Andreu Blanes Goes All-In at Zegama: From Roads to Mountains

Front-Runner from the Start

At the 2025 edition of the Zegama-Aizkorri, Andreu Blanes didn’t wait to test the field. Right from the first climb, he surged to the front and quickly opened a gap. By the first checkpoint, he had a full minute on the chase pack. He stayed in control through the climb to Aratz and the iconic noise tunnel of Sancti Spiritu at 20km.

Eventually, the group behind began to close the gap, and both Daniel Pattis and Elhousine Elazzaoui overtook him on the ridge to Aketegi. Blanes held strong on the descent and surged back to the front between 23k and 29k, using the flatter terrain to his advantage.

Andreu's race data at Zegama 2025

Elazzaoui’s final descent was too strong to match, but Andreu held off Pattis to lock in second place in 3:50:53.

A Road-to-Trail Transition Done Right

Last December, Andreu debuted in the marathon in Valencia—a strategic move to build aerobic strength before a return to mountain racing.

“I did the asphalt marathon in December as a first step towards a mountain marathon. From December to May I planned everything to be able to be at my best for Zegama.”

That meant gradually increasing elevation gain across his weeks, building confidence and durability for the technical terrain.

"Elevation gain was key for me. Since I come from flat training, having a progressive load was very important to succeed."

He also saw gradual increases in his threshold pace, showing improved fitness on a critical marathon metric.

Andreu's Base Fitness, Training Load, and Threshold Pace during his training

Using Data to Manage Uncertainty

Leading into Zegama, Andreu faced health issues that disrupted his training. During this stretch, data played a key role in rebuilding trust in his body.

“It was key to check the sleep time and HR during the night to confirm I was recovering properly.”

By race day, he was fully recovered and ready to run worry-free. He ran mostly by feel but checked splits occasionally to avoid early burnout.

"Fortunately I could give my best and fight for everything."

Moving Forward

There’s no set path for Andreu Blanes. Orienteering, flat road races, and world-class mountain runs all show up in his resume—and his ability to toggle between them is rare.

“There are plenty of things to learn and I am pretty sure I will discover them with some more time.”

For now, recovery is the focus. After leading the most electric race on the Golden Trail Series calendar, Blanes walked away with proof that his plan worked—and that there's room to grow even more.