The Kenyan runner clinches his second consecutive victory in the 46.4-kilometer race, while the American from the team The North Face triumphs in her debut on the island
Elsa Padrón and Ione Guerra, the first Canarians to cross the finish line at Parque Sur in Maspalomas
American Jennifer Lichter and Kenyan Robert Pkemoi claimed victory on Friday in The North Face Transgrancanaria Marathon. The two runners dominated the race from start to finish, solidifying their triumph from the beginning of the race starting in the municipality of Tejeda and ending at Parque Sur in Maspalomas.
At 9:30 a.m., with Roque Bentayga as a witness and the sea of clouds descending the mountains of the Gran Canaria summit, the thousand participants faced the 46.4 kilometers that separate the center from the south of the island.
From the start, Robert Pkemoi set a high pace of competition and at every checkpoint managed to distance himself from his pursuers until he won with a final time of 03:31:57, over 6 minutes ahead of the second, Finnish Juho Ylinen, and seven minutes before the Portuguese Tiago Nobre, who although in Ayagaures was off the podium with Moroccan Adil Moussai, eventually surpassed Mario Olmedo to finally take third place.
| 1 | Robert PKEMOI | 03:31:57 | 00:00:00 | KEN (Kenia) |
| 2 | Juho YLINEN | 03:38:01 | 00:06:04 | FIN (Finlandia) |
| 3 | Tiago NOBRE VIEIRA | 03:39:05 | 00:07:08 | POR (Portugal) |
| 4 | Adil MOUSSAOUI | 03:41:35 | 00:09:38 | MAR (Marruecos) |
| 5 | Kristian JONES | 03:42:50 | 00:10:53 | GBR (Reino Unido) |
| 6 | Mario OLMEDO SANCHA | 03:43:49 | 00:11:52 | ESP (España) |
| 7 | Anders KJAEREVIK | 03:45:39 | 00:13:42 | NOR (Noruega) |
| 8 | Fran ANGUITA BAYO | 03:51:59 | 00:20:02 | ESP (España) |
| 9 | Marten BOSTROM | 03:52:13 | 00:20:16 | FIN (Finlandia) |
| 10 | Valentin TOMA | 03:59:57 | 00:28:00 | ROU (Rumania) |
Robert Pkemoi, an athlete from the Skyrunners for Africa project, created by Spanish coach Octavio Pérez and supported by Casa África, showed his happiness at the finish line for achieving victory in the Marathon for the second consecutive year. “For me, it was motivating to see so many high-level runners this year, although I must say that the heat of this edition was worse than last year. When I saw my coach in Ayagaures, I knew from his energy that I could win again,” he declared.
Meanwhile, in the women’s category, American Jennifer Lichter also followed a similar strategy to Pkemoi’s of setting a high pace and crossed the finish line with a time of 04:18:09, over 9 minutes ahead of Spanish runner Greta García (04:27:20). Third was Rosa María Lara, who although she was in second place at times, was overtaken by her compatriot in the final stretch.
After crossing the finish line, Lichter commented that, although she was “very tired” due to the “demanding” descent, the encouragement from the crowd “drives you.” Lichter made her debut this year in the Gran Canaria race and said she will “definitely” return to Gran Canaria.
Female Classification
| 1 | Jennifer LICHTER | 04:18:09 | 00:00:00 | USA (Estados Unidos) |
| 2 | Greta GARCÍA MORÁN | 04:27:20 | 00:09:11 | ESP (España) |
| 3 | Rosa Maria LARA FELIU | 04:30:07 | 00:11:58 | ESP (España) |
| 4 | Gemma ARENAS ALCAZAR | 04:32:44 | 00:14:35 | ESP (España) |
| 5 | Ines ASTRAIN MORENO | 04:36:35 | 00:18:26 | ESP (España) |
| 6 | Beatriz PARRÓN ÁLVAREZ | 04:48:27 | 00:30:18 | ESP (España) |
| 7 | Meryl COOPER | 04:49:33 | 00:31:24 | GBR (Reino Unido) |
| 8 | Laura SESKIENE | 04:51:21 | 00:33:12 | LTU (Lituania) |
| 9 | Maite MAIORA ELIZONDO | 04:51:42 | 00:33:33 | ESP (España) |
| 10 | Barbro FJÄLLSTEDT OLJANS | 04:55:13 | 00:37:04 | SWE (Suecia) |
Regarding the female Canarian residents, Elsa Padrón was the first classified with a time of 05:19:26, 18 minutes ahead of Dunia Cruz (05:37:35). Third was Canarian María Pilar Sosa.
Female Canarian Classification
| 1 | Elsa PADRÓN VEGA | 05:19:26 | 00:00:00 |
| 2 | Dunia CRUZ GONZÁLEZ | 05:37:35 | 00:18:09 |
| 3 | Mª Pilar SOSA HERNANDEZ | 05:53:23 | 00:33:57 |
On the other hand, in the male category, Ione Guerra, from the Arista Pro Team, was the first Canarian to cross the finish line, coming in twelfth and clocking a time of 04:04:39, nearly 24 minutes ahead of Francisco Estévez. Marcos Rey completed the Canarian podium of the race.
Canarian Male Classification
| 1 | Ione GUERRA ALMEIDA | 04:04:39 | 00:00:00 |
| 2 | Francisco ESTÉVEZ SARMIENTO | 04:28:07 | 00:23:28 |
| 3 | Marcos REY CAMPELO | 04:31:17 | 00:26:38 |
| 4 | Jonathan HERNÁNDEZ BENÍTEZ | 04:39:09 | 00:34:30 |
| 5 | Ramsés GARCÍA NARANJO | 04:42:17 | 00:37:38 |
The North Face Transgrancanaria enters its final stretch this weekend. Thus, tonight starting at 11:59 p.m., the Classic, the flagship event of the race and the third scoring event of the Gran Canaria World Trail Majors circuit, will take place. Tomorrow, starting at 8:00 a.m., the last event, the Advanced, will also start from the Puerto de Las Nieves in Agaete.
The North Face Transgrancanaria is an event organized by Arista Eventos, held between February 21st and 25th 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 Tejeda City Council. Additionally, it is supported by companies such as The North Face, San Roque University Hospitals, Fred. Olsen Express, 226ERS, and Sonocom Audiovisuals.
