Helene Alberdi and Julen Andueza win the middle distance of the Santander City Triathlon 2026
Julen Andueza and Helene Alberdi won the middle distance race at the 2026 Santander City Triathlon , while Diego Méntrida and Andrea Mediero won the Olympic event.
The race took place this Sunday, September 20th, in Santander, on a cloudy day with pleasant temperatures for competition. The middle-distance event once again counted towards the FETRI National Middle and Long Distance Triathlon Ranking.
The race confirmed much of the level anticipated in the preview of the 2026 Santander City Triathlon , although it ended with two victories built in very different ways: Andueza came back running and Alberdi turned around a large advantage of María Vilas.
Julen Andueza comes back to win in Santander
The men's race began with Julen Andueza and Alejandro Rodríguez Rilo setting the pace in the swim. Both completed the first segment in 20:45, about a minute ahead of Miguel Ledesma and Jaime Izquierdo.
The scenario changed on the bike. Pello Osoro posted the fastest cycling split with 1:48:04 and reached the second transition in the lead, although with only a five-second advantage over Rodríguez Rilo. Andueza arrived 2:15 behind, with Izquierdo also close behind.
The race was decided in the final segment. Data released after the event places the running distance at 18,5 kilometers , below the 21 kilometers initially planned by the organizers.
Andueza quickly recovered the gap and took the lead with a split of 1:03:17 . The Navarrese rider crossed the finish line as the winner in 3:18:14.
Alejandro Rodríguez Rilo , winner in Santander in 2025, was second at 52 seconds, while Pello Osoro retained third place at 1:16. The context of that edition can be found in the chronicle of the Santander City Triathlon 2025.
Aimar Murua finished very close behind . The Peñota Dental triathlete recorded the fastest run split, 1:02:34, and was just 22 seconds shy of the podium. Lluis Ropero completed the top five.
The result also confirms Andueza's good form, who this summer had already won the 2026 Spanish Aquathlon Championship.
| Pos | Triathlete | Time / difference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julen Andueza | 3:18:14 |
| 2 | Alejandro Rodríguez Rilo | + 0: 52 |
| 3 | Pello Osoro | + 1: 16 |
Helene Alberdi makes up almost eight minutes on María Vilas's record.
The women's race unfolded very differently. María Vilas was the first out of the water with a time of 21:55, 53 seconds ahead of Helene Alberdi and about two minutes ahead of Anna Noguera.
Vilas further increased his lead on the bike. His split of 2:01:56 was the best of the day and allowed him to reach T2 almost eight minutes ahead of Alberdi. Noguera arrived in third place, about ten minutes behind the leader.
The situation changed completely during the run. Helene Alberdi gradually closed the gap while Vilas felt the effects of his efforts in the first two segments.
Alberdi completed the final 18,5 kilometers in 1:10:35 and ended up reaching the lead to win in 3:43:50.
María Vilas managed to maintain second position 1:37 behind the winner and Anna Noguera completed the podium at 6:26.
Alberdi thus adds another victory in a season in which she had already been proclaimed Spanish Middle Distance Triathlon Champion 2026 in Pamplona and had also won the TriXilxes 2026.
| Pos | Triathlete | Time / difference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helene Alberdi | 3:43:50 |
| 2 | María Vilas | + 1: 37 |
| 3 | Anna Noguera | + 6: 26 |
Diego Méntrida repeats victory in Olympic distance
The Olympic distance without drafting was once again the modality with the highest participation and also maintained continuity in the men's category.
Diego Méntrida repeated his victory from Santander in 2025 and crossed the finish line in 1:48:14.
Gonzalo Ruiz finished second with 1:49:04, 50 seconds behind the winner, while Daniel Tolosa completed the podium with 1:49:36.
| Pos | Triathlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diego Mentrida | 1:48:14 |
| 2 | Gonzalo ruiz | 1:49:04 |
| 3 | Daniel Toulouse | 1:49:36 |
Andrea Mediero triumphs in the women's Olympic event
In the women's category, the victory went to Andrea Mediero , who completed the Olympic distance in 2:06:57.
Eneritz Urrutia , who also finished second in Santander in 2025, again took that position with a time of 2:08:00. Adriana Rodríguez completed the podium with a time of 2:10:59.
| Pos | Triathlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Mediero | 2:06:57 |
| 2 | Eneritz Urrutia | 2:08:00 |
| 3 | Adriana Rodriguez | 2:10:59 |
Results and partial results pending publication of the complete official classification of the 2026 edition.
The Santander City Triathlon 2026 thus leaves the victories of Julen Andueza and Helene Alberdi in the middle distance and of Diego Méntrida and Andrea Mediero in the Olympic distance , with Santander adding a new event to the final stretch of the FETRI National Ranking of Middle and Long Distance.
This content has been created with the support of AI tools and reviewed by the Triathlon News editorial team.
