Ultrarunning icon Courtney Dauwalter showcased her unparalleled prowess as she kicked off the yr with a triumphant protection of her title within the Transgrancanaria 126K Traditional within the Canary Islands. The race kicked off at midnight on Friday (native time), on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria. Runners traversed 126 km and seven,060 meters) of vertical acquire as they made their technique to the city of Maspalomas, on the island’s southern shore.
The Transgrancanaria 126K occasion was the third race within the nine-race World Path Majors Collection, following the Hong Kong 100 and Black Canyon Extremely in Arizona.
Ladies’s race
All eyes had been on Dauwalter after final yr’s spectacular season, when the Colorado-based athlete turned the primary particular person to win Western States 100, UTMB 171K and Arduous Rock 100 in the identical yr. Dauwalter delivered, successful in 15 hours, 14 minutes and 54 seconds, and thirteenth place general; whereas she was greater than half an hour slower than her time final yr (when she took seventh place general), she was nonetheless over an hour forward of the second girl.
Runners confronted important challenges with the climate all through the race and ran in rain, wind, and chilly which started shortly after the occasion started. Dauwalter stated that this yr’s race introduced a heightened stage of problem, describing it post-race as “100 occasions tougher.”
Spanish runner Claudia Tremps crossed the end line in 16:27:03, and Eire’s Emma Stuart accomplished the ladies’s podium, and famend Polish runner Dominika Stelmach completed fourth.
Males’s race
Romania’s Raul Butaci emerged victorious in 13 hours, 22 minutes and 32 seconds to clinch the general title in a a lot nearer race than on the ladies’s aspect. Butaci confronted formidable competitors, warding off Spain’s Miguel Heras, to mark probably the most important success of his profession. 48-year-old Heras notably gained the race in 2010.
Whereas China’s Jiasheng Shen and American favorite Zach Miller sped to the entrance of the pack close to the beginning of the race, however after working by the robust nighttime situations, three runners emerged within the daylight in a race for first place. Butaci held on to a lead over Heras, who was additionally a couple of minutes forward of Romania’s Ionel Christian Manole. Miller, who would end seventh, was fifteen minutes behind in a pack that included Shen and Spanish runners Andreu Simon (the defending champion) and Abel Carretero.
Heras took second in 13:32:48, solely ten minutes behind Butaci, and after a battle with Carretero, Manole secured third place in 13:49:04, simply 36 seconds forward of the Spanish runner.
