GTWS 19.04.2025 – 12.10.2025
Source: https://goldentrailseries.com/
The golden trail series different formats are here to celebrate and grow the trail running sport
The summary of the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) 2025 season:
👑 Overall Winners of the Golden Trail World Series 2025
The 2025 Golden Trail World Series was a spectacular season of trail running that concluded with a thrilling Grand Final in Ledro, Italy.
| Category | Overall Winner (Nation) | Team | Total Points |
| Men | Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco 🇲🇦) | NNormal | 1,000 Points |
| Women | Madalina Florea (Romania 🇷🇴) | Scott Running | 958 Points |
- Men’s Title Defense: Elhousine Elazzaoui successfully defended his overall title from the previous year (2024), making history in the Series.
- Consistency Pays Off: Madalina Florea secured the women’s title through consistently strong performances throughout the season, even though she finished second in the Grand Final (Ledro Sky Trentino).
🥈 Top 3 Overall Standings
| Rank | Men (Nation) | Women (Nation) |
| 1st | Elhousine Elazzaoui (🇲🇦 Morocco) | Madalina Florea (🇷🇴 Romania) |
| 2nd | Patrick Kipngeno (🇰🇪 Kenya) | Sara Alonso (🇪🇸 Spain) |
| 3rd | Philemon Kiriago (🇰🇪 Kenya) | Lauren Gregory (🇺🇸 USA) |
🗺️ 2025 Season Highlights
The 2025 season featured eight main “Golden Races” around the world, including:
- Kobe Trail (Japan)
- Jinshanling Great Wall Trail Race (China)
- Zegama-Aizkorri (Spain) – Winners: Elhousine Elazzaoui and Sara Alonso
- Broken Arrow Skyrace (USA)
- Tepec Trail (Mexico)
- Salomon Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail (Austria)
- Sierre-Zinal (Switzerland)
- Grand Final: Ledro Sky Trentino (Italy) – Day Winners: Elhousine Elazzaoui and Lauren Gregory
The GTWS 2025 was marked by high speeds, technical courses, and a nail-biting Grand Final where points awarded for the overall standings were significantly boosted.
One of the most legendary and iconic races on the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) is the Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon in the Basque Country of Spain. This race is known for its incredible atmosphere, technical terrain, and intense spectator support.
Here are the full results for the Top 10 Elite Men and Women from the 2025 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon (42 km / 2,736m D+) held on May 25, 2025:
🏆 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon 2025 Results
Elite Men’s Race
| Rank | Name | Country | Team | Time |
| 1 | Elhousine Elazzaoui | 🇲🇦 Morocco | NNormal | 3:43:28 |
| 2 | Andreu Blanes | 🇪🇸 Spain | Hoka | 3:50:53 |
| 3 | Daniel Pattis | 🇮🇹 Italy | Brooks | 3:51:40 |
| 4 | Luca Del Pero | 🇮🇹 Italy | Scarpa | 3:54:19 |
| 5 | Lorenzo Beltrami | 🇮🇹 Italy | Scarpa | 3:54:58 |
| 6 | Thomas Cardin | 🇫🇷 France | Kiprun | 3:55:34 |
| 7 | Antonio Martínez Pérez | 🇪🇸 Spain | Asics | 3:56:42 |
| 8 | Nicolás Molina Agustín | 🇪🇸 Spain | La Sportiva | 3:58:51 |
| 9 | Stian Angermund | 🇳🇴 Norway | – | 3:59:46 |
| 10 | Marcin Kubica | 🇵🇱 Poland | Salomon | 3:59:50 |
Men’s Highlight: Elhousine Elazzaoui finally conquered Zegama after finishing second in previous years, putting on a dominant display on the descents to take the win.
Elite Women’s Race
| Rank | Name | Country | Team | Time |
| 1 | Sara Alonso | 🇪🇸 Spain | Asics | 4:27:25 |
| 2 | Judith Wyder | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | Hoka | 4:29:47 |
| 3 | Malen Osa Ansa | 🇪🇸 Spain | Salomon | 4:31:18 |
| 4 | Rosa María Lara Feliu | 🇪🇸 Spain | Compressport | 4:32:00 |
| 5 | Theres Leboeuf | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | Compressport | 4:33:29 |
| 6 | Ikram Rharsalla Laktab | 🇪🇸 Spain | Joma | 4:37:39 |
| 7 | Ida Amelie Robsahm | 🇳🇴 Norway | – | 4:38:41 |
| 8 | Oihana Kortazar | 🇪🇸 Spain | Salomon | 4:42:59 |
| 9 | Patricia Pineda Cornejo | 🇪🇸 Spain | La Sportiva | 4:44:22 |
| 10 | Marta Martínez Abellán | 🇪🇸 Spain | La Sportiva | 4:44:29 |
Women’s Highlight: Sara Alonso, a local Basque runner, ran a flawless race, leading from start to finish to claim an emotional victory in front of her home crowd.
Sierre-Zinal (the “Race of the Five 4000ers”) is one of the fastest and most highly anticipated races in the Golden Trail World Series, covering 31 km with 2,200m of elevation gain.
Here are the full results for the Top 10 Elite Men and Women from the 2025 Sierre-Zinal race, which took place on Saturday, August 9, 2025, in Switzerland:
🇨🇭 Sierre-Zinal 2025 Results (31 km)
Elite Men’s Race
| Rank | Name | Country | Time |
| 1 | Philemon Kiriago | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 2:28:45 |
| 2 | Patrick Kipngeno | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 2:29:08 |
| 3 | Michael Selelo Saoli | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 2:29:14 |
| 4 | Adrien Briffod | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 2:32:06 |
| 5 | Paul Machoka | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 2:33:00 |
| 6 | Martin Nilsson | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 2:33:52 |
| 7 | Dominik Rolli | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 2:34:07 |
| 8 | Andreu Blanes | 🇪🇸 Spain | 2:35:19 |
| 9 | Elhousine Elazzaoui | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 2:35:58 |
| 10 | Francesco Puppi | 🇮🇹 Italy | 2:37:49 |
Men’s Highlight: It was a commanding Kenyan podium sweep, led by Philemon Kiriago, who secured his second Sierre-Zinal victory after improving his position on the final descent.
Elite Women’s Race
| Rank | Name | Country | Time |
| 1 | Caroline Kimutai | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 2:55:31 |
| 2 | Katie Schide | 🇺🇸 USA | 2:58:32 |
| 3 | Maude Mathys | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 2:58:56 |
| 4 | Oria Liaci | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 3:00:20 |
| 5 | Laura Hottenrott | 🇩🇪 Germany | 3:00:30 |
| 6 | Miao Yao | 🇨🇳 China | 3:01:35 |
| 7 | Susanna Saapunki | 🇫🇮 Finland | 3:02:29 |
| 8 | Anna Gibson | 🇺🇸 USA | 3:05:13 |
| 9 | Joyce Njeru | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 3:06:03 |
| 10 | Naomi Lang | 🇺🇸 USA | 3:07:16 |
Women’s Highlight: Caroline Kimutai was awarded the victory after an initial first-place runner was later disqualified. US athlete Katie Schide secured a phenomenal second place just weeks after winning the Hardrock 100.
The Ledro Sky Trentino Grand Finale in Italy concluded the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) 2025 season with a Prologue and a highly technical main race, where double points were on the line.
The main race was held on a 21 km course with 1,600 meters of elevation gain across the spectacular ridges of the Ledro mountains.
Here are the results for the Main Race (which determined the overall GTWS Champions) held on October 11 and 12, 2025:
🇮🇹 GTWS 2025 Grand Finale: Ledro Sky Trentino
Elite Men’s Race Results
| Rank | Name | Country | Team | Main Race Time | 2025 GTWS Overall Champion |
| 1 | Elhousine Elazzaoui | 🇲🇦 Morocco | NNormal | 1:58:30 | Elhousine Elazzaoui |
| 2 | Patrick Kipngeno | 🇰🇪 Kenya | Run2gether On Trail | 1:58:20 | |
| 3 | Paul Machoka | 🇰🇪 Kenya | Atletica Saluzzo | 1:59:32 | |
| 4 | Taylor Stack | 🇺🇸 USA | Brooks | 1:59:42 | |
| 5 | Philemon Kiriago | 🇰🇪 Kenya | Run2gether On Trail | 2:00:15 |
Men’s Highlight: Elhousine Elazzaoui secured both the race win and the overall 2025 GTWS Title with a phenomenal performance, cementing his dominance in the series.
Elite Women’s Race Results
| Rank | Name | Country | Team | Main Race Time | 2025 GTWS Overall Champion |
| 1 | Lauren Gregory | 🇺🇸 USA | Nike ACG | 2:22:51 | Madalina Florea |
| 2 | Madalina Florea | 🇷🇴 Romania | Scott Running | 2:25:22 | |
| 3 | Sara Alonso | 🇪🇸 Spain | Asics | 2:25:54 | |
| 4 | Lucija Krkoc | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | – | 2:27:00 | |
| 5 | Malen Osa Ansa | 🇪🇸 Spain | Salomon | 2:27:45 |
Women’s Highlight: Lauren Gregory claimed the day’s victory, but Madalina Florea’s consistent performance throughout the season, combined with her second-place finish in the Final, was enough to crown her the overall 2025 GTWS Champion!
The Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) 2026 calendar retains its core of iconic, high-quality mountain races, though the full final schedule (including the dates for the early 2026 races and the final) is typically officially confirmed toward the end of the previous year.
Based on the traditional calendar and currently announced dates, here are the expected Golden Races for the 2026 season:
🗓️ Golden Trail World Series 2026 Expected Schedule
The Series is expected to feature 7-8 main “Golden Races” followed by the Grand Final.
| Date (Expected) | Race Name | Location | Distance & V+ | Highlight |
| Mid-April | Kobe Trail | Kobe, Japan | ~21 km / ~2,100m V+ | The return to Asia for an urban-mountain mix. |
| Late April | Jinshanling Great Wall Trail Race | Chengde City, China | ~24 km / ~1,500m V+ | A unique race on one of the wonders of the world. |
| End of May | Zegama-Aizkorri | Zegama, Spain | 42 km / 2,736m V+ | The legendary, technical marathon with unparalleled spectator support. |
| Mid-June | The Broken Arrow Skyrace | Olympic Valley, CA, USA | ~21.7 km / ~1,433m V+ | A highly competitive skyrunning event in the Sierra Nevada. |
| Early August | Salomon Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail | Pitztal, Austria | ~23.5 km / ~1,700m V+ | A fast, alpine course replacing its earlier version. |
| Saturday, Aug 8 | Sierre-Zinal | Sierre, Switzerland | 31 km / 2,200m V+ | The world’s fastest classic “Race of the Five 4000ers.” |
| Mid-August | (TBD Golden Race) | Often features a race in a new or rotating location. | ||
| Early October | GTWS Grand Final | TBD Location | Prologue + Final Race | The double-points event deciding the 2026 World Champions. |
Note: The Grand Final location rotates each year and is often hosted by a race from one of the regional Golden Trail National Series (GTNS).
