Welcome to Transgrancanaria, which is a race I ran in the Canary Islands of Spain. But to be honest, I didn’t run the trans race, which is an ultra-marathon 128 kilometers across the island. I ran the 26-kilometer “Starter Race.”
I didn’t love that they called it the “Starter” race. Makes me think it’s the race equivalent of paddling in a pool with floaties –– which it very much was not. The downhills were brutal. I thought my ankle would snap any second. I couldn’t walk normally for a few days after the damn thing.
I don’t have any footage of the downhill because if I would’ve tried to film that while running, I would’ve fallen and been trampled by the running bro’s behind me –– desperately, desperately trying to pass so they could run a few meters ahead and get stuck behind another person. Apparently, they felt getting 142nd overall instead of 143rd was pivotal to their self-worth.
But the scenery was gorgeous… when I could look up long enough to enjoy it. Dirt paths, dramatic mountains, endless blue sky.
I highly recommend… watching videos of it. Like this one. From your couch. Because your quads didn’t do anything to you! They don’t deserve that. The couch is a quad safe space and I can’t say the same about that race.
Next, I’ll be running the Berlin Half Marathon followed a week later by a 38-kilometer trail race with 2,000 meters of elevation around the Greek island of Hydra. Because I hated this “Starer” Race so much, I thought adding 12 kilometers and 1,500 meters of climbing would make me hate myself that much more.
Hasta la próxima.
(Spanish.)
