The athlete from Alicante seeks the Marathon crown after his double victory in the Half, while the Teruel native returns to the Advanced after narrowly missing the podium in the 2025 Marathon
The North Face Transgrancanaria 2026 finalized a truly elite lineup with the confirmation of two of the most prominent trail runners on the national scene: Antonio Martínez and Marcos Ramos. Both members of the ASICS team, these athletes arrive on the island with a deep knowledge of the terrain—boasting six and four participations respectively—and backed by commendable form following their brilliant results last season.
Antonio Martínez: The King of the Half Returns for the Marathon
Alicante-born runner Antonio Martínez (ITRA 914) returns to Gran Canaria with an ambitious goal: to conquer the Marathon, the event’s most popular race. Starting from Tejeda on Friday at 09:30 AM, Martínez steps onto familiar ground; in this distance, he was previously second in 2019, fourth in 2021, third in 2022, and fifth in 2023.
Martínez won the Half in two consecutive editions (2024 and 2025), shaving ten minutes off his own course record during the latter. This leap in quality reflects his constant progression. Martínez’s 2025 season was exceptional: he won the Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB (50K) and Valhöll Fin del Mundo by UTMB, and closed the year with another victory at the 3 Días Trail Ibiza Half Marathon in his debut on the Pityusic island. Collectively, he was a key piece in securing the Short Trail team world title (placing 13th individually). He also added an 8th place finish at the OCC in Chamonix and 7th at Zegama-Aizkorri, two of the most demanding stages on the international calendar.
His track record speaks for itself: three-time winner of the Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB (2021, 2022, and 2024), winner of the Val d’Aran by UTMB Half Marathon (2023) and Patagonia Run (2023), and 2023 Skyrunning World Cup Champion. Three consecutive podiums at the OCC (2nd in 2022, 3rd in 2023 and 2024) complete the profile of an elite athlete consolidated on a global scale.
Marcos Ramos Returns to the Advanced
For his part, Marcos Ramos from Teruel will compete in the Advanced race in the 2026 edition. This is not his first visit to Gran Canaria: he competed in the Classic in 2018 (13th) and 2020 (10th) and ran the Advanced in 2023 (16th). Last year, he finished fourth in the Marathon, just one step away from the podium. Ramos arrives, therefore, with real knowledge of the terrain and the motivation to improve his own records on the island.
The 2025 season was highly productive for the Teruel runner. He won Mallorca by UTMB and reached the podium at the Domusa Teknik Trail and Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB (taking 3rd in both). He also participated in the OCC and Zegama-Aizkorri, two top-tier international events.
To close the year with a strong result, Ramos achieved second place at Patagonia Bariloche by UTMB in November. His career includes significant victories such as the Gran Trail Trangoworld Aneto-Posets (2021), Canfranc Ultra (2020), and Trail Zoquetes 32K (2023), alongside podiums at ASICS Saintelyon (2024), Tenerife Bluetrail by UTMB Marathon (2024), Val d’Aran by UTMB (2023), and a 5th place finish at the TDS (2021).
A Field of Global Stars
With the inclusion of Antonio Martínez and Marcos Ramos, The North Face Transgrancanaria cements its status as the global epicenter of trail running at the start of the year. They join a list of “ones to watch” in an edition featuring world-class figures such as Tom Evans, Ida Nilsson, Abel Carretero, Hannes Namberger, Stephanie Case, Hayden Hawks, Eleanor Davis, Henriette Albon, Jonathan Albon, Josh Wade, Ida-Sophie Hegemann, Pau Capell, Sunmaya Budha, Alain Santamaría, and Naiara Irigoyen.
The North Face Transgrancanaria is a race organized by Arista Eventos with the sponsorship of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria (through Gran Canaria Tourism and the Insular Sports Institute); the Government of the Canary Islands (with Canary Islands “Latitud de Vida”); the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (through the Municipal Sports Institute); and the City Councils of Teror and Tejeda. Additionally, it is supported by The North Face, San Roque University Hospitals, Lopesan Hotel Group, ExpoMeloneras, 226ERS, Fred. Olsen Express, Sonocom Audiovisuales, and Aguas de Teror.
