Spanish trail runner and sports nutritionist Cristina Santurino has died at the age of 36, on the same day she celebrated her birthday. The cause of her death has not been made public.
The news has sent shockwaves through the trail running community and the world of sports nutrition.
Cristina Santurino was widely respected for both her scientific expertise and her athletic achievements and was due to compete this weekend in the Trail 100 Andorra.
She had been living in El Hierro for several years, which served as both her training ground and her sanctuary, often appearing in photos and memories she shared with thousands of followers online.
Her posts regularly combined breathtaking scenery with expert advice on performance and nutrition. “Every athlete is different, and so are their needs,” she wrote on her website, where she offered personalised coaching for endurance athletes.
She first attracted national attention in 2020, as Spain slowly came out of lockdown. As restrictions eased, Santurino completed Madrid’s 64-kilometre cycling ring solo, finishing in five hours and 26 minutes. The challenge became a symbol of resilience and personal freedom after months of confinement.
Her racing career was filled with standout performances, including multiple victories at Spain’s Gran Trail de Peñalara, where she won both the 62km and 104km races. She also competed internationally, regularly taking part in some of the toughest mountain races across the Alps and here in the Canary Islands, including the Tenerife Bluetrail and Transvulcania.
Beyond her sporting success, Santurino was a leading voice in sports nutrition. After earning her doctorate in Food Science, she focused much of her work on challenging myths and misinformation in the field. She taught athletes how to properly balance performance with wellbeing and create practical fuelling strategies for ultra-endurance events.
“My goal has always been to help athletes improve their performance, eating habits, and body composition so they can achieve their sporting goals in a healthy way,” she explained on her training programme.
News of her sudden death has prompted an outpouring of tributes across social media. Fellow athletes, race organisers, students, and friends have described her as generous, driven, and deeply compassionate, with many praising both her professional knowledge and her kindness.
