The 19th stage of the 2024 Merrell Skyrunner® World Series season saw athletes from around the world take to the sky above Georgetown, Malaysia.
The 42-kilometer skyrace route of Kailas Penang Skyrace took participants on an epic journey through the UNESCO-listed Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve, a tropical rainforest sanctuary teeming with wildlife, including the iconic Dusky Leaf Monkeys and Giant Black Squirrels.
The first Malaysian race of the series was a spectacle as head torches lit up the sky as the skyrunners began in the dark in the early hours of the morning. From the tropical lowlands to the cooling breezes atop Penang Hill, the course delivered a truly unique blend of terrain that sets it apart from any other on the series.
321 skyrunners took part in the 2024 edition with the titles being claimed by Lide Urrestarazuof the Basque Country (team Basque Selection) and Lorenzo Beltrami of Italy (Team Scarpa / Rock Experience).
In the women’s race, Urrestarazu was strong throughout and was able to take the lead from early on. The Basque athlete claimed her second victory of the season with a winning time of 5:16:37 which places her in fourth position in the overall ranking.
Urrestarazu comments: “I really enjoyed this race. The climate is very different to what I am used to – very humid and hot. I tried to pace myself and drink lots of water and in the end I was able to have a great race.”
Second place went to Iris Pessey of France (team Scott Running) who finished nine minutes behind Urrestarazu and Marcela Vasinova of the Czech Republic closed the female podium, finishing 30 minutes Pessey.
In the men’s race, it was also a second victory for Lorenzo Beltrami of Italy (Team Scarpa / Rock Experience) who crossed the finish line with a winning time of 4:17:14 which moves him into the top 3 of the overall ranking.
Beltrami comments: “I am very happy with this victory. I started strong and pushed until the very end. It was a hard and technical race. The conditions today – the mud and the darkness – gave me a lot of energy. This race was one of my goals of the season and now I feel strong going into the final.”
Second place went to Ioseba Eskudero of the Basque Country who finished in 4:53:31 andYusof Abdul Manan of Malaysia followed in third place.
The next race of the series is the final race before the SkyMasters – Sagalassos Skyrace in Turkey on the 9th of November.
Photos: Antton Guaresti
