Iberdrola España’s Leitzaran hydroelectric power station in Gipuzkoa is once again the venue for the Bertxin Xtrem challenge, featuring the 500- and 1,000-step races
- The third edition of the event, organised by the Osin Trail club, will take place tomorrow, Saturday 10 October, in the morning, bringing together up to 120 participants in the protected surroundings of Leitzaran.
The staircases at Iberdrola España's Leitzaran hydroelectric power station in Gipuzkoa will once again take centre stage for the third consecutive year at Bertxin Xtrem. The Osin Trail Club in Andoain is organising a new edition of this demanding sporting challenge, which returns to its usual autumn date and retains the morning schedule introduced in the previous edition.
The competition will retain the format of its first two editions. First runners will tackle the 500-step climb at the neighbouring Bertxin hydroelectric power station, and then, after a short break, will ascend the 1,000 steps at Iberdrola España's Leitzaran hydroelectric power station. The first race will start at 10am and the second is scheduled for around 11.30am. Runners will set off at 30-second intervals and overtaking will be permitted.
The winner will be the runner who achieves the best combined time over the two climbs. There will also be prizes for the top three finishers in the men's and women's categories as well as for the top runners from Andoain. The organisation will distribute race numbers and hold the prize-giving ceremony at the Leitzaran Visitor Centre in Otieta.
The organisers will also award four special prizes of €100 to those who break the current records in the men's and women's categories for each section. Koldo Velasco holds the two best men's times, with 1:42 for the 500 steps and 4:29 for the 1,000. In the women's category, Nerea Urteaga beat the time set in the first edition by 22 seconds, setting new records of 2:24 for the 500-step climb and 5:36 for the 1,000-step climb.
The event takes place in Leitzaran, a protected biotope, so participation will be limited to 120 runners. The main car park will be set up in the Soravilla industrial estate from where shuttle buses will run to the Leitzaran Visitor Centre.
The two sections have very different characteristics. The 500-step climb features wider, taller and more uniform steps, with each step around one metre wide, covering a vertical ascent of 90 metres. The 1,000 steps at Villabona, by contrast, are narrower, smaller and more irregular, and cover a vertical distance of 200 metres. These conditions make the route — situated alongside the pipes that supply water to the Bertxin and Leitzaran power stations — an almost vertical ascent.
Iberdrola España's Leitzaran hydroelectric power station and a curious connection with Roland Garros
The Leitzaran hydroelectric power station has become a major landmark in the Basque Country, as it is the most powerful in the whole of Gipuzkoa and is very popular with local walkers. This Iberdrola España facility, commissioned at the start of the last century and situated in the municipality of Andoain, has a head of 209 metres and an installed capacity of 3.6 megawatts.
In 1901, Roland Garros (1888 to 1918), one of the pioneers of civil aviation, was flying over the Leitzaran valley during the Paris–Madrid air raid when he lost control of his aeroplane and crashed into the valley. Garros emerged unscathed and employees of the hydroelectric power station rescued him. Years later his name became associated with the famous Roland Garros tennis tournament.