After a thrilling start to the season, this weekend, the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series heads to North America for the Mexico Sky Challenge. The second stage of the 2025 circuit will take place in Orizaba, Veracruz, México.
The 35 km course, with almost 3,000 meters of climb, is characterized by its toughness, high altitude, and hot weather conditions. The race starts at: 05:00 A.M (Local Time), and heads directly to the first summit with a long climb reaching an altitude of 3,121 m.a.s.l. At this point, athletes will be able to have a direct view of the Pico de Orizaba which is the highest mountain in the country with an altitude of 5,636 m.a.s.l.
A mixture of international elites and local stars are in the running for the title.
The women’s field includes Anastacia Rubtsova, the 2024 overall champion who was undefeated last season. Going head-to-head with Anastacia is the defending champion Karina Carsolio of Mexico (team BUFF / Black Diamond); skyrunning newcomer, Paola Morales of Columbia (team Track and Mountain); Carina Mendoza of Mexico (team Corre Mejía); and Leidy Hormaza of Columbia (team Nedao).
Rubtsova explains her reasons for choosing Mexico Sky Challenge: “I’m really looking forward to racing in Mexico. (It’s bad enough that I had to fly across the Pacific Ocean to get here!) I am glad that the race will be held so close to Orizaba volcano as I plan to climb it after the race. Right now, I’m motivated by an interest in exploring new territories and I’m just going to enjoy the process.”
In the men’s field, we can expect to see Frederic Tranchand of France, who has recently switched to team Merrell; Jacob Adkin of Great Britain (team New Balance); and Scotland’s Ross Gollan leading the internationals who have spent the past few weeks acclimatising in the area. Strong North and South American athletes include Mexicans Abraham Hernández of Mexico (team HOKA / Corre Mejía) and Jeff Rosas (team the North Face); and Cristian Herrera of Chile (team Merrell).
Gollan commented on the location: “We have spent the past week here. The course is tough, lots of technical jungle trails and steep downhills but a nice variety of terrain and epic views of Pico de Orizaba.”
The race starts this Saturday the 29th of March at 05:00 am local time.
