erick aguero | IAN CORLESS

Nobody really expected more drama for stage 4 after the epic battle between Erick and Pierre. However, as darkness arrived, the heavens opened for a relentless downpour that lasted hours and hours. Camp was wiped out with flooded tents and countless runner’s seeking refuge in any shelter possible.

It made for a night of wet clothes, broken sleep and very tired bodies come the 0300 wake up call.

With a tough day ahead, many, looked less than happy at the prospect of 23 or 41km’s. Pierre Meslet summed it just with his look, he was exhausted and somewhat resigned to ‘getting through the day’ and saving it all for the last day.

An early crossing of the Sierpe river and the race was soon underway, gladly, Erick Aguero was running, albeit with his arm in a sling.

An incredible golden sunrise gave optimism to the day.

However, this optimism soon disappeared with the withdrawal of Erick. The pain was all too much and he emotionally took of his number and said goodbye to TCC2025.

Pierre was leading the race but the sight of Erick waiting at cp1 was all too much for him. The duo had an emotional exchange and with the lack of pressure from a great competitor, a very tired mind and body, Pierre took his foot of the gas and ran easy all the way to the finish.

Allan Barrielle and Sergio Turull took advantage of the situation and they ran hard to the line for a well deserved victory on the stage.

For the women, Katie Young once again dominated the day, but she was feeling the fatigue from a sleepless and exhaustive night.

Lucia Jarquin and Maria Jose Corrales once agin ran strong days to secure their respective 2nd and 3rd places.

The stage, for many, is a ‘real’ Costa Rica experience. Gravel roads interconnect rainforest, farms, the locals, wildlife and in the latter stages, the beach and ocean lead you to Drake Bay.

Tomorrow, the 6th and final stage is a victory loop that manages to compress the best of the previous 6-stages in one incredible course of rivers, waterfalls, farmland, beach, ocean and coasteering.

Race Results HERE

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What a day! Stage 3 of the 2025 The Coastal Challenge will go down in history… Local legend, Erick Aguero pulled back a 16-minute deficit after stages 1 and 2 and now leads the race after an epic winning margin of 23-minutes.

This is Nauyaca with Pitufollow – Photo by Ian Corless

Stage 3 with more technical trail, played into the hands of Erick and at the Nauyaca Waterfall he already had a lead of 5-minutes. This lead increased from cp too cp, Erick was on a mission. By the final beach section, has lead was +/- 23-minutes. He held on to the line to take a stunning stage win and overall lead.

Pierre chasing hard – Photo by Ian Corless

Pierre Meslet was running strong all day and post-race he confirmed he felt good and was running strong. He gave kudos to Erick on a stunning stage and he also confirmed, “If Erick wants to win, he has a fight on his hands!”

For the women, Katie Young was once again untouchable. She was running strong and what looked like without effort all day. Post the finish line, she confirmed she was 30-minutes quicker than last year, she is unbeatable.