Writer Lucy Gornall headed to Spain’s Canary Islands to run the toughest course she’s ever experienced – the Transgrancanaria ultra marathon
‘Everything is hard before it is easy’ – that’s what famous German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said – but I don’t know if I can agree. That’s because I have just completed the Transgrancanaria ultra trail marathon and it was hard from the moment I started to the second I finished, six hours and 41 minutes later.
Transgrancanaria, which takes place on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria, brings together ultra-running professionals and ultra-trail lovers of the highest level every year. There are different races to choose from: the shorter 21K, 47K Marathon, 82K Advanced and the 126K Classic course. I opted for the 47K.
With a case full of running gear, including the beautiful The North Face VECTIV Pro 3 trainers that I raced in, I took the four-hour flight from Gatwick to Gran Canaria. Despite it being mid-February, Gran Canaria was a toasty 22°C when I landed at midday, two days before race day. It took 25 minutes by taxi to get to hotel Lopesan Gran Canaria in Meloneras, to the south of Gran Canaria, which was huge, with various restaurants, bars, pools and a spa – at least I had plenty of post-run recovery options!
The build-up
I was ravenous by the time I arrived, so joined fellow runners for lunch at the hotel. With the Transgrancanaria 21K kicking off the next day, followed by my 47K event the day after, I gave myself full permission to eat what I wanted, demolishing my seafood salad with crusty bread and iced coffee with extra whipped cream. There was chatter across the table about the sheer intensity of Transgrancanaria. I was relaxed before I arrived but I left the lunch table a little worried. An 1,800m elevation? In 27°C? What had I agreed to?
My London flat-road training wasn’t going to be enough for the mountains of Gran Canaria, but I was confident that my muscle memory from previous hilly runs would carry me through. That day, I took a 5K walk along the coast of Meloneras and neighbouring resort, Maspalomas, and the next morning, I joined a couple of others for an early 5K ‘shake-out’ run.
After a huge buffet breakfast, we took a 10-minute stroll to the Transgrancanaria expo where we picked up our bibs and running pack, complete with t-shirt, gel and time chip. The expo was filled with running essentials and stands boasting new products and gadgets, including a big display of race sponsor The North Face’s shoes and running kit, just in case anyone needed some last-minute buys.
It’s the second year that this event has been sponsored by The North Face, and runners from across the globe travel to Gran Canaria to tick this iconic race off their ultra-distance bucket list. I was pretty chuffed to be doing it.
The night before race day, the nerves kicked in – the challenge had become a reality at a briefing from The North Face team, during which we were told how race day would pan out. I had my mandatory (as per Transgrancanaria race rules) whistle, emergency blanket, litre of water and a rain jacket ready in my running vest, along with energy gels, a satsuma, SPF 50 and my running essential, lip balm.
Getting started
At 5am on the morning of my ultra, my alarm blared out, but I had been awake since 4am, excited yet riddled with nerves. I got dressed, sipped on a pre-race coffee and did some stretches. At 5.45am, I left the hotel with others to head to the Transgrancanaria coach, which took us to the start line. It was a 90-minute windy journey up the mountains, from Meloneras, to Tejeda in the centre of the island where the start was.
We were 90 minutes early, so joined the queue of people outside local cafés for some race fuel. I had two ham and cheese sandwiches and a large biscuit washed down with herbal tea. By 9.30am, it was go time and the different waves headed off in five- minute intervals The excitement was surreal at the start line, with cheering, loud music, whistles, photographers and crowds of spectators.
The race started on a steep incline but quickly descended into a steep downhill. I find downhills harder as I have to slow right down in a bid to stop myself from falling forward. My knees were throbbing in the first kilometre! Was this a sign of things to come?
Luckily, the first 10K went by pretty quickly, despite taking one hour and 48 minutes. My 10K PB is 40 minutes, so it’s quite a difference, but half of this time was spent power walking up steep rocky hills – in single file. Every so often, someone would take the leap and overtake, and on any flatter areas, everyone would reshuffle and the speedy ‘mountain goats’ would get in front.
Toughing it out
The steep climbs were followed by incredibly steep rocky downhills, involving a lot of technical foot placements to avoid slipping or twisting an ankle. It amazed me how some people just cruised downhill, bouncing off rocks and knowing exactly where to place their feet. I gave the downhills my best shot, whilst taking it fairly easy.
I ran straight through the first checkpoint at the 11K mark and into a forest which had nice soft soil (my favourite terrain of the race), and was flat at last! The course soon reverted back to rocks – for several miles, the route went up and down, with intervals of flatter areas. I couldn’t quite believe how varied Gran Canaria’s terrain is.
My calves and hamstrings were beat and, at the second checkpoint at 21K, I started to really want to pull out! I’d been running for hours and wasn’t even half way! Luckily, the three big checkpoints (11K, 21K, 34K) supplied everyone with a huge array of snacks, from fruit to jam sandwiches, nuts, crisps, chocolates and gels, plus water. They were a buzz of activity, with music and people trying to cram in as much food as possible. I devoured a few orange slices, then went on my merry way.
The following 10K involved another steep rocky climb and then more downhills. There was a zig zag down a section of cobble-style rocks, which was really uncomfortable (a stone smacked my toe at one point which left me cursing out loud). I wasn’t the only one shouting occasional expletives, though, as other runners were also feeling the pain of this running course. I vowed to myself at least 20 times that I’d never do this sort of race again, and at one point was even considering if I could purposely fall over!
The North Face VECTIV Pro 3 Trail Running trainers were so comfy. My feet did naturally push against the top of the shoes on downhills, but the wide toe box made me feel really stable and supported, and the foam and cushioning meant the entire sole of my foot was pain free – my legs and back were in pain, though!
But amid all the discomfort, it was hard not to be gobsmacked at the views – you couldn’t make up how breathtaking the views of Gran Canaria were from the mountains. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and everything looked flawless in the sun.
The final throes
I grabbed more oranges at the third checkpoint at 34K, and it was from this point that runners suddenly started to disperse. By 40K, I was on a roll, stopping to hop around rocks when needed and slowly jogging on the flats.
The final few kilometres were flat and I was running over what looked like volcanic ash. I could hear music and crowds as I got closer to the finish line, and I genuinely started smiling to myself. I was so close. How had my body done this? What’s more, how had my body done this on just oranges? I’d never been happier to see a finish line. I sailed across it and felt totally euphoric.
Ranking 76 out of 392 women, I was pretty chuffed with my achievement, but I felt broken because my stomach was churning and my legs were in pieces. After lots of finish line photos and excitedly swapping run stories with other finishers, it was back to the hotel to clean up, eat, relax and digress the day. Oh, and drink a very large glass of wine!
The feeling of completing a tough race is like no other. I wish I could bottle up the ‘high’ that you get from crossing a finish line after pushing your body to its limits and proving to yourself what you can do when you put your mind to it. So, I know I vowed I wouldn’t do it again… but how about just one more?
For information on Transgrancanaria 2026, visit transgrancanaria.net. Flights go from Gatwick to Gran Canaria with British Airways.
