Ultra Pirineu 2026: A New Champion Awaits in the Catalan Pyrenees
Photo : Pau Aguilera / Ultra Pirineu
Last year, Jon Albon turned a late-season race into another major addition to an already remarkable career. This weekend, Ultra Pirineu returns without its defending champion—and with one of the closest challengers from 2025 ready to go again.
Albon won the 2025 Ultra Pirineu 100K in 10:40:02, completing the demanding loop through the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park less than six weeks after dropping out of UTMB.
The British athlete, who lives and trains in Norway, moved into the lead after Cortals de l’Ingla and maintained a narrow advantage through the second half of the course. Marc Bernades finished just 3 minutes and 59 seconds behind, while Julen Calvó completed the podium in 11:03:16.
It was Albon’s second victory in Bagà, following his win in the marathon distance in 2021.
The race for Albon’s title
With Albon absent from the announced 2026 field, the men’s race is considerably more open.
Bernades returns after coming within four minutes of victory last year, while Calvó will also be back after finishing third. The biggest name in the field, however, may be Dmitry Mityaev.
Mityaev won Ultra Pirineu in 2024 in 10:27:38, finishing less than three minutes outside Kilian Jornet’s course record of 10:24:44. His return sets up a compelling contest between a former champion and two athletes who occupied the remaining podium positions last October.
The women’s field includes former winner Gemma Arenas, Jana Dobrovolná and María Mercedes Pila. Pila led late in the 2025 race before being overtaken by Anna Ongaro on the final descent, eventually finishing second in 13:05:24.
100 kilometres through Cadí-Moixeró
The Ultra Pirineu 100K starts in Bagà at 05:30 on Saturday, October 3.
The course covers approximately 100 kilometres and 6,600 metres of elevation gain, passing through some of the most distinctive high-mountain terrain in the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park. Only five per cent of the route is asphalt, with the remainder split between trails and mountain tracks.
The early kilometres immediately establish the character of the race. Runners climb from Bagà at 795 metres to the Niu de l’Àliga checkpoint at 2,520 metres, accumulating more than 2,000 metres of elevation gain inside the opening 17 kilometres.
From there, the course continues through Serrat, Prat d’Aguiló, Gósol and Estasen before returning to Bagà.
Around 1,300 runners are expected in the 100K, with approximately 4,000 participants competing across the four races held during the weekend.
More than the main event
The weekend begins on Friday evening with the La Molina Nit Pirineu KV, a five-kilometre vertical race featuring 860 metres of climbing.
Saturday also includes the 42K Marató Pirineu, while the 21K Mitja Pirineu completes the programme on Sunday morning.
But the 100K remains the centrepiece: a technical, high-mountain race carrying a list of former champions that includes Jon Albon, Kilian Jornet, Dmitry Mityaev, Miguel Heras and Núria Picas.
Albon will not defend his victory this weekend. The question now is whether Mityaev can reclaim the title—or whether one of the men who chased Albon into Bagà last year can finally take the final step.
