Trails & Inspiration

The Gorbeia Suzien Skyrace 2023

Welcome to the breathtaking world of skyrunning, where the earth and sky unite!

Each race in the Skyrunner® World Series is a true test of skill, endurance, and bravery, set amidst jaw-dropping scenery, including glaciers, knife-edge ridges, and technical terrain. Courses are typically between 20-30 km long, with over 2,000m elevation, combining runnable trails with highly technical terrain, including sharp ridges, snowy climbs, and steep rocky descents.

From the Alps to the Andes, the Skyrunner World Series selects only the best SkyRaces in stunning locations worldwide. This attracts the fastest and most fearless skyrunners, who strive to achieve the distinction of being crowned the best in the world. The top-performing male and female athletes are declared champions at the end of the season.

The Gorbeia Suzien Skyrace is part of the 2023 Skyrunner® World Series which consists of 13 events including the Skymaster Final.

This year, SportsShoes and Merrell headed to the Basque Country with a team of athletes who had all earned the right to compete in the race, after winning our Merrell x SportsShoes Strava Segment Challenge earlier in the year.

Pictured: Gavin Dale. Photo Credit: Brian Sharp

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Tom Adams, Victoria Wilkinson, Gavin Dale and Natalie Beadle all topped the leaderboard for our North and South trail segments. In addition, Ben Mounsey and Kirsty Hall were also competing in the 21K Skyrace.

All of our athletes wore the super-fast Merrell MTL Skyfire 2, designed for trail and sky runners to excel on the most technical mountains and rugged trails in the world. 

READ OUR MERRELL MTL SKYFIRE 2 REVIEW HERE

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GORBEIA SUZIEN SKYRACE 32KM 2.400M D+

The 32K Skyrace takes you inside the amazing national park of Gorbeia through inspiring trails along muddy paths, rocky tracks and wide green meadows. The route alternates steep uphill climbs and fast downhill runs but it also has very technical sections.

This year, there were breathtaking performances all round and it was an incredibly tight race across the men’s and woman’s field. Showcasing again the depth of field within the series and the fight to the top of the leaderboard as we edge closer to the SkyMasters finale.

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Pictured: The start of the 32km Skyrace. Photo Credit: Brian Sharp

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Alain Santamaria Blanco and Clémentine Geoffray were the male and female winners in the 32km race, whilst Natalie Beadle was the stand-out performer for the SportsShoes x Merrell Trail Team, placing in an incredible 8th place on her Skyrunning debut. Tom Adams and Gavin Dale both performed brilliantly to finish inside the top 30.

In the 21km race, Victoria Wilkinson unfortunately retired through injury, but Ben Mounsey and Kirsty Hall both had excellent races to secure 2nd and 4th place respectively and 1st place in the master's category.

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Pictured: Natalie Beadle. Photo Credit: Brian Sharp

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MENS PODIUM
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Pictured: The men's podium in the 32km Skyrace. Photo Credit: Brian Sharp

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WOMEN'S PODIUM

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Pictured: The women's podium in the 32km Skyrace. Photo Credit: Brian Sharp

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Following Gorbeia Suzien, Antonio Martínez Pérez still leads the way in the men's competition. 

In the women's standings, Clémentine Geoffray and Iris Pessey are now jointly tied for 1st position. The winner will be decided at the SkyMasters in Limone on the 28th of October.

The next race in the Skyrunner® World Series is Louzanskyrace on October 7th, 2023.

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Check out our Trails and Inspirational category to discover the most amazing trails and hikes in the world, as recommended by our athletes, ambassadors and loyal customers.