The Cordillera Blanca Skyrace thundered through the Peruvian Andes yesterday, delivering a dramatic high-altitude showdown as the eleventh stage of the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series.
Broadcast live around the world, the race set off at 7:00 am local time and sent athletes across 25 kilometers of technical mountain terrain, climbing to nearly 5,000 meters above sea level. The course’s most demanding sections required ropes and scrambling, with helmets mandatory throughout all technical stretches.
A DUEL ABOVE THE CLOUDS
In the men’s race, Jose Luis Castro (Peru, Team Peru Trail Lab) set an aggressive early pace, opening a commanding gap over the field in the race’s opening kilometers. But as the course pushed above 5,000 meters, Jose Manuel Quispe (Peru, Team Merrell) came alive in the thin mountain air, methodically reeling in Castro’s lead and setting the stage for a gripping duel between the two Peruvian athletes.
With the gap closed, the race came down to the descent. Quispe proved sharper on the technical downhill terrain, crossing the line in 2:49:13 to claim victory by less than 20 seconds over Castro. The win marks Quispe’s fourth of the season, further cementing his position as one of the standout performers on this year’s circuit. Castro held on for a hard-fought second place, while Daniel Izquierdo surged through the field to complete the podium in third, finishing 18 minutes back.
LOAYZA DOMINATES THE WOMEN’S RACE
In the women’s competition, Aydee Loayza (Peru, Team Adidas Terrex) left no doubt about the outcome, taking control of the race from the starting gun and never relinquishing the lead. Loayza completed a dominant wire-to-wire victory in 3:46:04, finishing one minute ahead of Estela Castro (Peru, Team Peru Trail Lab) in second place. Amanda Nilsson (Sweden, Team Hoka) rounded out the podium in third, four minutes behind Loayza.
ABOUT THE COURSE
The Cordillera Blanca Skyrace is renowned as one of the most demanding stops on the Merrell Skyrunner World Series calendar due to its altitude. Its 25-kilometer route winds through the high peaks of the Cordillera Blanca range, pushing runners to altitudes approaching 5,000 meters above sea level. The course’s most technical sections require the use of fixed ropes and hands-on scrambling over exposed rock, and race organizers mandate helmet use across all technical terrain to ensure athlete safety.
NEXT UP
The Merrell Skyrunner® World Series brings together the world’s top mountain and skyrunning athletes across a season-long calendar of races held in some of the most spectacular high-altitude terrain on the planet. The Cordillera Blanca Skyrace in Huaraz, Peru stood as the eleventh stage of this year’s series. The series continues on August 1st with the Beast of Big Creek in the USA.
Full results can be found HERE.
