The Classic of The North Face Transgrancanaria 2026 left one of the most equalized disputes in its history in the men's category. Jonathan Albon (The North Face) crossed the finish line in Parque Sur with a time of 12:58:08, achieving the triumph that escaped him last year when he was second.
Hannes Namberger (Dynafit) completed the podium in second position just five minutes away, and Josh Wade (The North Face) repeated the third place of 2025.
Three names, less than ten minutes apart after thirteen hours of mountain climbing.
The night before, almost a thousand participants headed south from Las Canteras Beach in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in what was a historic outing, with a hundred accredited media and hundreds of people in the sand to bid them farewell.
Four hours of technical draw and the blow of the cold
From the first provisioning in Tenoya, the leading group was formed by six runners: Tom Evans, Namberger, Abel Carretero, Albon, Wade and Borja Fernández.
In Fontanales the group split and four remained in front - Albon, Wade, Namberger and Evans - while Fernández and Víctor Richard formed a second platoon six minutes away.
That quartet maintained differences of less than 30 seconds during the first eight hours of the race. An uncompromising duel between four of the world's top ultra-distance specialists.
The early morning, with very low temperatures, ended up breaking the tie in the worst possible way: Evans left at the height of the Degollada de Las Palomas after eight and a half hours, a victim of the cold. With the British out, the remaining trio would not separate again until the final meters.
The ravine decided the podium
Albon arrived at the Ayagaures Dam at noon with a comfortable advantage over his pursuers, who were still locked in a battle for second place.
In the Barranco de los Vicentes, the decisive moment was experienced: Namberger reached Wade after almost 13 hours of racing, the two clashed hands in a gesture that summed up the level of the dispute, and the German accelerated with a power that no one could follow anymore.
Albon crossed the finish line with the time he was looking for, Namberger was second in his debut in Gran Canaria and Wade signed a new podium.
“The key has been climate management,” Albon explained at meta. “Last year I made mistakes in that regard. Today I managed to manage the attacks and pull away from Josh in the end. It all fell into place.”
The best Spaniard was Borja Fernández with 13:34:08, and Estanislao Rivero became the best Canarian resident in 17th provisional position.