation gain that awaited them. Accompanied by the Ultra Pirineu hymn, The Last MohicanThe 1,300 runners crossed the starting arch at the start of the Plaça Porxada de Bagà at 5:30h, illuminated only by the light from their headlamps and with a great expectation which made the historic centre of the town vibrate for a few minutes. Once again this year, the start of this race has become one of the most important moments of the year. intense and exciting of the weekend kicking off the 15th edition of the event.

This year's edition of the Salomon Ultra Pirineu 100K® has left no one indifferent, one of the tightest and most intense days in recent years. In the men's category, the first part of the race to Gósol was led by a strong group of runners formed by Víctor Del Águila, Abel Carretero, Raul Butaci and Miguel Heraswho retired at Prat d'Aguiló with gastrointestinal problems that left him out of the race.

In the second part of the course, the exchange of positions stabilised and gave a glimpse of the runners who had that last bullet in the chamber to reach Bagà at the front of the race. The passage through the Vents del Cadí refuge determined the triad of athletes who made up the final podium, who were able to open up a gap of almost 20 minutes between the first and the fifth classified, all in less than 11 hours of running.

Finally, at 15:57h Dmitri Mitiaev arrived at Plaça Catalunya in first position and was proclaimed the winner of the MALE CATEGORY of this Salomon Ultra Pirineu 100K® 2024. Amidst applause, the stopwatch was stopped after 10:27:38h, just 2 minutes ahead of the race record held by Kilian Jornet (2021). Mityaev commented; "After a little discomfort during the first part of the race, I felt strong enough in the second part of the race to make some records that I didn't expect.". Abel Carretero (10:35:23) y Raul Butaci (10:44:00) crossed the finish line in second and third position before 16:15h in the afternoon.

In the women's categoryGemma Arenas led strongly in the first part of the race, consolidating a gap that grew until she passed through Estasen, where almost nine minutes separated her from the second classified, the French rider Julie Roux. In the second group, the positions have been disputed between Ekaterina Mityaeva, Virginia Pérez and Nuria PicasDespite not being able to get close to Gemma, they have managed, together with the Frenchwoman Roux, to consolidate their position as the main pursuers throughout the day.

As of the passage through Estasen, Sands was unable to keep up with the imposed pace and has seen the open space dwindle in favour of Roux y Mityaeva who took advantage of it in the final kilometres, overtaking the Spaniards in the final stretch through Sant Jordi and on the last descent to Bagà respectively.

So, after an intense day of pure trail running, Julia Roux has won this Salomon Ultra Pirineu®, stopping the clock at 18.00h and winning in his debut in Bagà with a time of 12:30:35. After his first 100 kilometre race he commented; "...I am very happy.I am very happy with my performance, the battle at the front has helped me to stay focused to get the victory.". The women's podium was completed by Ekaterina Mitiaeva (12:38:20) y Gemma Arenas (12:41:11). Núria PicasNúria, for her part, achieved a sixth position in front of a Plaça Catalunya that was vibrant with emotion as Núria managed to finish her 8th Salomon Ultra Pirineu®.

SALOMON PIRINEU 42K MARATHON®

The second event par excellence of this Saturday was the consolidated Salomon Marató Pirineu 42k® Marathon. The 42 km and 2,800 metres of elevation gain The race was dominated by a high pace imposed by the leading riders of the race, whose winner already had names and surnames in just over 3:30h. 

In the men's category, the rider who must take the lead from the start at the start of the race at the end of the race shall be the one who 9.00h in the Plaça Porxada of Bagà have been the Kenyan Robert Pkemoiwho consolidated her position at the head of the race as soon as she passed through Rebost and did not relinquish the lead until she managed to raise the finishing tape on her arrival in Bagà. On the women's side, the Valencian Júlia Font y Rosa Lara, were the fastest runners and, pushing each other throughout the race, the spectators were able to enjoy a real duel which was not resolved until the final stretch of the course, where Font has managed to overtake and open up a sufficient space with Lara which has been enough to revalidate the crown achieved in the previous edition. The demanding route of the Marató Pirineu 42K® led the runners through the most iconic corners of the Cadí-Moixeró, sharing space with the Ultra route at points such as the Niu de l'Àliga, one of the toughest climbs of the day. 

Thus, the men's podium of the Marató Pirineu 42K® was headed by Robert Pkemoiwho, with a time of 03:30:49, managed to cross the Plaça Catalunya arch at 12:30. Completing the podium were Alex Garcia (03:41:49) y Sergi Garcia (03:42:13).

In the women's category, Júlia Font leads the podium after crossing the finish line at 13:05h with a time of 04:05:00. He was followed by Rosa Lara (04:06:31) y Oihana Kortaza (04:17:16) within minutes of each other. 

To put an end to an intense, hot and exciting weekend in Bagà, the 21K® Pyrenees Half Marathon will kick off tomorrow, 6 October 2024 at 09:30h, also under the arch of the Porxada square, in the historic centre of the town.

SALOMON ULTRA PIRINEU: PODIUMS, TIME AND IMAGES

SALOMON ULTRA PIRINEU 100K®

Women's Podium
1 - Julia ROUX: 12:30:35
2 - Ekaterina MITYAEVA: 12:38:20
3 - Gemma ARENAS: 12:41:11

Men's Podium

1 - Dmitry MITYAEV: 10:27:38

2 - Abel CARRETERO: 10:35:23

3 - Rio BUTACI: 10:44:00

SALOMON MARATHON PYRENEES 42K® MARATHON

Women's Podium

1 - Julia SOURCE: 04:05:00

2 - Rosa LARA FELIU 04:06:31

3 - The jungle of KORTAZAR: 04:17:16

Men's Podium

1 - Robert PKEMOI: 03:30:49

2 - Alex GARCIA: 03:41:49

3 - Sergi Garcia: 03:42:13