The 2025 World Trail Majors champion makes her debut in Gran Canaria alongside the Cantabrian runner, who seeks redemption in the 125-kilometer race
The North Face Transgrancanaria continues to reveal the names that will headline one of the most anticipated events on the international trail running calendar. The 2026 edition will feature two top-tier runners at the Classic starting line: Sunmaya Budha, the Nepalese athlete who conquered the World Trail Majors circuit, and Borja Fernández, the Scott team runner from Cantabria who returns with unfinished business after withdrawing in 2024.
Sunmaya Budha: Queen of the World Trail Majors
With an ITRA ranking of 808 points, Sunmaya Budha arrives at The North Face Transgrancanaria as one of the heavy favorites. The Nepalese runner, sponsored by Kailas Fuga, lands on the island following a dream 2025 season that saw her crowned World Trail Majors champion.
Her victory in November at Ultra-Trail Cape Town, another stop on the international circuit, combined with her win at the Anta Hong Kong 100 in January of the same year, catapulted her to the pinnacle of world trail running. However, 2025 held even more success: a silver medal at the Long Trail World Championships held in Canfranc in September solidified her status as one of the best mountain runners on the planet.
Budha’s versatility is one of her greatest assets. In 2025, she also demonstrated her dominance across various distances with victories at the Annapurna Marathon and the Ultra-Trail Mount Yun by UTMB Half Marathon. Her record includes other prestigious wins such as the SwissPeaks Trail Marathon (2024), The North Face 100 Ultra Trail Challenge Hong Kong (100K in 2024 and 50K in 2023), and a commendable second place in the 2022 CCC.
Budha will start the Classic at 11:59 PM on Friday, March 6, from Las Canteras Beach, tackling for the first time the 125 kilometers and nearly 7,000 meters of positive elevation gain that define this legendary route. Her debut on Canarian soil promises to be one of the event’s main highlights.
Borja Fernández’s Fifth Appearance
Borja Fernández, a runner for the Scott team, is no stranger to the Gran Canaria terrain. In 2024, he finished third in the Advanced race at The North Face Transgrancanaria, and he boasts a fifth-place finish in the 2021 Marathon and a third-place finish in the same distance in 2019. He now returns determined to conquer the 125 kilometers that eluded him last year.
His 2025 season has shown he is in peak form, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at Patagonia Bariloche by UTMB in November and a fifth-place finish at the Davos X-Trails-Gold Run in Switzerland. He also completed the CDH at Hoka Val d’Aran by UTMB (10th), the Transvulcania Ultramarathon adidas TERREX La Palma (12th), and the Reventón Trail El Paso (4th).
The presence of Sunmaya Budha and Borja Fernández in the Classic on March 6 is a clear demonstration that The North Face Transgrancanaria attracts the best national and international talent to the island. Alongside them, elite athletes such as Pau Capell, Ida Nilsson, Hannes Namberger, Stephanie Case, Hayden Hawks, Henriette Albon, Jonathan Albon, Tom Evans, Josh Wade, and Katharina Hartmuth will also be at the starting line in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
