Mountain races’ amateurs that crossed the start line of the seventh edition of “EDP DesafiOSOmiedo” last Saturday, both in the Ultra distance, and in the Marathon, took part in a great adventure. Apart of facing temperatures down to minus 5 degrees Celsius, in some stretches, the soil conditions entailed a challenge for participants. In spite of the mud and he cold, Juanjo Somohano and Gemma Arenas became Spanish Champions in the Ultra distance; and the Basque Team achieved the same in the team category. In the 40 km race, winners were Iván Camps and Patricia Muñoz.

“EDP DesafiOSOmiedo” is one of the mountain races that raises the greatest expectation in Spain, largely because of its spectacular landscape. More than 2 000 people applied to participate in this edition, and the dorsal allocation was raffled.

Both the Ultra distance and the Marathon begin in Pola de Somiedo, and the routes include emblematic points from the Natural Park, natural habitat of the Cantabrian brown bear. The race congregates around 3 000 people, between the organization and the runners’ accompanying.

La Malva, centenary hydraulic power plant

In the council of Somiedo is located, in fact, the hydraulic power plant of La Malva, EDP’s propriety. These installations were projected at the beginning of the century, and they started up in 1917. La Malva, located in Somiedo, was the first great power plant of the generation built in Asturias.