Skyrunning in Spain!

What is a SkyRace?

As we are involved in the running world, we have certainly heard about Skyraces, however to understand it, it is imperative to understand the Skyrunning concept. Skyrunning is the most technical, most exposed and pure mountain running discipline due to the commitment that is acquired by participating in a test of these characteristics, and due to the concept of constant ups and downs, on technical surfaces and trails, with minimum running distances on the flat, with the use of hands being necessary in some cases to overcome steps with considerable height differences.

Skyrunning is a sport of mountain running above 2,000 meters where the minimum average incline is 6% over the total distance and at least 5% has an incline of 30% or more. The climbing difficulty does not exceed II grade UIAA (or Alpine System). Poles, crampons, and hands may be used to aid progress. 

Monte Calamorro 

The summit of Monte Calamorro is a unique place, from this exceptional viewpoint, you can admire most of Western Costa del Sol: the City of Málaga, as well as the part of the villages from the Guadalhorce Valley, and even on bright days, you can spot Gibraltar and the African Coast. 

Monte Calamorro, offers many options for those who want to go trail running, hiking and even biking with different lengths and levels of difficulty. 

Calamorro Skyrace

Last  weekend, for the second consecutive year, the Calamorro SKYRACE. As we are located in Andalucia and very close to Benalmadena, we could not miss the chance to get the energy of trail running and adventure enthusiasts! Organizers authorized us to have a small stand and it was great to witness not only the international atmosphere, the level of the elite athletes present in the race, also the enthusiasm of the volunteers and all those involved in such a demanding race. 

Calamorro Skyrace has been one of the pioneering events that began to be held in Andalusia during the beginnings of Mountain Races in the community. The evolution of the course maintains a philosophy of unevenness and technicality in line with the Skyrunning movement and its International Federation. From 2019 the race combines the characteristics of a technical, demanding test that allows runners to live a totally different and real experience than a Skyrace. This year on its 15th edition, and for the second consecutive year, the Calamorro SKYRACE was part of the Skyrunner World Series World Cup circuit.

Runners´ Level and Route

Benalmádena became the capital of mountain running this weekend, runners of more than 25 different nationalities have gathered. The level of runners grows every year, and so does the level of course of the race as mentioned by the Skyrunner® World Series representative, Etienne Rodriguez, “the course is very demanding, with four long climbs and four long descents. You either go up or down, one thing or the other, there is hardly a flat section. And, furthermore, the most technical sections of the route involve climbing. It is a race that has everything.”

Women Start Calamorro SkyRace 2024

Sara Alonso (Spain), from the Asics team, and Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland), were proclaimed winners of the second round of the Merrell Skyrunner World Series, breaking the record in both categories. The Spanish runner did it with a time of 2:59:08, surpassing her own record of 3:00:08 in 2022. For his part, Roberto De Lorenzi lowered Antonio Martínez’s record from 2:39:01 to 2: 25:40. In the women’s category, Julia Font came in second position with a time of 3:00:42 after an intense fight with Sara Alonso until the last kilometers of the race.

The race was possible to be followed live with the broadcast by Evasión TV Play and the commentary by the journalist specialized in trail, Albert Jorquera, with technical comments by Javier Ordieres.

Albert Jorquera who has run the Oman Desert Marathon twice, the second time with the Paralympic runner Poil Makuri. We were happy to see him in action, this time not running in the desert as the last two years, but following live the exciting race.

Altair destinations in Calamorro

We love sports events and nature, so it was natural to be there. We had the chance to promote Oman as destinations for trail running and hiking, always taking in consideration getting to know the country and the culture. We were flattered but not surprised to hear from participants and organizers that they were aware of the Oman Desert Marathon and its beauty via Albert Jorquera, whom we had the chance to greet before  he was busy transmitting the exciting developments of the Calamorro SKYRACE.