TrailCat The Race 2025 brought together 200 ultra-runners from 19 different nationalities to tackle the rugged trails of the Costa Daurada and Prades Mountains.
Held in Spain’s Catalonia region, southwest of Barcelona, from March 13-16, 2025, the race tested participants’ endurance, navigation skills, and resilience in extreme weather conditions.
Extreme weather has been a recurring feature for TrailCat. Last year’s event was named the ‘toughest TrailCat 200 in history’ as the event recorded a 60% dropout rate for ultra-runners battling tough conditions in the Costa Daurada mountains.
Gateway to TORX Geants
The TrailCat event has a further lure for endurance athletes keen to embrace tough conditions. This year the event offered participants a chance to secure one of ten exclusive slots for the TORX eXperience 2026, granting winners entry to ‘TORX Geants’, Italy’s iconic trail running event.
As part of the TORX qualifier series, TrailCat represented Catalonia on the international stage, reinforcing its status as a premier ultra-distance challenge.
The organisers noted that this year’s TrailCat was marked by relentless rain that lasted for 72 hours during the gruelling 200-mile event. Athletes faced flooded trails and challenging river crossings, pushing their limits as the organizers worked tirelessly to ensure participant safety.
For participants in the shorter distances (100 miles, 50 miles, and 25 miles), conditions were cold but with less rainfall.
TrailCat’s fourth edition continued its legacy as Spain’s longest distance trail running event at the 200-mile distance. Participants navigated over 320km of Mediterranean wilderness, tackling steep slopes and forest crossings while relying on GPS devices for orienteering. The race offered views across Muntanyes de Prades, Serra de Llaberia, Serra del Montsant, and Costa Daurada.
Athletes from Spain, France, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Slovenia, South Korea, China, Switzerland, and beyond made this the most international trail event in its four-year history. This aligns with TrailCat’s mission to foster global connections and promote international participation.
Organizing an event of this scale, across challenging terrain, required meticulous planning. Lluís Yebra, Coordinator of Operations for TrailCat The Race, highlighted the complexity of covering Prades Mountains with three simultaneous base camps but credited regional municipalities for their support.
Dani Buyo, Race Director, emphasized improvements in safety measures this year, including professional staff and LiveTrail technology for GPS tracking and timing across more than 300 kilometres of race terrain.