The Canary Islands Trail Running League Begins

The Canary Islands Trail League is now a reality. The first edition of this competition, organized by the Canary Islands Athletics Federation (FCA), will consist of 19 races and will take place throughout this year on six islands in the archipelago. It will officially kick off on February 16 in the town of Hermigua, La Gomera, and will conclude on November 22 with the Subida a las Águilas race in Tenerife.

The presentation of this regional competition took place this morning at the headquarters of the Canary Islands Government’s General Directorate of Sports in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. In attendance were the head of sports for the Canary Islands, Manuel López; the president of the Canary Islands Athletics Federation, Alberto Hernández; and the FCA’s trail running director, Omar Hernández. Also in attendance were representatives from various island federations, such as David Rodríguez (President of the Gran Canaria Federation) and Leticia Rodríguez (Vice President of the Fuerteventura Federation); representatives from municipalities, such as Verónica Espino (Sports Councilor for Tejeda) and Sibisse Sosa (Councilor for Culture and Sports in Santa María de Guía); and representatives from the participating events, such as Jazmina Benítez (Artenara Trail), Máximo Martín-Travieso (Reventón El Paso and LPA Trail), and Orlando Montesdeoca (Beyonce the Coast Ski Tour).

All trail runners and clubs in the Canary Islands will have the opportunity to participate, throughout the year, in a competition with a fully defined schedule. Nineteen races make up a championship that brings together virtually all of the best regional trail races. In addition to the races mentioned above, the following races are also part of this league: Arico Trail (February 29), LPA Trail (March 28), Vilaflor Trail (March 29), Subida a las Estrellas (April 2), Reventón El Paso (April 4), Be Cordial Beyonce the Coast Ski Tour GC (April 4), Entre Cortijos (April 18), Pinolere Trail (April 26), Circular de Tejeda (May 30), Tenerife Blue Trail (June 4 and 6), Artenara Trail (date to be announced), Ruta del Queso (date to be announced), Plenilunio Tejeda (August 1), Trail Las Fuentes (August 22), Dolores Night Trail (September 19), Vertical El Hierro (date to be announced), Subida las Águilas (November 22).

Four categories will distinguish each of the 19 races that make up this league: vertical races, open to the U23 and senior categories; short-distance races (approximately 10–15 km), open to the U23 and senior categories; middle-distance races (approximately 16–30 km), open to U23 and senior categories; and long-distance races (approximately 31–50 km), open to U23 and senior categories.

Athletes who wish to participate in the Canary Islands Trail League must hold a valid regional license from the FCA or a national license from the RFEA. In addition, they must participate in at least five races in the same category (short, medium, or long distance) to earn points in the League for that category. In the vertical category, however, athletes must participate in at least two races to earn points in the League for that category.

At the individual level, winning each event is worth 200 points, while second place earns 198 points and third place 196. Athletes who finish lower in the standings will also receive points. At the club level, a scoring system is in place whereby, for each distance in the overall men’s and women’s standings, the scores of the top three finishers from each club will be combined, adding up the individual points earned by each athlete. In addition, as a bonus, participating in and finishing at least six of the League’s races will earn 50 points toward the final individual overall standings for runners who do so. Furthermore, participating in races held on islands other than the capital islands will earn each athlete 10 extra points.

In each race, the winners will receive an award, and at the end of the League, the Canary Islands Trail Running Federation will award prizes to the top three individual finishers in each distance, category, and gender. It will also recognize the clubs that place in the top three in both the men’s and women’s divisions for each distance and category at a ceremony to be held in December 2020.

According to the Director General of Sports for the Canary Islands Government, this “ambitious project will bring us together through track and field. It is a tool that will allow us to reach all the islands, which also have the same organizational capacity. This year, six islands will participate, but I am convinced that by the second year of this league, we will all be involved. It is an event that will continue to grow and will be a success.”

For his part, the president of the regional track and field federation said, “It was created to serve all athletes who participate in this sport. This year, there will be 20 events as part of the League, and through them, runners will earn spots to compete in the Spanish Championships in September.”

For his part, Omar Hernández believes that “trail running is evolving as expected and as athletes have requested of the federations. “In the Canary Islands, we’ve been tasked with reviewing these trail running regulations, and that’s why this first league was created. It will consist of four vertical races and another 16 races divided among short, middle, and long distances,” he concluded.