The athlete from The North Face team has victories in prestigious events such as UTMB, the Grand Raid de Reunion, or the 84 kilometers of the Madeira Ultra
The American legend Rob Krar is one of the most influential athletes in the history of ultra-distance running
American runner Katie Schide will be the main rival to beat in the upcoming Vertical Kilometer Giant of The North Face Transgrancanaria, scheduled for Wednesday, February 21st, starting at 3:30 PM in the Agaete Valley.
This 2024 will be the first time Schide, who belongs to The North Face team, competes in the Canary Islands, although she plans to run the 126 kilometers of the Classic in future editions, the main event of The North Face Transgrancanaria. In fact, she has outstanding victories in ultra-distance races, such as UTMB in 2022—placing between the first two positions of Courtney Dauwalter, the winner of the French race in 2021 and 2023—, and last year she was the runner-up in the Western States Endurance, achieving the second-best time in the history of this iconic race, only behind Dauwalter.
Schide also has victories in the 84-kilometer Madeira Ultra in 2018, the 90-kilometer Marathon de Mont-Blanc in 2019, the Swissalpine Davos, and the Trail de Ventoux in 2021, or the Grand Raid of Reunion last 2023.
Her teammate Fernanda Maciel, who won the Transgrancanaria Classic in 2012 and was the runner-up in the Ultra-Trail of Mount Fuji in Japan in 2015; German Lena Laukner; Canarian runners Estela Guerra—winner of the LPA Trail in 2023— and Dunia Cruz; Polish Karolina Obstoj—runner-up of the Transgrancanaria Starter in 2020—; or Swedish Helena Wallin, will also be among the female competitors.
In the male category, Rob Krar will be present, an American athlete who is an example of resilience in ultra-distance running, as he was diagnosed with Haglund’s disease and fell into depression, which he overcame through his escape route: running in the mountains. In 2017, he suffered a serious knee injury but overcame it through extensive rehabilitation. His return to mountain racing could not have been better as the following year he won the Leadville 100 with the second-best time in the history of the race. He had already won this race in 2014, the same year he achieved the first of his two victories in the Western States Endurance Run (he repeated in 2015).
Besides, he has been awarded Ultra Runner of the Year in 2013 and 2014 or one of the 50 most influential people in the world of running by Runner’s World magazine. In fact, Krar is a spokesperson for mental health as he shares his personal experience with the aim of raising awareness and reducing stigma among the endurance community, besides being an activist in defense of American public lands.
Also participating will be Italian Henri Aymonod, who was third in 2023; Dutch Peter Van der Zon, fifth in the Transgrancanaria Classic in 2019; Spaniards Álvaro Escuela, Diego Menéndez, and Miguel Menéndez; Polish Jacek Sobas and Karol Matysek.
The Vertical Kilometer Giant is a race that starts from the Agaete Valley and finishes in Tamadaba, and although the distance to cover is only 5.5 kilometers, the positive elevation gain of the race is 1,100 meters, so this challenge will test the power of the participants.
This year will also be the first of the three stops of the KV Fecamon Tour of the Canarian Mountaineering Federation (Fecamon). Thus, among the Canarian athletes, in addition to those mentioned Estela Guerra, Dunia Cruz, and Álvaro Escuela, Moana Lilly Kehres, Yasmina Sánchez, Nuria Muñoz, Agustín David Reyes, Ramón José Roger, or Andrés Santana, stand out, among others.
The North Face Transgrancanaria is a race organized by Arista Eventos that will take place between February 21 and 25 of this year. It is sponsored by the institutions Cabildo de Gran Canaria, through Gran Canaria Tourism and the Insular Sports Institute; the Government of the Canary Islands with Canary Islands Latitude of Life; Maspalomas Costa Canaria; the Municipal Sports Institute of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; and the City Council of Tejeda. Additionally, it has the support of companies The North Face, San Roque University Hospitals, Fred. Olsen Express, 226ERS, Sonocom Audiovisuals, Lopesan Hotel Group, Expomeloneras, and Aguas de Teror.
