Quispe finishes runner-up in the Skyrunner World Series

José Manuel Quispe finished runner-up in the Merrell Skyrunner World Series 2026 with 568 points after placing eighth in the Marató dels Dements final, held in Eslida.

The Peruvian runner completed the decisive race in 4:51:59 and earned 90 points. The final took place on a redesigned route through the Serra d’Espadà.

Merillas comes from behind in a double-points final

Quispe arrived in Eslida as the overall leader. Alongside him, Frederic Tranchand and Merillas were in contention for the men’s title at the start of the day, with 31 points separating them. The SkyMasters awarded double points and counted alongside each athlete’s four best results of the season.

Merillas’s victory, his second consecutive SkyMasters win, took him from third to first in the overall series standings. The Spaniard crossed the finish line in 4:20:33, ahead of Lucien Mermillon, second in 4:32:41, and Marcos Villamuera, third in 4:38:26.

Tranchand hurt his back shortly before the 10 km mark, according to the series, and continued despite the pain. In pursuit of Merillas, Mermillon moved into second place at 25 km and held it to the finish. Quispe’s result allowed him to retain second place for the season, five points ahead of the Frenchman.

Men’s final standings

4. Loic Robert: 4:43:09.
5. Morgan Elliott: 4:43:30.
7. Frederic Tranchand: seventh.

Men’s overall podium

1. Manuel Merillas: 647 points.
2. José Manuel Quispe: 568 points.
3. Frederic Tranchand: 563 points.

Quispe’s season

The 38-year-old athlete from Arequipa, a member of Team CIVA Endurance Club, built his campaign around four race victories in Chile, Argentina, Ecuador and Peru. He also finished second at the Beast of Big Creek in the United States.

His recent series record includes ninth place in the 2024 final and fourth in 2025. He finished eighth and seventh in the overall standings for those seasons, respectively.

Quispe dedicated the result to his country and the places where he grew up: “It was an extremely hard race, very technical and a battle from start to finish, but we gave everything on the mountain to achieve the goal. Securing this world runner-up finish is the reward for a huge amount of sacrifice throughout the year. This great achievement is for all of Peru, for my beloved Arequipa and, especially, for my people in Ayahuasi, Alca and La Unión, who are always with me every kilometre of the way.”

Alonso wins despite a fall and takes the series title

Sara Alonso needed to finish in the top four to secure the women’s title, but led the race from start to finish. The Spaniard fell on the first descent but went on to win in 5:30:38. Elena Karanfiloska was second in 5:40:17 and Greta Garcia completed the podium in 5:45:35.

The winner ended her debut series season with five victories. Before the final, she had won at Acantilados del Norte, Calamorro, Gorbeia Suzien and Sobrescobio, where she set a course record of 3:14:02. She also won all four Spanish races of the season.

Women’s final standings

4. Alice Bausseron: 5:46:59.
5. Eva Delafosse: 5:49:56.
6. Patricia Pineda: 5:50:48.
12. Rosalía Zegarra: 6:01:35.

Women’s overall podium

1. Sara Alonso: 700 points.
2. Eva Delafosse: 506 points.
3. Patricia Pineda: 492 points.

Zegarra finishes in the top ten

Rosalía Zegarra, the runner from Cajamarca who is also on the CIVA team, finished the women’s overall standings with 409 points. After the race, she expressed her satisfaction: “I am very happy to have achieved the major goal of finishing among the top ten in the world in the final rankings.”

Women’s overall standings, fourth to tenth

4. Amanda Nilsson: 479 points.
5. Alice Bausseron: 461 points.
6. Elena Karanfiloska: 454 points.
7. Natalie Beadle: 439 points.
8. Oihana Zubillaga: 417 points.
9. Greta Garcia: 414 points.
10. Rosalía Zegarra: 409 points.

A final redesigned after the fire

The race started at 7:30 in Eslida, which also hosted the finish. Runners faced 42 kilometres and 3,903 metres of elevation gain on a route with nine major climbs and descents through the Serra d’Espadà Natural Park.

The route passed Alto de la Costera, Puntal de l’Aljub, Pico Espadán and Barranc del Roig. It was a new course: the July fire burned more than 10,000 hectares of the park and affected the area used for the first 10 kilometres of the usual route, which was no longer accessible. The organisers redesigned it together with the natural park and environmental authorities.

To qualify for the final, runners could finish in the top 20 in at least four series races or qualify through the National Series and continental or world championships. The overall standings awarded 70,000 euros in prize money, with 12,000 euros for each champion.