The 2025 edition of Gorbeia Suzien crowned two homegrown champions as Basque couple, Aitor Ajuria and Lide Urrestarazu (both team Basque Selection) overcame a world-class international field to take gold in the men’s and women’s races, respectively.
Gorbeia Suzien is a demanding 31 km skyrace with 2,400 m of vertical gain, traversing rugged trails, steep climbs, and technical descents across the Gorbea Natural Park. The race drew elite talent from around the globe, making a win by local athletes especially momentous.
In the men’s race, Jose Manuel Quispe of Peru (Team Merrell/CIVA) and Kenya’s Bernard Chepkwony (Team Merrell/Otso) set a blistering early pace. Local favorite Aitor Ajuria stayed composed, matching their tempo on the climbs. When the course pitched steeply upward, Ajuria seized his moment—surging past the leaders and never looking back. He powered through the technical descents and crossed the finish line in a superb 3:01:16, securing a decisive home victory. Behind him, the battle for the podium unfolded in dramatic fashion, with Spain’s Marcos Villamuera (Team Scarpa) outlasting Gonztal Murgoitio (Team Brooks). Villamuera claimed silver just 90 seconds after Ajuria, while Murgoitio followed 20 seconds later to round out the top three.
The women’s race saw Lide Urrestarazu take control from the very start. Despite strong challenges from Spain’s Marta Martinez (Team La Sportiva), Naiara Irigoyen (Open Team), and Kenya’s Judith Jerono (Team Merrell/Otso), the local star never faltered. With unmatched strength over the technical terrain, Urrestarazu stormed to the line in a course record 3:34:16, to the delight of the home crowd. Irigoyen secured second place, finishing eight minutes back, while Martinez completed the podium in third.
Aitor Ajuria comments: “I wanted to push from the beginning but decided to wait until Aldamin where I took the lead and managed to increase the difference gap with the others. From there I pushed until the finish line. For me, this is a very special victory as it’s in my home, the Basque Country and all my friends and family and locals were cheering all over the course.”
Lide Urrestarazu comments: “I was feeling strong from the beginning and I knew that I was able to push. The ambience made the event so special. I love racing in Gorbeia as it’s always a surprise because every time I race here, I get an unexpected result. The women today were so strong and I am very happy to share the podium with Naiara and Marta.”
Full results can be found HERE.
The series next travels to Northern Ireland for Mourne Skyline on the 11th of October. More info HERE.
