Returning to the mountains above the Costa del Sol, Patrick Kingston was ready for another crack at one of southern Spain’s most uncompromising trail races — the formidable Destroyer route at the Sierra Blanca Trail in Marbella.

At 39.6km with more than 2,800 metres of climbing, the Destroyer is very much a course for the brave. The route winds its way across the rugged peaks above the Mediterranean, taking runners over a series of brutal ascents including Cruz de Juanar (1164m), Puerto del Pozuelo (1086m), Puerto Las Allanas (1075m) and the spectacular viewpoint at Mirador del Cerro Nicolás (1027m). The terrain is relentlessly technical and demanding, testing not just physical strength but also mental resolve.

For Patrick, this was his third consecutive appearance on the start line. His debut in 2024 saw him finish in 7:38:56, and he returned last year to shave a few minutes off that mark with 7:35:48. That performance came despite an unfortunate fall which ended with him rather painfully landing on a gorse bush — resulting in a collection of scrapes, scratches and splinters. All part of the fun of trail running, of course, and it clearly did nothing to deter him from coming back for more in 2026.

Patrick arrived in Spain off the back of some serious ultra-distance adventures. His toughest challenge came at the gruelling TOR130 Tot Dret in Valle d’Aosta. The event covers 135.8km with an astonishing 12,000 metres of ascent. Although he didn’t quite complete the full distance, Kingston battled his way to 90.6km — covering 58.23 miles and accumulating around 25,000ft of elevation in a remarkable effort.

Earlier in the year he had also taken on the demanding Ultra Trail Vipava Valley in Slovenia, completing the 110km course with 4,800 metres of climbing in just over 18 hours.

Against that backdrop, the Destroyer’s savage profile was almost business as usual.

Patrick started strongly, reaching the first checkpoint at Plaza Ojen in 56th place and sixth in his age category. By the second checkpoint at Puerto Marbella he had slipped slightly to 71st overall and 11th in his category, before rallying well to move back up to 67th at the Cruce checkpoint.

Despite a bit of a mid-race wobble — something almost inevitable on such a demanding mountain course — Kingston dug deep and produced his strongest performance yet at the event. He crossed the finish line in an impressive 6:53:55, a huge improvement on his previous visits to the race.

That time secured 70th place overall and 10th in his age category in a field of 193 finishers. Over the course of the 25.6-mile route he had climbed a staggering 9,173 feet — another tough day in the mountains successfully conquered.

At the sharp end of the race, Spain’s Mario Aguilar Romero took victory in 4:25:13, followed by Jesus Gil Garcia in 4:36:37 and José Antonio Fernández Luque in 4:36:53.

The women’s race was won by Isabelle Oblom Delattre, who finished 15th overall in 5:29:35, with Maria Isabel Bipop Bang Jensen taking second female and 18th overall in 5:35:34.

For Patrick, though, the real victory lay in mastering the Destroyer once again — and doing so faster than ever before. On a course that lives up to its fearsome name, that represents a seriously impressive day’s work.