Joan Heredia, a resident of L'Espluga de Francolí, won the third edition of The Last Survivor at Masia de Castelló, in Vandellòs, after completing 85 kilometers and 3,128 meters of elevation gain in 17 hours. The event brought together 38 participants, including five women, in an elimination format that required completing each lap within the set time.
The race started on Friday at 9:00 PM with a five-kilometer circuit and 200 meters of positive elevation gain that runners had to complete in less than 60 minutes. The margin seemed stable at the start, but the increase in temperatures at dawn raised the physical demands for the athletes who remained in competition after spending the night.
The victory was decided on lap 17 between Heredia and Cristóbal
The Last Survivor system eliminated participants on each lap. Those who did not finish the lap within the established time or who crossed in last place were disqualified, so endurance depended as much on pace as on recovery capacity between starts.
As the hours passed, the competition concentrated the fight for the win at the front. In the end, Joan Heredia completed 17 laps, reaching 85 kilometers and defeating Daniel Cristóbal, a resident of El Catllar, in the men's competition finale.
Margarita Mateu lasted 11 laps and was the last woman in the race
In the women's participation, Margarita Mateu, a resident of Tarragona, was the last runner to drop out. She did so on lap 11, after accumulating 55 kilometers and 2,024 meters of elevation gain.
The difference between the start and the final stretch was also marked by the conditions of the early morning and dawn. After several hours of nocturnal effort in Vandellòs, the increase in temperature added wear and tear to a test designed to eliminate runners when time or position no longer allowed for any margin.
The Associació Camins de Pedra, responsible for the organization at Masia de Castelló, gave a positive assessment of this third edition and thanked the involvement of volunteers and collaborators after a race that began on Friday at 9:00 PM with 38 participants at the starting line.