The men’s race remains wide open for the first few kilometers. After about 38 kilometers and two hours of racing, a seven-rider breakaway forms. In addition to Valero, the group includes his teammates Samuele Porro and Marc Stutzmann, as well as Tristan Nortje, reigning marathon world champion Andreas Seewald, and Norway’s Eskil Evensen-Lie.

As the race progresses, the group continues to shrink. By kilometer 55, only Valero and Seewald remain together at the front. This pits the reigning European champion against the reigning world champion. At this point, Nortje is already nearly two minutes behind, while Evensen-Lie and Porro trail by about two and a half minutes.

The decisive move comes at kilometer 68, shortly before the final major climb. Valero breaks away from Seewald and takes the lead with a 44-second advantage. At this point, Samuele Porro is alone in third place, trailing by about four minutes.

Over the remaining kilometers, Valero holds on to secure the victory. The Spaniard crosses the finish line in 4:32:00 hours. Seewald follows 2:13 minutes later in second place. Eskil Evensen-Lie rounds out the podium, finishing 5:25 minutes behind. For Valero, the triumph in Girona is the highlight of a special season. The Spaniard is competing in his first marathon season in 2026, having previously raced in the XCO World Cup for many years. Behind Valero in the overall standings are Belgian Wout Alleman and Colombian Leo Paez. 

Weinbeer Wins Race and Overall Title

In the women’s race, too, the outcome in Girona went in favor of the stage winner. Anna Weinbeer prevailed on the challenging course and finished the race in 5:32:52 hours. The Swiss rider kept Claudia Peretti at bay and won by a margin of 4:54 minutes. Natalia Fischer Egusquiza finished third, 10:36 minutes behind. This means Weinbeer, Peretti, and Fischer also share the podium in Girona.

For Weinbeer, the victory also means winning the overall title of the 2026 HERO UCI Marathon World Cup. The reigning marathon world champion thus confirms her consistency throughout the season and ends the World Cup season with the overall title. Claudia Peretti finishes second, while Natalia Fischer Egusquiza takes third place. 

Men
David Valero 4:32:00
Andreas Seewald +2:13
Eskil Evensen-Lie +5:25
Samuele Porro +5:28
Wout Alleman +9:28

Women
Anna Weinbeer 5:32:52
Claudia Peretti +4:54
Natalia Fischer Egusquiza +10:36
Paula Gorycka Kurmann +20:08
Yana Belomoina +24:20