The athlete from Granada claims victory in her debut in the Gran Canaria event, while the runner from Alicante climbs to the top step in his fifth participation in the 46K
All-Spanish male podium in the most crowded race of this edition with 1,800 participants
Third day of racing. A major Friday at The North Face Transgrancanaria 2026 featuring the most mass-participation race starting in Tejeda at 09:30, and the Classic kicking off at 23:59 from Las Canteras Beach in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The morning race, the 46 km Marathon—which is once again part of the World Trail Majors Short Series international circuit—saw an exciting start in three waves in the historic center of Tejeda.
Maximum equality among the top three female qualifiers
Ikram Rharsalla (Joma team) from Granada, debuting at The North Face Transgrancanaria, and Núria Gil (Asics) from Catalonia, dominated the race from the start with virtually no gap between them. After the first hour, it was Núria who set the fastest pace, a clear statement of intent for the 46-kilometer course. At the first checkpoint in El Garañón, the lead trio consisted of Núria (1:09:58), Ikram just two minutes behind, and Italian runner Caterina Stenta (Joma). Close behind them, the third Joma runner in the lead group at that stage, Gemma Arenas, also followed the leaders’ trail.
During the first two descents after the checkpoint, Ikram moved into first place, while Núria grit her teeth trying to catch her. By La Degollada del Dinero (km 19.6), the Andalusian athlete had secured several minutes of advantage over her closest pursuers. However, Asics runner Núria Gil closed the gap upon arriving at Ayagaures, offering a glimmer of hope for a comeback.
Nevertheless, Ikram Rharsalla knew she couldn’t let up. She gave her all in the final kilometers toward Parque Sur to maintain her lead and achieve glory at The North Face Transgrancanaria 2026, which boasted a star-studded elite female field. The Joma athlete stopped the clock at 3 hours, 46 minutes, and 21 seconds. Just four minutes later, Núria Gil crossed in second place, while Italian Caterina Stenta completed the podium.
Statements from Ikram Rharsalla:
“I knew I had a great chance of winning, but as I always say, until you cross the finish line, you can’t take anything for granted because so many things can happen. In the end, I’m not the only one who trains to come here and win, so I approached it with a lot of respect and humility, but yes, I knew I could win because I worked for it.”
“It was a race of much suffering, but you also enjoy this route. To be honest, I enjoyed it; the island is incredibly green, and the first part is beautiful. The last part gets tough because you have many kilometers in your legs and you suffer more, but it’s super beautiful and super hard at the same time. You shouldn’t underestimate this race; at first glance, it seems like it has a lot of downhill, but wow, it’s a race that puts you in your place.”
Fifth time’s the charm for Antonio Martínez
If the women’s pace was lightning-fast from the start, the men’s category was not to be outdone. From the opening kilometers, the winner of the KV El Gigante, Italian Henri Aymonod (The North Face team), used his runner profile heading toward El Garañón to take the lead. Finnish athlete Juho Ylinen (HOKA) also pushed hard on these first summit slopes, followed by the trio of Lucien Epiney (Trail du Besso), Antonio Martínez (Asics), and Miguel Benítez (Asics).
Around the 50-minute mark, a head-to-head battle began between Henri and Antonio Martínez—an impressive duel through La Goleta, just 2 kilometers from crowning El Garañón. At that first checkpoint (km 11.7), the man from Alicante was the fastest with 1 hour and 58 seconds. The Italian entered alongside him, with Miguel Benítez a minute behind the lead. After ascending to 1,719 meters, it was time for the spectacular descent via the Ruta de la Plata along its cobbled switchbacks. Antonio and Henri remained inseparable in an incredible duel at kilometer 16, just before the race’s midpoint.
The North Face athlete accelerated to overtake the Asics runner on the descent. At La Degollada Del Dinero, Aymonod clocked 1:35:35, with Antonio just 3 seconds behind; Miguel Benítez and Marcel Fabian followed at 30 seconds. The top four entered within 50 seconds of each other, and the entire Top 10 within 4 minutes, proving how hard the runners were pushing.
Changes occurred at the front upon passing Ayagaures, as Aymonod dropped to eighth position, leaving Martínez in a solo lead with Fran Anguita (Kailas Fuga) and Johnny Luna close behind. Near the 3-hour mark, Miguel Benítez caught up to Antonio, cutting the one-minute lead the leader had held at the aid station.
However, in his fifth appearance at The North Face Transgrancanaria Marathon, Antonio Martínez made the saying “fifth time’s the charm” come true. With an immaculate race strategy, he crossed the finish line in Maspalomas in first place with a time of 3:26:42. The podium was completed by Fran Anguita and Miguel Benítez, forming a top-tier all-Spanish trio in the race’s first three positions.
Statements from Antonio Martínez:
“I’m incredibly emotional. I’ve come here seven times—twice for the Half, five for the Marathon—and I had never won. I have a second, third, fourth, and fifth place. Finally, it happened; I now have all five positions and maybe I’ll challenge myself with another distance another year. I’m super happy to have been on the island since 2019 without missing a year, and super happy to start the season like this, seeing that the body is responding and the training is going very well.”
At 23:59, the main event
Tonight, the starting gun will fire for the 125-kilometer Classic, the flagship race of the event. Spectators and participants will experience goosebumps during the iconic start from Las Canteras Beach. Henriette Albon, Claudia Tremps, Katarzyna Dombrowska, Tom Evans, Jonathan Albon, Josh Wade, and Hannes Namberger are some of the names promising a legendary race at The North Face Transgrancanaria 2026.
The North Face Transgrancanaria is a race organized by Arista Eventos, sponsored by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through Turismo de Gran Canaria and the Instituto Insular de Deportes; the Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria through the Instituto Municipal de Deportes; the Ayuntamiento de Teror and the Ayuntamiento de Tejeda. It also has the support of The North Face, Hospitales Universitarios San Roque, Lopesan Hotel Group, ExpoMeloneras, 226ERS, Fred. Olsen Express, Sonocom Audiovisuales, and Aguas de Teror.
Photographs: David Delfour and Miguel Travieso
