The Penang Skyrace delivered a spectacular showcase of endurance, strategy, and resilience this past Saturday, as elite athletes battled intense heat, humidity, and rugged terrain in the fifth stage of the 2026 Merrell Skyrunner® World Series.
Set against the lush and unforgiving backdrop of Penang’s jungle trails, competitors faced a grueling 30-kilometer course featuring 2,400 meters of elevation gain. The challenging conditions tested even the world’s best, making for dramatic racing in both the men’s and women’s fields.
IMPRESSIVE WIN FOR MOLINA
In the men’s race, Morgan Elliot (USA, team Merrell) surged to the front from the start, setting an aggressive early pace. However, Nico Molina (ESP, team Scott) made a decisive move at kilometer 10, overtaking Elliot and maintaining control for the remainder of the race. As temperatures climbed, Elliot began to fade, opening the door for Japan’s Shoma Otagiri (team Merrell) to move into second place. Molina ultimately claimed victory in an impressive time of 03:34:10. Otagiri followed seven minutes behind, with Kristjan Champan (ISL, team Kailas) rounding out the podium in third.
NURMUKHAMETOVA WINS IN THE FINAL METERS
The women’s race delivered a thrilling finish that came down to the final meters. Elena Karanfiloska (MKD, team Lurbel) led for the majority of the race, holding a strong and steady pace throughout the demanding course. Close behind, Svetlana Nurmukhametova steadily gained ground, closing the gap kilometer by kilometer. In a dramatic sprint to the finish, Nurmukhametova overtook Karanfiloska just meters before the line, securing victory in 04:09:37. Karanfiloska finished just three seconds later in second place, while Vanja Cnops (BEL, team T8) completed the podium in third.
The excitement continued on Sunday with the U23 race, where rising talents Jan Balbe (ESP, team FEEC) and Nikola Matkova (SVK) took top honors in the 10-kilometer skyrace. Both athletes earned valuable points toward the youth rankings, highlighting the next generation of skyrunning excellence.
The Penang Skyrace once again proved to be a defining challenge on the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series calendar, combining technical terrain with extreme environmental conditions to crown true champions of the sport.
Full results HERE.
BIG WEEKEND COMING UP…
The series continues next week with two RED races: Skyrace des Matheysins in France on 3rd May and Japan’s Ueda Skyrace on 4th May. With both events offering 1.5x points, we expect a strong showing from top athletes across both sides of the world.
