Nuria Picas is a Spanish ultra-trail runner from Manresa, Catalonia, widely regarded as one of the most decorated mountain athletes of her generation. Born in 1976 at the foot of the Montserrat range, she came to ultra running from a background in alpinism and climbing, having spent years in the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Peruvian Andes, and the Nepalese Himalaya before turning to competitive trail racing in her thirties.
Picas announced herself in 2011 by winning Ultra Cavalls del Vent, the first ultra she entered, and went on to claim the inaugural Ultra-Trail World Tour title in 2014 after a season that included victories at Transgrancanaria, Ultra-Trail Mount Fuji, and Grand Trail des Templiers. She finished second at UTMB in both 2012 and 2013 before completing the set with her long-sought UTMB victory in 2017. Other signature wins include Diagonale des Fous in 2015, Hong Kong 100 in 2017, and Ultra Pirineu in 2022.
Away from racing, Picas works as a firefighter for the Generalitat de Catalunya, is a certified mountain guide, and has served as a member of the Parliament of Catalonia. She is a long-standing Buff ambassador and continues to compete in selected ultra-distance events on the European trail circuit.