The marquee distance of the 2026 Transvulcania festival of races set off from the harbour at Tazacorte at 6am local time on Saturday, with a deep international field of trail runners taking on the 73-kilometre traverse of La Palma's volcanic spine. The race, which climbs more than 4,400 metres over the course of its journey from sea level to the Roque de los Muchachos and down again, is the cornerstone of the Canary Islands trail-running calendar and a counting fixture on this year's Skyrunner World Series.
Saturday's start follows two days of preliminary racing on the island. Kenya's Richard Omaya Atuya and Joyce Njeru both set new course records in the Vertical Kilometre on Wednesday, running 45:01 and 55:02 respectively to lay down a marker for what was expected to be a fast Transvulcania weekend. The half marathon, run in parallel with the ultra on Saturday morning, set off in waves from the village of El Pilar and joined the longer race for its descent to the finish at Los Llanos de Aridane.
Among the expected contenders in the women's ultra are Russian-born French runner Ekaterina Mityaeva, who has been pre-race favourite throughout the build-up, and France's Blandine L'Hirondel, a former trail world champion looking to convert her recent road and mountain form into a Transvulcania title. The men's field is led by a strong contingent of Spanish and South American runners, with last year's runner-up among the names returning to chase the win along the lava-strewn ridgeline.
Course conditions on Saturday morning were reported as warm and dry, with a moderate westerly off the Atlantic offering some relief on the long climb out of Fuencaliente. Race organisers had earlier briefed runners on the technical descent to Tazacorte, the section that traditionally decides the men's race once the leaders crest the Roque, and reminded the field of the cut-off times at El Pilar, El Time and the finish gantry in Los Llanos.
The Transvulcania Ultramarathon is a counting fixture on both the Skyrunner World Series and the wider mountain-running calendar, and finishing positions in the women's race in particular will reshape the early-season standings ahead of June's Mont-Blanc Marathon and August's Sierre-Zinal. Live tracking is being provided by the race organisers and by iRunFar, with first finishers expected back at the line in Los Llanos de Aridane in the early afternoon.