Trail Hoya de Huesca 2025: winners, route, and key details

The fifth edition of the Hoya de Huesca mountain race left a very recognizable image: runners crossing the finish line under the clear February light, the Congress Palace as the starting point, and an atmosphere more festive than solemn. Víctor Calvo and Ania Hernández took the long distance, while Miguel Viñuales and Claudia Aso dominated the short course on a morning that blended sport, landscape, and that ritual so characteristic of Aragonese trail running, where every climb seems like a conversation between legs and terrain.

The event brought together 106 participants, with 32 women and 74 men, and once again served as the sporting finale of the Pirineos Mountain Film Festival in Huesca. The script was simple and effective: two distances, familiar paths, passage through symbolic landmarks such as Montearagón Castle and the Saso de Tierz Trincheras, and a finish line dotted with spectators, local produce, and vermouth. That mix is a big part of its appeal: it is not just a race, but a way of reading the region in strides.

A festival finale turned into a benchmark race

The Trail Hoya de Huesca is no longer just a footnote on the calendar. In only five editions, it has established itself as an event with its own personality, capable of attracting both recreational runners and athletes with mountain experience. Its growth is explained not only by the number of entrants or the presence of recognizable names, but by the way it fits into the territory: a short race in the calendar, but one that is deeply charged with local identity.

Its connection with the Pirineos Mountain Film Festival gives it an unusual cultural backdrop for this kind of event. Huesca is not offering an isolated race here, but a day that closes a broader program devoted to mountains, adventure, and nature. That context helps explain why the race draws so much attention: the runner is not only competing, but also entering a larger story, where physical activity intersects with outreach and landscape.

The event was organized by Peña Guara, a club with historical significance in mountaineering and outdoor activities in the province. Its role was key in ensuring the race maintained a sense of order and closeness at the same time, with volunteers marking the route from the day before and assisting participants on every difficult section. That invisible work is often the foundation of well-run races, the ones that seem seamless because someone has thought through every bend, every crossing, and every detail.

The winners and the sporting pulse of the morning

In the long distance, of 26 kilometers, Víctor Calvo once again imposed his authority with a time of 1:53:10, a small but sufficient margin to defend his victory against Dani Cremades and Christian Chucay, second and third respectively. In the women’s category, Ania Hernández completed the course in 2:15:11 and claimed her first victory in a race that left her with excellent feelings thanks to the route, the views, and the balance between challenge and enjoyment.

The short distance, of 16 kilometers, had an equally competitive finish. Miguel Viñuales repeated his victory with 1:03:11 after settling a tight duel with José Antonio Gimeno, while Claudia Aso once again climbed to the top step of the women’s podium with 1:14:44. Both confirmed an interesting trend: in this race, it is not enough to run fast; you also need to know how to read the pace changes, the trails, and the transitions between more runnable sections and other stretches where the terrain forces you to fine-tune every foot placement.

The level of the podiums showed real competition, but without losing the participatory tone of the day. There was room for the strongest names and also space for runners of different ages and profiles, thanks to subcategories that broadened the sporting reading of the event. That combination of local elite, recreational runners, and a family atmosphere is one of the reasons the race has found its place in the Alto Aragón calendar.

Course, elevation gain, and the character of the route

The long distance added 600 meters of positive elevation gain, a modest figure compared with other mountain events, but enough to change the tone of the race and force runners to pace themselves. The route passed through Montearagón Castle, continued through the Saso de Tierz Trincheras, and returned toward the finish via the Salas hermitage. It was not an extreme route, but it was varied enough to alternate fast sections with others requiring full concentration.

On the short course, the total elevation gain was 150 meters positive, a more approachable option that preserves the trail essence without pushing it into the realm of high demand. That difference between the two distances allows the race to work as an entry point for those who want to try mountain running without facing a long race, while still remaining appealing to those seeking pace and tactics in a more compact effort.

The terrain of the Hoya de Huesca has a modest but highly valuable virtue: it doesn’t need artifices. Its trails, stretches of road, changes in profile, and open views create a complete experience without seeking the drama of higher mountains. Precisely for that reason, the race fits February so well, a month in which the cold can still bite, but on this occasion it delivered sun, no wind, and a mild, almost homely temperature, ideal for running without battling the weather.

Why this race appeals to so many runner profiles

The nickname vermouth race is not just a calendar joke. It sums up the way the event is understood: effort at the start, conviviality at the finish, and an ending that does not give up on local flavor. The race awards food hampers and bottles of vermouth to those entered, a detail that sets it apart from many events where runners receive only a medal or a generic goody bag. Here, the prize carries symbolic weight and social meaning too: effort is celebrated, but above all, belonging to a community is celebrated.

That profile explains why the race attracts both those who train regularly and those looking for a friendlier experience. It is not an intimidating mountain, but a terrain with personality, where you can run with ambition or with curiosity. The route leaves room to enjoy the region’s landscapes, especially on days with good visibility, when the climbs open up the field of vision and the effort seems to be accompanied by a kind of continuous visual reward.

The reference to local products and the presence of spectators is not decorative. In a race like this, the setting matters as much as the clock. A well-supported event turns a sporting start into a broader scene, almost like a moving postcard: runners, volunteers, improvised spaces for conversation, and a finish line that works as a meeting point. That kind of atmosphere is not created by marketing; it is built through continuity, local fabric, and an organization that understands the value of simplicity.

The role of volunteers and organization in a race without setbacks

The absence of incidents was no coincidence. It was the result of prior work marking the course, supporting the most delicate sections, and coordinating staggered starts. A total of 34 participants set off at 9:30 from outside the Congress Palace of Huesca for the most demanding distance, and half an hour later the 72 entrants in the short course started. That separation made it possible to organize the flow of runners and facilitate a cleaner race from a logistical standpoint.

Manolo Bara, president of Peña Guara, highlighted at the finish the importance of volunteers, a timely reminder at a time when many races are judged only by times or records. Without that silent work, the race would lose clarity and safety as well. Volunteers are, in a sense, the stitching of the event: they do not appear in the main photos, but they support everything that happens between the start and the finish.

The good weather helped round out a day without setbacks. In trail running, weather conditions can turn a friendly route into a trap or, on the contrary, into a celebration. Here there was no thermal punishment or treacherous wind, and that allowed the focus to fall where it should: on the race, the landscape, and the direct relationship between the two. When the mountain does not impose its own conditions, the runner can read the terrain better and the organization can breathe.

Huesca as a sporting and cultural setting

The Alto Aragón capital has known how to use this race as a natural extension of its relationship with the mountains. The start from the Congress Palace is no accident: it places the race in a recognizable, central, and accessible space, and gives the event a clear meeting point before heading out into the surrounding region. It is an elegant way to unite city and territory, asphalt and trail, cultural programming and popular sport.

In addition, the presence of the Pirineos Mountain Film Festival broadens the reading of the event. While films were being screened and competition sessions were taking place in some rooms, outside a sporting event gave physical form to that same mountain imagination. This coexistence between cinema and race creates an unusual atmosphere, almost as if the city were breathing for a few hours with two different but complementary lungs.

The Hoya de Huesca offers a very solid story for trail running. It does not need great altitude to convince, because its value lies in the closeness of its paths, the historical places it passes through, and the ease with which it engages the public. In times when many races seek epic scale, this one proposes a more domestic, more human epic, and perhaps for that reason a more lasting one. Its aim is not to dazzle; it is to stay.

What the times and context of this edition leave behind

The marks set by Calvo, Hernández, Viñuales, and Aso confirm something the preview already suggested: the terrain is well suited both to managing effort and to pace changes and tactical control. It was not a day to go out flat out. The profile, the route, and the mix of asphalt and trail required smart racing, saving energy in the more runnable sections and keeping a strong rhythm on the climbs where positions were decided.

The figure of 106 runners also says a lot about the current state of the race. These are not massive numbers, and that is precisely part of its charm. The race retains a scale that allows participants to be recognized, the finish to be organized with closeness, and the atmosphere to remain less industrial than that of major events. In an era of huge races and depersonalized days, that medium size is almost a statement of intent.

The 2025 edition also left a sense of continuity. Repeat winners on the podium, local names among the standout positions, and a community that already seems to have accepted the race as part of its winter sports calendar. That kind of rootedness does not appear by chance. It is built through stable editions, a clear proposal, and the ability to make every runner feel they have been part of something more than just a classification.

A route that is already part of Huesca’s emotional map

Some races are born to add kilometers, and others eventually add memory. The trail race in the Hoya de Huesca already belongs to this second group. Montearagón Castle, the trenches of the Saso de Tierz, the start at the Congress Palace, and the finish with vermouth are not just points along an itinerary: they are pieces of an emotional map that runners recognize edition after edition.

That symbolic value explains why the event has managed to establish itself as a benchmark in such a short time. It does not compete directly with the great Pyrenean races, but offers something else: an accessible, well-measured experience that is closely tied to the territory. In a discipline where excess is often pursued, this proposal bets on just the right measure, on the balance between challenge and enjoyment, between stopwatch and landscape.

The 2025 edition reinforced the race’s identity. More than just a mountain race, it once again became an outdoor winter celebration, a way of inhabiting the landscape with respect and energy. Huesca found in that morning a clear image of what trail running can be when done with good judgment: sport, territory, organization, and a finish that tastes like the region.

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