The Catalan returns to the Classic seeking his fifth crown
The Brazilian returns to the KV El Gigante with the podium in her sights
The North Face Transgrancanaria is dressing up for its 2026 edition with the return of two of its most iconic athletes. Pau Capell, four-time Classic champion and member of The North Face team, will return to cover the 126 kilometers from Playa de Las Canteras to Parque Sur de Maspalomas on the night of Friday, March 6. Meanwhile, Fernanda Maciel, also a member of The North Face team and a Gran Canaria specialist with eight participations on the island, will return to the emblematic KV El Gigante on Wednesday, March 4, starting from the Agaete Valley.
Capell: The Catalan legend seeks his fifth crown
Pau Capell is, without a doubt, one of the most brilliant names in the history of The North Face Transgrancanaria. The Catalan runner, with 861 ITRA ranking points, dominated the Classic for four consecutive editions between 2017 and 2020, establishing a hegemony that made him a legend of the race. His track record on the island also includes a third place in 2016, a runner-up finish in 2022, and a victory in the Advanced race in 2015.
Capell’s return takes on special relevance in an edition that recovers the iconic passage through Roque Nublo and in which the Classic will once again be part of the prestigious World Trail Majors circuit, consolidating its status as one of the most important races on the international calendar.
The North Face runner arrives in Gran Canaria after a high-level 2025. Capell shone with a victory at the 3-day Trail Ibiza Marathon in November, achieved second place at Trail 100 Andorra by UTMB, and finished sixth in the demanding TDS starting from Courmayeur.
His resume includes some of the most prestigious victories in world trail running. In 2019, he had a memorable year by winning the UTMB, in addition to prevailing in the Patagonia Run and the Mozart 100. He also holds victories in the TDS (2016), the Eiger Ultra Trail (2018), and was proclaimed champion of the Ultra Trail World Tour for three consecutive times (2018, 2019, and 2021)—one of the greatest achievements an ultra runner can reach.
Among his notable podiums are second place in the CCC (2018), The North Face Lavaredo Ultra Trail (2018), MIUT Madeira Island (2021), and the Salomon Ultra Pirineu 100K (2022).
Maciel: In search of the Gran Canaria podium
Fernanda Maciel personifies the passion for The North Face Transgrancanaria. The Brazilian athlete from The North Face team has accumulated eight participations between the Classic and the KV El Gigante, establishing herself as one of the runners most committed to the island.
A multidisciplinary runner, Maciel has excelled in both mountain races and solo expeditions, where she has achieved significant milestones in distance and altitude on emblematic peaks such as Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro.
In this edition, Maciel returns to KV El Gigante, where she was sixth in both 2023 and 2024. With this accumulated experience on the demanding ascent to the Tamadaba massif, the Brazilian will seek to get even closer to the podium or even aim for victory in one of the most spectacular vertical kilometer races on the world circuit.
Her bond with Gran Canaria is special: she debuted on the island in 2012, winning the Classic in her first participation—a triumph that marked the beginning of a long relationship with Transgrancanaria.
Maciel’s recent record includes victory in the Quito Trail By UTMB – 82K OSO in 2024. Among her historical triumphs are the Salomon Cappadocia Ultra-Trail® – 60K (2018), the Penyagolosa Trails HG – CSP (2018), and The North Face Endurance Challenge Ultra Trail Agulhas Negras – 80K (2015).
Her most prominent podiums include two third-place finishes in the Transgrancanaria Classic (2019 and 2014), two podiums at Le Marathon des Sables (2017 and 2016), and two consecutive runner-up finishes at the Ultra Trail Mount Fuji in Japan (2015 and 2014).
A historic line-up
The return of Capell and Maciel reinforces an elite field that already featured world-class figures such as Ida Nilsson, Abel Carretero, Hannes Namberger, Stephanie Case, Hayden Hawks, Eleanor Davis, Henriette Albon, Jonathan Albon, Tom Evans, Josh Wade, Katharina Hartmuth, Maite Maiora, Martin Kern, Ida-Sophie Hegemann, and Canhua Luo, among others.
