Dogs are humans’ best friends. Despite being a phrase that has been repeated over the years, science ended up showing that there is a connection between dogs and humans that can be hormonal and genetic. The bond between the two is as strong as that of Manuel Merillas, the trail star who does not separate from his dog Zar, a border collie.
After a 36-hour journey by van from León, he arrived in Canazei, in the center of the Dolmites, to compete in the Dolomyths Skyrun, one of the seven events of the Golden Trail Series. Despite having a hotel room, he slept in his vehicle with his dog, since the establishment did not allow pets. Merillas only entered the hotel to use the shower.
In statements to El País, he explained that if he can sleep with his dog, he does so “even if it is in a small hole.” He added that Zar is fed up with his training because of the places where it puts him. “He is my life partner,” he stressed.
And it is that Zar goes running with him every day and is even faster than Merillas himself. “In the end I see him in front and I shoot for him but it’s impossible, it’s like trying to follow a Formula 1,” he explained after winning one of the UTMB races, the Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc, last August 2022.
He also added that his border collie even went skiing with him, and assured that 70 or 80% of his victories belong to his inseparable four-legged companion. “He’s the one who trains me, the one who makes me go out every day and the one who makes me push myself, go faster and do better every day,” he confessed.
Merillas wants to follow in the footsteps of big names in sport like Kilian Jornet or Ueli Steck. It is for this reason that he wants to spend the summer doing light mountaineering in technical mountains. “I’ll start doing things that I can do by myself, no going roped up on glaciers,” he confessed. In the future, he aspires to the Himalayas, but the question is whether Zar, his faithful companion and trainer, will accompany him on this adventure.
