The first race of the 2025 Merrell Skyrunner® World Series, Acantilados del Norte, saw thrilling performances as new course record holders, Marta Martinez and Luca Del Pero, emerged victorious in the challenging coastal event on La Palma.
The demanding 29-kilometer race route, with over 2000 meters of vertical climb, took skyrunners along the rugged cliffs and through the stunning landscapes of La Palma, in the Canary Islands.
As the first race of the 2025 skyrunning season, top elite athletes from around the world were eager to take their place at the start line and test themselves against the world’s best. The level of performance we can expect this season was evident today with not only the male and female records both being broken, but all of the top 10 women and the top 8 men finished below the previous records times.
In the men’s race, the defending champion and 2024 SWS overall ranking winner, Roberto Delorenzi of Switzerland (team Brooks), arrived at the start line in Santo Domingo de Garafia, hoping to pull off another incredible performance and continue his winning streak. The first 10 km of the race was incredibly tight between the top five men with less than two minutes separating first and fifth, with Delorenzi leading. As the race continued, Luca Del Pero of Italy (team Scarpa) could be seen gaining on Delorenzi, finally overtaking him at kilometer 18. However, the race was far from over. In the final uphill just minutes before the finish, Delorenzi pushed to catch up with Del Pero and the two were almost side-by-side. In the end, Del Pero was the fastest of the day crossing the finish line with a new course record of 2:30:08, just nine seconds ahead of Delorenzi in second.
Lorenzo Beltrami of Italy (team Rock Experience / Scarpa) closed the men’s podium, three minutes behind first and fourth place went to 22-year old Miguel Benitz of Spain (team Asics), followed by Mallorcan Alejandro Forcades (team Nnormal).
Del Pero comments: “Today was a great race at Acantildos. Honestly, I didn’t expect such a good performance. It was a tough battle with Roberto and Lorenzo and Aitor. I think the fact that we were able to take 10 minutes off the record was down to Roberto and I being 20 seconds apart from each other the entire race, either him in front or behind, and we could feel the others breath on our necks. I didn’t expect to win. It’s always hard to know your level at the first race but it went well and now let’s see what happens at Calamorro.”
In the women’s race, the previously undefeated 2021 overall champion, Denisa Dragomir of Romania (team Merrell), went out hard and set the pace for the first 20 kilometers until she was caught by Marta Martinez of Spain (team La Sportiva). Martinez used her strengths to her advantage, pushing hard on the final uphill sections and arriving first at the finish line in Barlovento with a new course record of 03:02:06. Dragomir arrived five minutes later, followed by a Spanish trio consisting of Oihana Kortazar (team Salomon) in third, Lide Urrestarazu (team Basque EMF) in fourth and Naiara Irigoyen (Open Team) in fifth.
Martinez comments: “I ran at my maximum right from the beginning. I knew this could either go really good or really bad but today, luckily, the risk paid off. I felt strong from the beginning and even when I crossed the finish line, I still felt there was more in me. The key moment of the race was after the km 20 mark where I was able to overtake Denisa. After this I knew I had to push really hard in the uphills because I knew that Denisa is a very fast descender. I was able to keep it up and continue strong until the finish line. It’s great to start the season with this result and motivates me for the rest of the year.”
Acantilados del Norte offered a blend of technical skyrunning, a warm community and a fierce lineup, providing the perfect setting for the start of the 2025 Merrell Skyrunner® World Series. With both Martinez and del Pero’s victories, the season is shaping up to be an exciting one, and all eyes are now on the upcoming races as the series continues.
The next race is Mexico Sky Challenge in Orizaba, Mexico on the 29th of March.
Full Acantilados del Norte results HERE.
