All roads lead to Castellón, Spain, for the grand finale on November 8th: the SkyMasters at the Marató dels Dements!

This Saturday, the globally-celebrated Skymasters – the finale of the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series (MSWS) – will be held in the rugged terrain of the Serra d’Espadà, in the municipalities of Eslida and Aín. This decisive race will determine the ultimate men’s and women’s champions of skyrunning for 2025 – recognising the world’s elite athletes who have battled across multiple continents and varied terrain. It awards 1.5 times the normal points, making it completely decisive for the overall season titles.

This race is a true monster, covering 42 kilometers with an astonishing 3,800 meters of vertical gain. Starting at 07:30 from Eslida, participants navigate nine major climbs and descents, across features such as Alto de la Costera, Puntal de l’Aljub, Pico Espadán, Barranc del Roig, and Casa Mosquera.

As the final event of the MSWS calendar, the Skymasters carries extra weight: higher points and a defining place in the overall standings for the world series.

THE SEASON’S BEST AT THE START LINE

Current ranking leader Anastasia Rubtsova (BIVIUM) is in 1st place. She will face a huge challenge from Spain’s Naiara Irigoyen (Open Team) in 2nd and Denisa Dragomir of Romania (Merrell/ Red Bull) in 3rd. The competition also includes Patricia Pineda Cornejo of Spain (La Sportiva) in 4th, Iris Pessey of France (Scott Running) in 5th, and Spain’s Marta Martinez (La Sportiva) in 6th. 8th Natalie Beadle of the UK, and 9th Ainara Alacuaz (Basque Selection). It’s going to be a finale for the ages!

Anastasia Rubtsova comments:

“Yes, I believe I might be able to win the series this year. To do that, I need to beat Nayara Irigoyen, so let’s see if that works out. This year, I simply planned to visit new places and travel to countries I’ve never been to, not to win. Sadly not everything worked out as I planned. I had visa issues at the beginning of the year, travel was not easy or cheap and I even lost my phone during one trip, but… the goal was achieved! I did it! I flew around the world! I saw Orizaba, the Andes, and Malaysia and I still managed to arrive at the final in a good position.

Of course, I feel both the excitement and the pressure of the whole year and we can’t forget the feeling of fatigue, also. It’s now time to end the season and whether I win or not, it’s been an amazing experience and I am proud of myself and the other athletes this season.”

The men’s field is packed with contenders. The overall ranking is incredibly tight with Luca Del Pero of Italy (Team Scarpa) and Spain’s Alain Santamaría (Open Team) currently sitting in joint 1st place. They’ll be challenged by Italians Gianluca Ghiano (Brooks) in 3rd and William Boffelli (Team Kailas Fuga) in 4th. Also fighting for the podium are Frédéric Tranchand of France (Merrell) in 5th and Manuel Merillas of Spain (New Balance) in 6th. 7th Jose Manuel Quispe of Peru (Merrell/CIVA), 8th Martin Nilsson of Sweden (VJ), 9th, Nicolas Molina of Spain (La Sportiva), 10th Italy’s Daniel Antonioli (Scarpa).

Luca Del Pero comments:

“To win the series I think I will have to find the last remaining forces after this long season of more than 20 races and stay concentrated and focused on the goal as much as possible to grab the best possible position, ahead of Alain, obviously.

This year I took part in the same number of competitions as last year, and it was undoubtedly my best season ever, with three circuit victories. At this point of the season, in November, I think it’s quite normal to be tired and I look forward to taking a break.

To win the series I am aware of Alain of course, as we have the same number of points but there are several runners that are really in shape at the end of this season, besides Alain I would say Fred and Manu are ones to watch.

Marato Dels Dements, I think it’s one of the toughest courses I’ve ever run, with 9 ascents and descents, never boring and all quite technical. It will be about 4h45′ for the winner, so it’s also a very long race. I think that if I’m fine I’ll run my race from the start, based on my feelings, without paying too much attention to what’s happening around me since it will be a long race and in almost 5 hours anything can happen.”

As anticipation builds, organisers, athletes and spectators alike are gearing up for a dramatic conclusion to a season of high-altitude adventure. Whether you’re immersing yourself in the forested ridges of the Serra d’Espadà or following from afar, this promises to be a defining moment for skyrunning in 2025.

Follow the Race via Live Trail HERE.

Overall Ranking HERE.

More info. HERE.