The Classic Jump 15K race, on Sunday the 22nd in San Sebastian, will once again be one of the highlights of the Basque calendar for road skiers. 250 reels have confirmed their participation, representing a 25% increase compared to the last edition. Among these, two names stand out: world champion Patxi Piola, and current European marathon champion and winner of the Berlin Marathon on skis, Aura Quintana, who is participating for the first time in this event.
Piola made her debut in the Classic in the last edition and did so with an indisputable victory: an event record with a time of 23:52, at 1:35 per kilometre.
This man from Gasteiz started skating before he reached double digits. He took up skates in 1994 and hasn’t stopped his progress since. At the age of eight he joined the ranks of Justaldi, the team in which he completed his first years as a skater. Although it is not the most well-known practice, Piola has managed to put his name on the map of Basque sports. He achieved his first victories when he was very young, and as the years passed, he continued to rise through the ranks. Thus, in 2003, he began competing in international tournaments, where he competed with the skiing elite. In 2007, he took a turn in his career by leaving Justaldi and starting to defend the Marianista colours. Since then, Beulah has been able to fill his display cabinets with trophies. In total, he has won more than 30 European medals, including gold medals won in 2007, 2013, 2014 and 2018. The skater also won two gold medals at the World Championships. The first was in Argentina (2014), and the second was in China (2017). In addition to those victories, Piola earned three silver medals and two bronze medals at the World Championships. Overall, Piola achieved his best results in the 10,000 metres, both in scoring and elimination mode. In this last test he obtained the world record in 2011.
Registrations closed
Registration to participate in the 15K Jump Classic is now entering its final stage. Wednesday is the last day to register. As usual, there will be two distances (15km and 5km), and three different routes: runners, rollers and athletes with limited mobility.
The five-kilometre distance is ideal for amateurs who want to start an official race as well as for athletes who want to run fast on a sanctioned track.
The 15K is a great opportunity to enjoy an urban circuit passing through such emblematic places of the city.
Currently, the participation rate of women is 33%, which is new evidence of the rise of women’s sports in our lands. Another fact highlighted by the organizers is that 25% of those registered are from outside Gipuzkoa. The provinces with the highest turnout so far, after Gipuzkoa, are Alava, Bizcaya, Navarra and La Rioja. At the international level, there will be participants from France, more than 50 countries so far, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, the United States of America, Denmark, Italy, Estonia and Sweden.
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