Transgrancanaria 2026
A recap of all the racing action from opening event of the trail running season.
Spring is springing around Europe, but Gran Canaria is ahead of the game. Though the volcanic island is soaked in sun for almost the entire year, the prime conditions of early March provide the ideal calendar slot for the classic season opener: Transgrancanaria.
Trail runners from around the world descend on the island to pit themselves against one of seven challenging and varied courses. From the lactic overload of the Vertical Kilometre to the slow burn of the Classic 125km, each race presents a tough test of early season endurance.
2026 saw thousands of runners from over 50 countries takes part, among them 23 members of The North Face Athlete Team. With a roster including past champions and newcomers, the team posted an impressive series of results throughout the week.
In the flagship Classic race—125km with 6,764 elevation metres—both Jon Albon and Josh Wade made it into the early lead group.
Over the climb of Roque Nublo, Jon slipped away and was never seen again, taking the win in 12:58:16 with Josh not far behind in third.
In her first race since joining The North Face Athlete Team, Stephanie Case finished a highly creditable seventh.
Remarkably the women’s race was won by Jon’s partner Henriette who backed up her win from last year and finished tenth overall.
Earlier in the week, Fernanda Maciel took a new challenge in the VK El Gigante, posting an impressive eighth place.
On the men’s side, Henri Aymonod took yet another victory posting a three-minute margin over the next fastest finisher in an event he is making his own.
Elsewhere, Olivia Amber finished fifth in the Marathon 47KM with Johnny Luna Lima notching sixth place. Meanwhile in the Advanced 84KM, Stephanie Howe was amongst the early frontrunners and stayed strong to finish fifth and Pau Capell finished 12th.
Alongside the racing action, Transgrancanaria also saw the addition of new all-rounder shoe to The North Face quiver.
Hundreds runners celebrated the launch of the Altamesa V2 with us, testing its surreally soft, supercritical DREAM foam midsole tech in a trail running test zone at the expo and out on the trails during a sunset activation at the iconic Roque Nublo.
Before getting down to competition, we were also joined by numerous members of our athlete team for a range of series of panel talks aimed at going behind the curtain of elite trail running—it was a privilege to see the trail running community out in such force.
To everyone who came to Transgrancanaria and particularly to those who raced, The North Face Athlete and Explorer Teams included, we say thank you. Transgrancanaria 2026 was the best yet and we looked forward to seeing you next year!
