Elhousine Elazzaoui - Trail Runner Profile
Elhousine Elazzaoui is a Moroccan mountain runner who won the Golden Trail World Series in 2024, becoming the first African man to do so, and defended the title in 2025 with a perfect 1,000-point season built on four race wins. He set the Marathon du Mont-Blanc course record of 3:30:10 in 2024 and l
Elhousine Elazzaoui quick facts
- Nationality: Morocco
- From: Tamegroute, Morocco
- UTMB Index: 967 (as of 6 October 2026, UTMB profile)
- ITRA score: 950 (as of 27 August 2026, ITRA profile)
- Key results: Golden Trail titles: 2024 and 2025; 2026 standings: Leading on 824 points (August); Marathon du Mont-Blanc: Course record 3:30:10
UTMB Index and ITRA scores change after every race. The dates are when each number was read from the official profile.
Country: Morocco · Team: NNormal · Specialities: Sky & mountain, Under 42km
Right now: Leads the 2026 Golden Trail World Series.
Key facts
- Golden Trail titles: 2024 and 2025
- 2026 standings: Leading on 824 points (August)
- Marathon du Mont-Blanc: Course record 3:30:10
Two perfect seasons
Elazzaoui sealed the 2024 Golden Trail World Series with a win at the Grand Final in Ascona-Locarno and a maximum points score, having already won three races and the final's prologue. He repeated it in 2025 with victories at Zegama-Aizkorri, the Broken Arrow Skyrace, Tepec Trail in Mexico and the Ledro Sky Trentino Grand Finale, another perfect 1,000 points, ahead of the Kenyan pair Patrick Kipngeno and Philemon Kiriago.
Range within the short-trail format
His 3:30:10 course record at the Marathon du Mont-Blanc in 2024 came on a 42km alpine course; he also wins on the steep, muddy 21km of Zegama and the high-altitude technical ground of the Broken Arrow Skyrace in California. Very few short-trail specialists win across that spread of terrain and altitude.
Where he is right now
He leads the 2026 Golden Trail World Series after winning Zegama-Aizkorri and the Ledro Sky Trentino on back-to-back weekends in May, then a win at the Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail at Mandarfen on 1 August, where he broke clear on the steep climb to the Sunna Alm hut and extended his lead on the technical descent. At the Broken Arrow 23k he was run down by Philemon Kiriago in the final minutes and finished second.
How Elhousine runs
Elazzaoui wins on gradient. His races follow a recognisable pattern: he stays with the leaders on the early, faster sections, then makes one decisive move on the steepest climb of the course and defends the gap from there. At Mandarfen in 2026, for example, he broke clear on the steep climb to the Sunna Alm hut and extended the lead on the technical descent that followed.
That last part is what turned a strong climber into a double series champion. His descending has improved to the point where it is no longer the weakness rivals can target, which means a gap he builds going up now usually survives the way down.
He is also remarkably consistent. Two perfect Golden Trail World Series seasons, scoring maximum points from his best races, require winning in mud, at altitude, on dry technical ground and on fast runnable courses, across continents, over a whole year.
Where Elhousine is strongest
Steep 20 to 45km mountain races with big climbs and technical descents: Zegama-Aizkorri's 21km of mud and ridges, the high-altitude Broken Arrow Skyrace in California, and the 42km Marathon du Mont-Blanc, where he set a course record of 3:30:10 in 2024.
His format is the short-trail circuit. He does not race ultras, and on the very fastest, most runnable courses, where track speed matters more than climbing, he can be caught, as he was by Philemon Kiriago in the final minutes at the 2026 Broken Arrow 23k.
The edge. Consistency across a whole circuit. Two seasons of maximum Golden Trail points had never been done before.
What you can learn from Elhousine
1. Choose one place to make your move
Elazzaoui rarely attacks more than once. In a short trail race, pick the section where you are relatively strongest, often the steepest climb, and plan to push there while staying comfortable elsewhere. One well-timed effort is worth more than several half-hearted surges.
2. Descending turns climbers into winners
His improvement downhill is what made his climbing count. If you are a strong climber who loses places on descents, spend focused time on downhill technique: short, quick steps, relaxed arms, looking ahead, and regular practice on technical ground. Gains on the way up are wasted if you give them back on the way down.
3. Build a season, not just a peak
Series titles reward consistency across many races. If you race often, plan your year with a few key events and treat the others as training, with enough recovery between them that you arrive at each in good shape rather than chasing fitness from race to race.
4. Short races still need specific preparation
Courses like Zegama demand steep climbing, technical descending and high intensity for two hours or more. Train each of those directly: steep uphill intervals, technical downhill practice and tempo efforts at race intensity on hilly ground.
Selected results
| Year | Race | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Zegama-Aizkorri | 1st |
| 2026 | Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k | 2nd (run down by Philemon Kiriago in the final minutes) |
| 2025 | Golden Trail World Series | 1st overall (perfect 1,000 points, four wins) |
| 2024 | Golden Trail World Series | 1st overall (first African man to win the series) |
| 2025 | Zegama-Aizkorri | 1st |
| 2024 | Marathon du Mont-Blanc | 1st (course record 3:30:10) |
| 2026 | Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail (GTWS) | 1st (third GTWS win of the season) |
A selection, not a complete race history.
Official profiles
Compare yourself with Elhousine
- ITRA index calculator: estimate the km-effort and an indicative performance band for your own race result (not an official ITRA Performance Index).
- Trail pace calculator: turn your road pace into a trail pace and finish time for a given elevation profile.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2025 Golden Trail World Series?
Elhousine Elazzaoui of Morocco, with a perfect 1,000-point season and wins at Zegama-Aizkorri, Broken Arrow, Tepec Trail and the Ledro Sky Trentino final. It was his second consecutive title.
Who was the first African man to win the Golden Trail World Series?
Elhousine Elazzaoui, in 2024.
Who leads the 2026 Golden Trail World Series?
Elazzaoui leads the men's standings on 824 points after the August round at Sierre-Zinal, ahead of Philemon Kiriago on 648.
Runners with a similar profile
- Mădălina Florea (Romania): Golden Trail World Series champion, Sierre-Zinal winner, and the most consistent short-trail racer in the world right now.
- Judith Wyder (Switzerland): Five-time orienteering world champion who became one of the best short-trail racers on earth.
- Kilian Jornet (Spain): The most decorated mountain runner in the sport's history, and still the reference point for every distance from vertical kilometre to 100 miles.
- Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland): The fastest climber in history: 1,000m of vertical gain in 27:21, and back-to-back Golden Trail World Series titles.
Sources and verification
Checked against the following sources on 2026-08-27:
- Golden Trail World Series: Grand Final 2024
- Barlamane Today: Elazzaoui defends the Golden Trail crown
- ITRA runner profile
- iRunFar: 2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k results
- UTMB Index profile (official)
- Yabiladi: From desert to gold, Elhousine Elazzaoui’s story
Canonical page: https://trailia.run/best-trail-runners/elhousine-elazzaoui
Published by Trailia (https://trailia.run), a personalised trail running coaching platform. This profile is a factual reference, not a ranking.