Sara Alonso during the ascent at Sancti Spiritu in the 2025 edition of Zegama-Aizkorri.
© Roger Salanova
Sara Alonso’s victory at Zegama 2025 was nothing short of epic. The runner from San Sebastián crossed the finish line in 4 hours, 27 minutes, and 25 seconds, delivering a flawless performance on the most technically demanding course of the European calendar. Her first act was to release all the tension she had built up.
“Winning Zegama as a Basque is incredible, a dream to earn the txapela,” she declared afterward. Behind those words lay two years of trying and a relationship with this mountain that extends far beyond sport.
On May 17, Alonso returns to Zegama. This time, she comes as the defending champion, in the most special edition in the race’s history, facing a field that includes Judith Wyder (second in 2025) and compatriots such as Malen Osa, who finished third last year, and Rosa Lara, who placed fourth. Added to the lineup is the heavy favorite: Sweden’s Tove Alexandersson, who will make her Zegama debut with Salomon. She already crushed all rivals at the past World Championships in Canfranc, leading by over half an hour over Sara, who finished second.
Sara Alonso’s story at Zegama is also one of patience and persistence. She first reached the Zegama podium in 2022 and took three years to climb to the top step. During that time, she continued racking up wins on the Golden Trail World Series circuit—the Marathon du Mont Blanc, the Kobe Trail—establishing herself as one of the most consistent runners in the international pack. But the Zegama txapela, the one she wanted most, took time to arrive. When it did, Sancti Spiritu became the stage for one of the most emotional images in recent Spanish trail running.
Sara Alonso won the first Golden Trail race of the year in Kobe.
© GTWS
The context of 2026 adds even more pressure, but Alonso knows how to handle it. She knows the course better than anyone, understands the mountain, and faces the burden of expectation—which in Zegama can weigh as heavily as the 2,736 meters of vertical gain. On her side is the confidence that comes from knowing she has already achieved it, and a winter preparation that, according to her social media, has gone well.
The women’s field for the 25th anniversary edition promises to be one of the most competitive in recent years. The Golden Trail World Series have added Tove Alexandersson to the roster this year, and the Swede is one of the big unknowns in a race that typically rewards technical skill and the ability to suffer on climbs more than pure power. The mountains of Aizkorri have their own rules, and those who understand them best—Alonso knows this well—carry an advantage from the start.
