Surprise Win for Lightfoot in Zegama

Lauri Van Houten / 25.05.2009

Relative new-comer to skyrunning, twenty-four- year old Briton Ricky Lightfoot stormed the second Skyrunner® World Series race podium on Sunday, May 24th in Spain’s Basque Country. The women’s Series’ leader, Italian Emanuela Brizio, beat the course record by an amazing 4 minutes 45 seconds and reconfirmed her ranking leadership.

Favourite Ricardo Mejia, a past world champion, looked set for victory until Lightfoot saw his chance in the second half of the race. Only two minutes behind the leader at the halfway point, he decided to go for it, crossing the finish a good two minutes ahead of Paolo Larger, who sailed past Mejia to take second place. Mejia, in third position is still heads the series ranking.

Brizio led the women’s field in a class of her own with a 10 minute lead throughout and went on to set the new course record in 4h 38’19” reconfirming her position as World Series’ leader. Portugal’s Rosa Madureira and Andorra’s Stephanie Jiminez were second and third respectively. Hopes for Britain’s Lizzy Hawker died when she retired at the halfway point, still suffering from a recent bout of ‘flu.

Four hundred and fifty-four athletes lined up to participate in the 42 km Maratòn Alpina Zegama-Aizkorri, characterized by a series of grueling ascents and descents over four of Euskadi’s highest peaks. Recent sunny spring weather gave way to a constant drizzle, no doubt favoured by most athletes, but creating difficult conditions on the descent with mud and slippery rocks.

An injury descending the Aratz peak forced three-time world champion Agustí Roc to retire after having led most of the race in tandem with Mejia. The other top Catalans, last year’s champion Kilian Jornet, together with Raul Garcia and Toful Castanyer, were absent after an intensive season of ski-mountaineering events but are expected to compete in the International SkyRace® in Switzerland, a trial valid for the World Series’ ranking, where another battle of champions will take place on June 7th.

Despite the weather, the crowds turned up as usual to applaud and encourage the athletes along the course, an aspect much appreciated by Lightfoot, “I never experienced this before,” he said. “At the 20 km aid station everyone was cheering me on. You don’t need to eat energy bars or drink. The enthusiasm of the crowd just carries you up.”

After a debut win in his first World Series race, Lightfoot has a promising future in skyrunning and has already penciled in the last two races: Ben Nevis in Scotland and the final, in Malaysia.

Full results, race photos and further dates in the series can be found on www.skyrunning.com