This year, the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series set out to uncover fresh talent from new countries.
In the majestic Andes, where the sky kisses the rugged mountain peaks, a new star is rising in the world of skyrunning. José Manuel Quispe, a determined athlete from Peru, is making waves with his incredible performances. The farmer from rural Peru recently won the Cordillera Blanca Skyrace and now prepares to cross the Atlantic to go head-to-head with Europe’s best skyrunners. Little is known about Jose Manuel Quispe, however, he definitely deserves an introduction. The MSWS caught up with Jose recently to find out more about who he is, where he came from and how he got here.
When did you start skyrunning?
Well, I started participating in skyrunning in 2023 at the utcb. Although I have been trail running since 2017, this was my first ever skyrace. During COVID, however, I did not train for two years so I had to restart my training and running in 2022. In 2023 I finally felt ready to try skyrunning and that’s when I chose my next challenge.
Where do you come from?
I am from Peru, the Arequipa region, La Unión province, Alca district, Ayahuasi annex. The area where I live is 3,500 meters above sea level and we have mountains that go up to 5,000 meters above sea level. Where I live and train, trail running and skyrunning are not popular. It’s only me and my partner who train in the mountains here. It is a deep valley called “Canyon of Cotahuasi.”
What were your expectations of the season before the first race?
Together with my coach, we planned the 2024 season, focusing on the Merrell Skyrunner World Series. I’m a Merrell athlete so it caught my attention and now that there are more races in America, I am able to compete in the series.
My 2024 season races are: Mexico Skychallenge, Cordillera Blanca Skyrace, Maga Skymarathon and Gorbeia Suzien.
We train specifically for each race so I hope to arrive in the best shape possible.
After your recent victory, do you think it’s possible to win the overall ranking?
Of course it is my dream to win, but I know that there are other good runners with the same dream. My plan is to come to Europe and place top 10 in both races. No matter the points, I just to finish my qualification process and arrive to the final prepared to do my best.
What excites you most about competing in Europe against European athletes?
I want to compete agains the best. I have been to Europe before for World Champs and for other series and I have been to the US to race with the best.
But also I face other challenges in my life which means it’s not so easy for me to travel all the time. I am a farmer and I have a family, I need to prioritise my time. I come from a very rural place. Sometimes there is no internet so I can’t always check my email or I don’t know what is happening in other countries, but I trust in my training and after winning the Cordillera Blanca Skyrace, my confidence is back.
I now have two months of specific training to arrive well prepared for the back-to-back races in Europe.
I want to thank all the people that support me in this dream, Merrell, Civa, and people that help me everytime I need to compete abroad.
Good luck to Jose Manuel Quispe on the rest of his season!
