Evans, winner of the Advanced category in 2022, returns to the Island to attempt to repeat his triumph, this time in the Classic distance
The German runner already secured a fourth place in the 2023 edition and her achievements include several podium finishes in important international races
The race, which will be held between March 4 and 8, already has over 60 registered elite athletes
The North Face Transgrancanaria mountain race, which scores towards the international World Trail Majors circuit, will once again feature the best runners in the sport in 2026. With more than three months to go before the start of the six categories, which will take place between March 4 and 8, there are already over 60 registered elite athletes, including Britain’s Tom Evans and Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth.
Evans already knows what it is like to win at The North Face Transgrancanaria. In the 2022 edition, the British runner from the Asics Fuji Trail team took victory in the Advanced category ahead of Basque runner Aritz Egea and Frenchman Mathieu Delpeuch. The Briton, who has an ITRA index of 937, will arrive with the distinction of being the current UTMB champion and with victories in other international races such as Western States in 2023, MIUT Madeira Island Ultra Trail 2022, and Tarawera Ultramarathon in 2020.
Among the women, Katharina Hartmuth presents herself as one of the favorites for victory. The German runner from the Hoka team is already familiar with competing in The North Face Transgrancanaria Classic, having achieved a fourth place in the 2023 edition. Over the course of this season, she has achieved the third step of the podium in the UTMB and Hardrock 100.
The German, who has an ITRA index of 779, secured victory last year in the Tor des Géants, a 352-kilometre race with 25,170 metres of positive elevation gain; and in 2023 she won a silver medal at the Trail World Championships held in the Austrian city of Innsbruck, representing her country.
The North Face Transgrancanaria will once again become the global benchmark for winter trail running, consolidating its position as one of the most important races in the world with the presence of over 60 elite participants, with more than three months still to go until the start.
Sunmaya Budha and Caleb Olson, World Trail Majors Winners
The Classic and Marathon categories are also scoring races for the World Trail Majors, a circuit that brings together some of the best trail running races in the world that, due to their diversity, respect, and identity, are a dream for both amateur and professional runners looking to experience their sport in a holistic way.
The championship, which was decided last weekend at the RMB-Ultra Trail Cape Town in South Africa with titles for Nepalese runner Sunmaya Budha and American Caleb Olson—winner of The North Face Transgrancanaria 2025—in the Ultra Distance category, and Chinese runners Fuzhao Xiang and Juanjuan Yang in the Short Series, features relevant figures in the sport among its champions, such as American Courtney Dauwalter, considered the best trail runner in history, and Portugal’s Miguel Arsenio.
The North Face Transgrancanaria is a race organized by Arista Eventos with the sponsorship of institutions such as the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, through Turismo de Gran Canaria and the Insular Sports Institute; the Government of the Canary Islands with Islas Canarias Latitud de Vida; the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council through the Municipal Sports Institute of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; the Teror City Council and the Tejeda City Council. It also has the support of companies including The North Face, Hospitales Universitarios San Roque, Lopesan Hotel Group, ExpoMeloneras, 226ERS, Fred. Olsen Express, Sonocom Audiovisuales, and Aguas de Teror.
