Origins: The spark that ignited the flame

The Larrate Trail was born in Carcastillo, Navarre, driven by a group of friends passionate about trail running. Among its founders are José Ángel Ramírez, Fran Castillo, Alfredo Gasca, and Manuel Prieto, who made a commitment to ensure that the beer tap would be waiting at the finish line from the very first edition.

In 2017, José Ángel Ramírez took part in the Roncesvalles–Zubiri race, an event that left a deep impression on him, especially because of the festive atmosphere at the finish line, symbolized by a beer tap. This detail would go on to become an emblem of the race.

In the summer of 2018, during a training session, José Ángel crossed paths with Fran Castillo, and together they began planning a race in Carcastillo. Later, at the GKN (Ayra) factory, José Ángel shared the idea of organizing a trail race with David Remón. David recalled that Alfredo Gasca, who lives in Zaragoza but is originally from Carcastillo, had previously shown interest in organizing a trail event. After several meetings, they joined the project and began planning the first edition. From the very beginning, José Mari Urriza—who has strong ties to the town’s sports scene—volunteered to help with organizing the race.

On February 17, 2019, the first edition of the Larrate Trail took place. Featuring two courses—17 km and 10 km—the event showcased the surroundings of the Larrate plain. The race attracted runners from both near and far, who quickly fell in love with it thanks to its mix of trails and open views of the Bardenas Reales. Announcer Sara Brun hosted the event, and the “cañero” at the finish line became a symbol of the race. It is worth noting the tremendous effort and work put in by Ignacio Gurpegui to make this first edition a success.

This year, the race followed a route in the opposite direction from the current one, passing along the banks of the Aragón River, the dam, and ascending to Larrate via the northern side near Puyalato.

That day, Víctor Amatriain won the men’s race with ease, while Irene Guembe claimed her first title in the women’s division. The two of them were the first winners in the history of the Larrate Trail. It was a first edition marked by a friendly atmosphere and enthusiasm, with 150 runners, but with one clear feeling: the Larrate Trail was here to stay.

As a fun fact, in this edition, a stuffed tiger placed along the 11-km course surprised several participants.

1st Edition (2019): A Dream Come True

2nd Edition (2020): Consolidation and new challenge

The second edition took place in February 2020, just a month before lockdown, and hosted the Navarre Trail Running Championship for the first time. Xabier Zarranz, with a time of 1:28:41, and Irene Segura, with 1:49:32, were crowned Navarre trail running champions on a day that many remember as “the last normal race” before the sporting hiatus.

This year, the routes were modified to make them more appealing, with a half-marathon distance (21 km) and a shorter one (11 km), and it was established as the first event of the Navartrail Cup.

In the new 11 km distance, the winners were Hugo Busto and Laura Del Pino with times of 46:44 and 57:03 respectively

Little by little, year after year, through hard work and becoming increasingly involved in the race preparations, Alfredo Gasca took on a more prominent role in the organisation, surrounding himself with close friends and family, including his sister Inés Gasca, who became a key pillar of the event.

From this edition onwards, Alex Remón established himself as the official announcer for the Larrate Trail, and has been present at almost every edition since then.

The event continued to grow in terms of participation and festive atmosphere.

3rd Edition (2021): Growth

Following the cancellation of many races due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the third edition took place in the summer, on 4 July 2021, breaking with its traditional February date. The change of date was no obstacle for the runners who regularly take part in our race; rather, it provided a boost, as we had to increase the number of race numbers by 50 to meet demand. The heat characterised that edition, making the 21 km of the long course and the 11 km of the popular distance even tougher.

Hodei Lujambio with a time of 1:33:32 and María Rebeca Mariño with 1:55:47 were the winners, in an edition that brought together over 200 participants and demonstrated that the event had managed to survive and continued to grow in terms of participation and festive atmosphere despite the difficulties.

In the 11km race, those who stood at the top of the podium were Asier Estarriaga, clocking a time of 46:55, and Sadabensa’s Ascensión Bergüés with 1:00:13

4th Edition (2022): Recognition and Expansion

The fourth edition, held in February 2022, was the first of the scoring events in the Navartrail Cup, organised by the Navarre Athletics Federation, which attracted runners from across Navarre and neighbouring regions. The atmosphere was spectacular, with a fast-paced and fiercely contested start. Two distances were on offer: 21 km and 10 km.

The winners of the half-marathon champions’ Txapela were Javier Cabestre in 1:30:37 and Ainara Alcuaz in 1:49:26, whilst in the 11 km race, Alberto Azparren won in 47:58 and Andrea Martínez in 1:05:01. The race was gradually growing in popularity, with around 250 runners already registered.

This year, Alex Remón was unable to attend for personal reasons, breaking his streak as the official announcer. This year, Mariano Navascués, the renowned presenter of TV Aragón’s mountain programme ‘Chino Chano’, took to the microphone and left his mark on our race with a wonderful contribution.

5th Edition (2023): Consolidation of the event

The fifth edition, considered the coldest due to ambient temperatures hovering around 0°C, was brought forward to 5 February 2023. The race attracted 249 runners and served as the first scoring event of the III Navartrail Cup.

In the 21 km race, the winners of the Txapela and the race were Alberto Lasobras with a time of 1:30:15 and María Ordóñez, who clocked 1:46:34 to finish 6th overall, a result that marked the start of her winning streak, which continued throughout 2023 with memorable performances and culminated in her competing in her second World Championships in Innsbruck (Austria)

Meanwhile, in the 11 km race, Miguel Ángel Hernández won with a time of 50:14 and Sensi Bergués finished in 58:21, improving on her 2021 time by 2 minutes.

This edition cemented the event’s status as a benchmark in Navarre.

6th Edition (2024): 2nd Navarre Championship and tribute to Inés Gasca

The sixth edition of the Larrate Trail, held on 18 February 2024, once again hosted the Navarre Trail Running Championship, cementing its status as one of the flagship events on the regional calendar. This year’s event welcomed the best male and female trail runners from Navarre, La Rioja and Aragon. For a weekend, Carcastillo became the epicentre of trail running, with nearly 270 runners – the highest number of entrants to date.

This year’s event featured a moving tribute to Inés Gasca Beltrán, a cornerstone of Larrate Trail, in recognition of her contribution and dedication to the race, during a ceremony that moved the whole village and the participants. You will always be in our hearts.

In the half-marathon distance, Aitor Blanco secured the Navarre Championship title, though not without first having to battle it out with Jesús Mari Alegría and Ioar Tabar, who set the pace and led the race until the ‘Cueva de los Rabosos’ at the 6 km mark. From there, Aitor broke away and ran solo to victory. However, in the women’s category, María Ordoñez came out on top, dominating the race from start to finish without any drama; she knows the terrain well, becoming Navarre Champion and winner of the Larrate Trail for the second consecutive year. The Navarre Champions went on to compete in the Spanish Championships in March, held in the village of Chinte (Murcia).

Yelko Pardiñas and Guratz Azpiroz won the 11 km race, clocking times of 48:51 and 58:21 respectively.

VII Edición (2025): Reconocimiento nacional

The seventh edition, held on 16 February 2025, brought together around 300 runners in Carcastillo. The event featured three distances: 21 km, 14 km and 11 km, and served as a qualifier for the Spanish Trail Running Championships in the half-marathon distance and, in turn, as a qualifier for the Spanish Under-18 Championships in the 11 km distance.

The winners would secure a direct place at San Miguel de Balasat (Ibiza), where the Spanish Trail Running Championships, organised by the RFEA, were held on 13 April 2025. In the 21 km race, the winners were Aimar Azpiroz in 1:28:26 and Ainara Alcuaz in 1:45:25, who was crowned the Larrate Trail champion for the second time. In the Under-18 category, the winners were Asier Casado, who finished in 50:46, and Aitana Millez, who finished in 1:04:24

Meanwhile, the winners of the now popular 11 km race were Marivel Medina with a time of 1:03:01 and Yelko Pardiñas, who managed to win again in Carcastillo with a time of 48:30

In addition, this year saw the debut of the 14 km race, which proved very appealing to runners who are not yet ready to take the leap to the classic half-marathon distance but find the most popular race too short. It was very well received and attracted a large number of participants. The runners highlighted the beauty of the route and the great atmosphere. In this intermediate distance, Iker Zabala won in 59:28 and Maite Beregaña finished in 1:12:03.

8th Edition (2026)

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