Classic 126K

Classic 126K

A hundred and twenty-six kilometres and roughly 7,000 metres of ascent, straight across Gran Canaria from the city beach in the north to the Parque Sur in Maspalomas. The field runs out of Las Palmas and into the hills in the first hour, climbs through Teror and the pine forest in the dark, and reaches the high volcanic ground around Roque Nublo and Pico de las Nieves at dawn. The descent to the south coast is longer and hotter than anyone expects.

This is the race the World Trail Majors calendar opens with, and the front of the field is worth watching from the first climb. On Livebib the whole line is on the map with the runner on it: distance done, the next aid station, and an arrival estimate for Maspalomas that keeps moving through the night and the following day.