The demanding self-sufficiency mountain race will take place between November 15th and 19th with a course starting and finishing in Tejeda
French athlete Claire Bannwarth, the winner for the past three years, and Italians Luca Papi and Marco Gubert, winners of four and two editions respectively, will be the ones to beat
The eighth edition of the 360º The Challenge Gran Canaria, set to take place between November 15th and 19th, will be the event with the highest positive elevation gain of all, totaling 14,000 meters over the challenging 269-kilometer course with the start and finish in Tejeda. The toughness of this self-sufficiency race is evident, as in 2022, within the 101-hour time limit, only 39 out of 70 athletes who started the race managed to finish.
French athlete Claire Bannwarth aims for her fourth consecutive victory in the women’s category after winning last year and finishing fourth overall. Meanwhile, Italian Luca Papi, a four-time winner of the seven editions held, seeks his fifth victory this year. In the 2022 edition, he made a spectacular comeback in the last 50 kilometers, allowing him to be the first to cross the finish line.
Also lining up at the starting line will be Slovakian Soňa Kopčoková, who returns to the race after finishing fourth in the women’s category last year; Romanian Claudiu Beletoiu, third in the 2022 and 2021 Challenges; and Italian Marco Gubert, winner of the two editions held in 2021.
Local athletes with experience in the event, such as Sandra Moreno, competing in her third 360º and aiming to improve on her third-place finish in 2022; Javier Blanco, who led the race last year and finished third in the 2017 360º; and Jonatan Santana, a six-time finisher who finished fifth in the 2022 edition, will also be on the starting line. In addition, Arista Pro Team athletes Yeray Durán and Álex Fraguela will join them. Durán, second in the TDS of the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc in 2016 and winner of three editions of the Tenerife Bluetrail Ultra, and Fraguela, runner-up in the Tenerife Bluetrail Ultra and Ultra Sierra Nevada in 2016, and third in the Gran Trail Peñalara – GTP in 2018.
Participants will need to demonstrate their exceptional physical fitness and good navigation skills. They have only known the race route since November 5th, and the course will be unmarked. During the race, athletes will have several life bases in the municipalities of Mogán, Santa Lucía de Tirajana, Villa de Moya, and Teror, where they can eat, shower, recharge electronic devices, and even sleep to face this self-sufficiency race.
Debut of the relay category
For the first time, the 360º The Challenge Gran Canaria will feature a relay category in which runners will share the 269 kilometers and 14,000 meters of positive elevation gain in different sections. In this category, teams face the same course and have the same time limit (101 hours) as those participating in the individual category.
Strategy will be crucial, as teams must decide which intervals each member will cover, with the obligation for each of them to complete at least one section between two checkpoints and pass the baton inside the life bases distributed along the route. One member will start alongside the rest of the participants from the Tejeda starting point, and both athletes must cross the finish line together to complete this adventure.
This edition promises an exciting showdown. On one side will be the duo of Iker Karrera and Zigor Iturrieta, who are familiar with the island having participated in previous editions of the Transgrancanaria. Karrera has victories in Tor de Geants, Lavaredo Ultra-Trail, or the Transalpine Run, while his partner won in 2011 in events like The North Face Transgrancanaria, the Trail du Sancy, and the G2H. Local athletes Esteban García and Francisco Estévez will also participate in this category. García finished second in the 2020 360º and this year became the Spanish champion of ultra trail in the master 40 category. Estévez, on the other hand, won the Riaño 3xTrail Run this year.
The 360º The Challenge Gran Canaria is sponsored by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through Turismo de Gran Canaria and Gran Canaria Isla Europea del Deporte, the Government of the Canary Islands with Promotur – Islas Canarias, Tejeda City Council, and Fred. Olsen Express; and with the collaboration of companies Lorenzo González Automoción, Gofio La Piña, Inerza, and Provital.