The Starter
23rd February 2023
The Starter, running 24km from Tuente to the mountain village Tejeda had an exciting finish when Vertical Kilometre Champion Bart Przedwojewski and Spanish athlete Álex Garcia battled for victory.
Przedwojewski won the final sprint through the streets of Tejeda by less than a second. The athlete fell to his knees as he crossed the finish line before rising and congratulating his competitor for the fierce competition.
The starter features 24km and 1,800m (5905ft) elevation, with a dreaded initial climb along the Camino de La Plata. The race started in dry weather, but as the group reached the summit, the cold and rain appeared, at which Przedwojewski and Álex Garcia stormed ahead in front.
“I’m very happy to win in my debut in Gran Canaria and in Transgrancanaria, and I hope to come back next year for a longer distance,” said Przedwojewski, who yesterday also won the KV El Gigante in Agaete.
“I’m happy, but it makes me very angry to lose the victory at the finish line”, said Álex García, who admitted: “I’m very competitive, and it’s going to be hard for me to assimilate it”.
Among the women, athlete Noemie Vachon from France led most of the race, closely followed by Rea Iseli. Unfortunately, a navigational error meant Vachon dropped to third place, with Swiss Iseli and Catalan Mireia Pons taking first and second, respectively.
Iseli said she was “very happy” to win at a distance she was running for the first time. “I felt very good, and I had fun”, she commented in Tejeda, highlighting the beautiful landscape around the finish line.
The town also hosted the finish line for the Promo and Youth race featuring 12km and 725m (2378ft) in ascent. The victories went to Italian Cecilia Basso, who also finished sixth overall, and the Frenchman Enzo Ratti, both from the Brooks Trail Runners team.
The fun continues today with the Marathon distance featuring more than a thousand runners from fifty countries. This evening, on the Las Canteras beach, the iconic Classic 128km running the island’s length will begin. They will set off at midnight, attempting the first half of the course in darkness when it is the coolest.
More than 600 runners will compete with American Courtney Dewaulter, a favourite to win in her Transgrancanaria debut.