Trans GranCanaria (24 - 25 Feb 2017)

My curiosity in the Trans GranCanaria (TransGC) was piqued during the UTMB race expo last year (2016). They had a promotional booth and the lady quipped that Gran Canaria was a lovely island with 22C sunshine. I took a photo and got a free race belt, but I was really sold on the weather (so lame, right?) Alas, more on that later.

Some background to GC. It is the largest of the Canary Islands, an autonomous region of Spain. Touted as Europe's sports island, it is a big round island with long coastal fronts and a volcanic mountainous interior. Due to its warmer climate (relative to Europe), GC hosts many sporting events each year, from trail runs, marathons, mountain biking, golf etc. However, GC is described as a continent in terms of its weather, with micro-climates across the island. Huge cacti of many varieties dot the island amidst green valleys and vistas; it is a fascinating mix. More photos of GC here.

 

 

The south is the proverbial 'sunny beaches', where it is warmer and people are out sun-tanning. The north and interior are much colder. When the TransGC lady told me about the weather, I had in mind a cooler version of Lombok or Krabi,... alas!

The Race

TransGC is a collection of 5-6 race categories. Its namesake, which I signed up for, is 125km, +8,000m, 30h. It is also part of the Ultra Trail World Series, and a UTMB 6pt race. There were 900 runners in this category, majority from Europe (escaping the cold winters), some from N. America, and only a handful from Asia. Very under-represented.

I stayed near the race expo at ExpoMelonaras, which was also the finish line. Race pack collection, bag drop, pasta party, and race briefing went smoothly.

The race starts on Friday 11pm and ends on Sunday 5am. It is a point-to-point race, i.e. different start and end points. There was a bus shuttle to the start point in Agaete on Friday night, and it arrived 1.5h ahead of the start time! For me, who usually gets into the line just in time for the flag-off, I was wondering what to do in the interim. There were no race tentages or facilities for runners. So I plonked myself in a cafe to escape the cold and wind, and drowned self in coffee and hot chocolate.

Overall, TransGC was one big 'meat grinder' climb (to quote a friend's description). It had four back-to-back major climbs, interspersed by their descents. Each climb was ~1,000-1,500m in elevation gain, over distances of 8-13km. (To give a sense of perspective, HK Lantau Peak is 934m; Hiking from the lake to the crater rim at Mt Rinjani is approx +1,000m. Repeat four times non-stop.) Some were straight-up climbs, and others were endless winding slopes. These climbs were front-loaded in the first 81km of the race, where the drop bag major checkpoint was (strangely it was not around 60km mark). We encountered the first climb right after the flag off, to CP1 (9km, +1,021m) The cutoff time was 3h, and I took 2:10h. Mental note to self to build more buffer time. Descending to CP2, there was a bottleneck at a trick slippery section, where we had to wait in line for the rope. Subsequently, that ate into my buffer by a few minutes. 

Getting to CP3 involved the longest climb, a 13.3km stretch, +1,500m, with a time allocation of 3.5h. It was a fairly long time without an aid station, and it reminded me of the CP5-6 section of HK Vibram100. Exposed windy ridge, endless ups and downs in the dark. I met a German lady and we ran alongside, taking turns to lead and spot the route markers. It was daybreak by the time we reached CP3, but still misty and cold. What happened to the promised 22C? 

I kept the 35min buffer before descending to CP4. It was the only stretch that had more paved and flatter roads, where I built up a 55min buffer. Times like that, I appreciate also having a road running base to pound pavements. Next, it was a gradual roll to CP5 and CP6. Very good, buffer increased to 75min. The sun shone through briefly and I warmed up a bit. Gosh, I would love to run this in warmer weather, like during UTMB's 'heatwave'.

  

Enroute to CP6, I met a Filipino runner who was living in Germany. Subsequently, we fell into a similar pace on the long climb and ran together until CP7. The estimated time allocation was 2h and we took 20min more than that, which drew down my hard-earned buffer. After working hard on that climb, I now had to continue chiong-ing (rushing) some 6km/ -400m down to CP8.

For me, the toughest and most mental section was between CP8-9 (to the drop bag). It was a vertical 10.7km to Rogue Nublo, +1,200m, and a time allocation of 2h. I thought I should have enough time to clear it. Alas, the zzz monster attacked and I moved oh-so slowly, trying to stay awake. We went higher and skirted many smaller trails to reach The one leading to Rogue Nublo. It is a giant rock protecting the centre of Gran Canaria, and a popular hike for tourists. 

Rogue Nublo standing majestic in the distance

The last section was a surprise as we had to 'deviate' and go up to Nublo and get our bibs scanned. That took an extra 15min up and down before I could continue to CP9. Yikes, it was nearing the CP closing time and I still had a long descent, with the CP nowhere in sight. Watching the minutes tick by, I sprinted as best as I could. My mind raced through what I needed to do at the CP, and decided that I could forego picking up my drop bag. Finally, I made it to the CP within 6min of cutoff. 3h just for that segment. Ouch!

81km done, another 10h to go. With no time to lose, I refilled my soft flask, added some Tailwind, and set off towards CP10, some 12km away. It was dark again, and difficult to go fast. I mistakenly thought that we had to climb to the highest peak in Gran Canaria, and was expecting a vertical onslaught. Then I realised that it was the highest point in the race, and not the island. Mental face-palm. I should better study the race map and profiles next time. It was a long long long descent, a little technical and rocky but fairly runnable. Unfortunately, the CP was far far far away, and by closing time, I was still in the trails. Not wanting to give up, I still gave it a shot and ran hard to the CP. Unfortunately, on hitting town, we still had to circle around to reach the CP. Sheesh, so that was the end of my race. My first DNF of the year. 94km, 23:15h.

Post-race Musings

The extra popiah from dinner

Some thoughts about TransGC. Definitely need to review my nutrition. For those of us pampered by support stations, especially in HK or USA trail races, the distribution and food at TransGC was a challenge. Out of 13 checkpoints, there were four that were 12-13km apart (i.e. 3 – 3.5h from the last station). In addition, there were three drinks-only stations alternating with the food-drinks stations. For example, we had a long climb and descent over 23km and allocated 5.5h to get to a checkpoint with food (there was a drinks station in between). I was also not used to the food. HK typically races have sushi rice rolls, USA races have peanut butter jelly sandwiches, and European races have ham/ salami, cheese and dry bread rolls. Ham and cheese were not to my taste, so I simply had nuts and dry baguette slices, which was not enough. Luckily I had a random fried spring roll in my pack, which was heavenly. The next time that I participate in an European race, I will have to better figure out the food.

On perfect hindsight, I might have overestimated myself and underestimated the race. Reviewing my past races, TransLantau was 100km, +5,500/5,800m, 33h cutoff; TNF Lavaredo was 120km, +5,800m, 30h; UTMB was 170km, 10,000m, 46h. By comparison, TransGC’s intensity (125km, +8,000m, 30h) would be somewhere between Lavaredo and UTMB. Or a TransLantau 100 plus another TransLantau 50 compressed into half the distance (25km with 2,200m gain). Gulp! Would be more mindful of pace and times next time in order to complete TransGC.

Despite the challenging elevation, I think Laverado was more technical in terms of variation (e.g.  ice/ snow, big boulder scrambling), altitude reached, and a scenery typical of ski mountains. TransGC was more runnable and had mixed sceneries, some of which reminded me of SE Asian plantations at times. Anyhow, I am biased. J If one could only pick one race, I would definitely recommend Lavaredo for overall ‘adventure’ and scenery.

So now there is an unfinished business. 😬 Haiz…. Maybe if I review my race strategy, I might be able to complete TransGC. 

A Goal, A Dream