Rod Farvard Dominates UTMB Andorra as Ponce Delivers Home Victory

The Pyrenees delivered a weekend of close battles and commanding victories as UTMB Andorra crowned its 2026 champions across the 100M and 100K distances.

Farvard lives up to the billing

Few runners arrived with more attention than Rod Farvard, and the American left little doubt about who was strongest in the 105-kilometer ultra.

Farvard crossed the line in 13:32:35, more than 34 minutes ahead of second-place Paul Creuzet, after gradually separating himself from the field throughout the race.

The result continues a strong run of form for the HOKA athlete and reinforces his status as one of North America's most consistent mountain ultra runners.

Behind him, Frenchmen Paul Creuzet and Dylan Roces completed the overall podium, while pre-race contenders such as Richard Lockwood and Jordi Gamito were unable to challenge for victory.

Valmassoi wins and cracks the overall top 10

The standout performance in the women's race came from Martina Valmassoi.

The Italian not only secured victory but finished 6th overall, crossing the line in 14:54:05 and beating all but five men on the course.

Swiss runner Mélanie Delasoie finished second, while Andrea Vlasakova completed the podium.

Ponce thrills the home crowd

The closest race of the weekend unfolded in the 100K.

Andorran runner Samuel Ponce delighted local supporters by taking victory in 7:39:01, but only after a tense battle with Spain's Julen Calvo Vigara.

After more than seven and a half hours of racing, the gap at the finish was just 1 minute and 10 seconds.

Former Mozart 100 winner Pablo Villa rounded out the podium, while highly ranked contenders Guillaume Tiphene and Valentin Benard finished fourth and eighth respectively.

Rössler upsets the favorites

The women's 100K produced one of the bigger surprises of the weekend.

While much of the pre-race attention focused on American Allison Baca, it was Germany's Juliane Rössler who emerged victorious.

Rössler crossed the line in 9:19:57, ahead of Baca and Spain's Alba Villanova Del Moral.

The result marks one of the biggest wins of her career and a breakthrough performance on a UTMB World Series stage.

A weekend that followed the mountains' rules

If UTMB Andorra proved anything, it's that rankings only tell part of the story.

Farvard may have delivered exactly as expected, but elsewhere local heroes, breakthrough performances and close battles reminded everyone why mountain racing remains so unpredictable.