History was made at the 32nd Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon as Gianluca Ghiano and Anastasia Rubtsova conquered Malaysia’s most iconic mountain race, each setting new course records on the legendary slopes of Mount Kinabalu.
Returning in full international form, the 2025 edition reaffirmed its reputation as one of the toughest and most spectacular mountain races in the world. The event, held on October 19, drew elite athletes from across the globe to Sabah’s UNESCO-listed Kinabalu Park. The 26 km course climbs from Kinabalu Park Headquarters (1,560 m) to Low’s Peak (4,095 m) before plunging back down to the finish — an elevation gain of over 2,500 m within just a few hours.
Often called the “World’s Toughest Mountain Race,” the Mount Kinabalu Climbathon has deep roots in the global skyrunning scene. In the 2000s and 2010s, it was part of the Skyrunner® World Series, attracting the sport’s biggest names — including Kilian Jornet, who once stood at the starting line and famously described Kinabalu as “a race like no other.”
This year’s revival maintained that legacy while welcoming a new generation of elite athletes and local heroes to Sabah’s most iconic peak.
Both the men’s and women’s race started fast with Gianluca Ghiano of Italy (team Brooks) and Anastasia Rubtsova (team Bivium) pushing the pace from the start. In the men’s race, Italian’s William Boffelli (team Kailas) and Luca Del Pero (team Scarpa) were locked into the chase, both trying their best to catch Ghiano on the downhill. After a lightening-speed descent, Ghiano crossed the finish line in first place with a new record time of 3:05:41. Boffelli followed in second place less than a minute behind and Del Pero closed the Italian men’s podium, nine minutes later.
The male winner, Ghiano, comments: “It was an incredible race and the weather was amazing. The most challenging part of the race was the last kilometres on the road as I had to push a lot and I was thinking about Marco Degasperi during his fight with Kilian. I thought the whole race about all my idols who did this race before like Kilian or Bruno Brunod so I’m happy to be here running on the same course. This win is very special for me as it’s part of skyrunning history.”
In the women’s race, Rubtsova continued to dominate, with her focus fully on the overall ranking. After 3:46:13, Rubtsova crossed the finish line with a new course record, placing her at the top of the 2025 score board. Ainara Alcuaz of Spain (team Basque EMF) followed 25 minutes later and Lina El Kott of Sweden (team Merrell) fought off Marcela Vasinova of the Czech Republic to claim third.
The female winner, Rubtsova comments: “This race couldn’t have gone better. I had really good feelings the whole time and enjoyed the course so much. The top of the race is amazing with all the rocks and it’s very steep to the summit. It was my first time here and it felt perfect. I like the altitude and I was able to push myself to claim the victory today.”
Full results HERE.
The series continues to the last weekend of racing before the final, Marato Dels Dements, on the 8th of November – 2Peaks Skyrace in South Korea on Saturday and Sobrescobio Skyrace in Spain on Sunday.
