Photo : UTMB Official
Norway’s Miriam Myhren Bouchleh delivered an impressive performance at Puglia by UTMB, finishing second in the women’s race over the 145-kilometre I Sassi di Matera course.
Bouchleh reached the finish in 17:02:49, placing behind Italian winner Enrica Dematteis, who completed the race in 15:49:20. Luisa Dematteis made it two Italians on the podium, taking third in 17:38:31.
The course began in the historic city of Matera and covered approximately 145 kilometres and 3,500 metres of elevation gain before finishing on the coast at Castellaneta Marina.
An unusual route to the UTMB World Series
The result becomes even more remarkable when placed alongside Bouchleh’s unconventional running background.
Her UTMB profile previously listed only Romeriksåsen på langs, where she finished second among the women over 50 kilometres in 2025. Puglia therefore appears to have been her first race within the UTMB World Series – and her first recorded attempt at the 100M category.
Rather than building her profile through a conventional elite racing programme, Bouchleh has become known for an extraordinary endurance project away from the major trail circuit.
Beginning in December 2025, she ran an ultramarathon every day while continuing to work full-time. By August, she had completed 242 consecutive days and covered more than 12,000 kilometres, averaging around 50 kilometres per day. The project also raised money for Médecins Sans Frontières and its work with malnourished children.
She had already demonstrated her capacity for extreme endurance by running 250 kilometres continuously in under 30 hours. In Puglia, that durability translated into a podium finish on one of the longest courses in the UTMB World Series.
I Sassi di Matera 145K – women’s podium
I Sassi di Matera 145K
Women’s results · 145 km · 3,500 m+
For Bouchleh, the performance introduces a fascinating new name to international trail running. The question now is whether Puglia was a single adventure built on an enormous endurance base – or the beginning of a more regular presence on the UTMB circuit.
Elsewhere at Puglia by UTMB
Puglia by UTMB featured five races across three days, bringing close to 3,000 runners from 68 countries to the trails between Matera and the Ionian coast.
Spain completed a double victory in the 85K Le Maioliche di Laterza, where Claudio Díaz Castán won the men’s race in 7:28:30 and Claudia Tremps led the women home in 8:24:53.
The 50K Castellaneta Underground Trail produced one of the closest finishes of the weekend. Kenya’s Sammy Rotich Chelangat won in 3:37:27, just over two minutes ahead of Roberto Delorenzi. Anaïs Guillot took the women’s title in 4:15:00, with Elisa Desco and Roberta Jacquin completing the podium.
Samuel and Sofia Demetz also emerged as two of the weekend’s central characters. The siblings won the men’s and women’s 10K races on Saturday, before returning for the 35K Ginosa Rivolta Trail the following morning. Samuel claimed a second victory in 2:14:04, while Sofia added third place in the women’s race behind winner Jemima Farley and Camilla Rizzardi.
Race Winners
Five races from Matera to the Ionian coast
