GRAN TRAIL DE PEÑALARA

R.S.E.A. Peñalara, a pioneer in the organization and promotion of mountain races, is currently in charge of the organization and promotion at the regional and national level of different foot races in the mountain environment of the Sierra de Guadarrama: Kilómetro Vertical de la Barranca, Cross de los Tres Refugios, Cross de la Cuerda Larga, and Cross de La Pedriza; all of them well-known sports references in the Community of Madrid that have also been scoring events for the Spanish Mountain Racing Cup organized by the FEDME on some occasions. All these events are integrated into the Copa de Hierro de Carreras por Montaña (also organized by R.S.E.A. Peñalara, https://www.copadehierro.es/), a competition that inherits the name of the first event of this kind known in Spain and that rewards those who participate in all the events, computing the result in each of them.

In the last decade, within the scope of mountain races, events with a great length and elevation gain to overcome have emerged strongly, which are called “Trail or Ultra Trail.” These are races of more than 50 kilometers and up to 166 km (100 miles), which usually run along traditional paths in the mountain environment.

RSEA Peñalara did not want to be left out of the new sports trends and in 2010 launched, with great success in participation, the Gran Trail de Peñalara (GTP), a race of approximately 110 kilometers and 5,000 meters of positive elevation gain that runs through the Sierra de Guadarrama.

The Gran Trail de Peñalara (GTP) was born in 2010 with the aim of commemorating the 100 years of existence of the Peñalara Mountaineering Society, which were fulfilled in 2013, giving special value to the will of the founders of the Society to know and disseminate the values of the Sierra de Guadarrama.

In line with the new sports trends in the mountain environment, it is a race that unites different mountain towns, passing through the most emblematic places of the mountains, avoiding roads, through paths and trails used since ancient times by farmers, hunters, travelers, and in more modern times by hikers and mountaineers.

It is a circular race in semi-self-sufficiency where participants must carry a minimum of equipment that guarantees their safety along its 104 kilometers of route, with a maximum time (24:30 hours in the 2022 edition) to complete it.

Following the same route, another linear race of 60 km was created in 2012, starting in Miraflores de la Sierra and ending in Navacerrada, called Trail Peñalara 60K (TP60). The route is the same as the one that runs the Gran Trail between both points, and the time limit to complete it (13 hours in the 2021 edition). The demand for registrations far exceeded the most optimistic forecasts, and in recent editions, a prior draw has had to be held.

In the 2013 edition, coinciding with the change of the GTP start time, at 23:30 on Friday, the Cross Nocturno de Navacerrada of 11 km in length was created. The race runs through the surroundings of the reservoir and the Dehesa de la Golondrina with hardly any difficulty and serves to accommodate those who are starting in the world of Trail and those who want to experience the start of the queen race of 104 km up close and also have a fun time.

The 104 km and 60 km modalities are included within the scoring events to be able to participate in the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc UTMB® (France), an accredited world-class event and considered the world’s queen event of the Ultra Trail de Montaña, and in October 2013 it was also included in the list of qualifying races to be able to participate in the pioneer of the Ultra Trail, the prestigious Western States Endurance 100, which is held in California (USA).

Within the official calendar of the Spanish Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing (FEDME), the Gran Trail Peñalara hosted the Spanish Ultra Trail Championship in 2015, which gives the Gran Trail de Peñalara greater prestige and importance at the national and international level. Since 2016, without interruption, it has hosted the Madrid Mountain Racing Championship in the Ultra distance of the Madrid Mountaineering Federation. All this, together with the proximity of the capital of Spain and its airport, attracts runners from all corners of Spain and other countries.

These events serve to publicize the natural and cultural values of our mountains to people from all over Spain and other countries, putting the athlete in contact with the pure heart of the Guadarrama National Park, while maintaining a careful respect for the protection of these values. In its layout, the runner will test their athletic and technical skills in a mountain and high mountain environment, with altitudes that reach above two thousand meters, and different landscape scenarios.