Sports
From Design to Elite Trail: Manuela Vilaseca's Rise
The Brazilian ultrarunner reflects on her winning debut at La Misión, moving to Spain, and the start of The North Face team in Brazil.
Discover the journey of Manuela Vilaseca, from adventure racing and her debut win at the 160 km La Misión in 2011 to establishing herself in international trail running. The athlete also shares details about her daily routine in Spain and her work as an endurance coach.
At 47 years old, Rio de Janeiro native Manuela Vilaseca has built a solid career in mountain sports, but her professional journey began along a very different path. Holding a degree in industrial design, Manu worked for years as a product designer before turning her passion for running and physical training into her primary career.
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A new life and routine in Spain
Nearly 11 years ago, the athlete moved to Moià, a small municipality in Catalonia. During the early stages of her adaptation, she taught private in-home English lessons and later worked at a local school to ensure financial stability. Her transition into sports coaching happened gradually, starting when she began guiding her sister-in-law and a small group of five friends.
The venture expanded through word of mouth and paved the way for further professional qualifications. Manu earned personal trainer certifications, completed yoga training during the pandemic, and became a certified ultramarathon coach. Today, she runs her own studio in Moià focused on yoga, mobility, strength, and functional training, while also coaching runners across the globe through online consultancies.
The breakthrough at La Misión in 2011
Manu's athletic foundation was built on multidisciplinary events, including mountain biking, XTERRA triathlons, road running, and adventure racing expeditions. In 2011, encouraged by her brother Jaime—who was searching for an extreme challenge to regain his training motivation—she took on her first dedicated mountain race at the 160 km La Misión in Argentine Patagonia.
Despite severe conditions that triggered mass dropouts within the first few hours of the race, the experience gained from adventure racing—where long distances and self-sufficiency were already part of the routine—ensured a solid performance. Manu took the victory in the women's category and finished fifth or sixth overall in the ultramarathon.
The North Face era and Brazilian trail running
This outstanding result on Argentine soil accelerated Manu's sporting career. Around the same time, The North Face was opening a store in Rio de Janeiro and looking for a female athlete to join its Brazilian team, an opportunity facilitated by runner Sinoca. Manu was selected, formalizing her definitive move into high-performance trail running.
This phase coincided with the development of competitive trail running across the country, driven by events such as the 80 km races in the XTERRA circuit on Ilhabela. The athlete was part of one of the most iconic squads in Brazilian trail history, sharing the team with figures like Iaza, Sinoca, Rosália Camargo, Zé Virgínio, and Carlos Magno. Her progression on the trails eventually led her beyond the classic 100-mile distances, establishing her current focus on extreme races of 200 miles or more.
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