Sánchez, Campos Triumph at Santa Cruz Extreme Race; Navigation Error Costs Leaders
Manuel Sánchez and Aída Campos won the grueling 42K Santa Cruz Extreme race, which featured new routes and saw several leading runners take a wrong turn, while other runners triumphed in the 25K, 18K, and 10K races.
The 11th Santa Cruz Extreme race took place yesterday, full of energy and its usual appeal. It featured four different race types and new routes, including the XTRM 42K, a marathon that brought back the original feel of starting at Las Teresitas Beach while remaining challenging and beautiful. Manuel Sánchez from Fuerteventura won the main 42K race. In the new XTRM 25K, Iker Requerey and Silvia Pérez took first place. Olmo Allue and Valeria Hernández won the XTRM 18K, and Quique Morales and Yennifer Camacho were the fastest in the XTRM 10K.
In the 42K, Zaid Ait Malek seemed set to win after 7 kilometers, but Domantas Kavaliauskas caught up and stayed with him until Taganana. Octavio León and Manuel Sánchez were close behind, battling for position. However, the Taborno section changed everything. Zaid, Domantas, and Fran Salgueiro took a wrong turn there, ending up finishing with 7 kilometers less than the others.
After that, Manuel Sánchez moved into the lead. The runner from Marea Viva, Fuerteventura, maintained a strong pace and reached the Plaza de España first, finishing in an impressive 5 hours and 40 minutes. Mencey Plaza (5:44'51'') came in second, followed by Carlos Antero (5:56'14''), who overtook Rubén Barreto after Roque Negro.
In the women's 42K race, Aída Campos from Asturias dominated from the start. The runner from mainland Spain, who recently arrived in the Canary Islands, is already proving to be a strong contender in the Canarian racing scene. Campos finished sixth overall, a remarkable achievement. Raquel Rivero (6:49'23'') came in second, while Marina Hernández (6:50'42'') showed her consistent form to finish third.
Iker Requerey (2:20'01'') ran a solid race to win the 25K, facing no real competition. The battle was for second place, with Alejandro Sosa (2:25'12'') and Carlos Carballo (2:29'17'') running together through Taborno. However, Carballo tired and nearly lost his podium place to Óscar Deboise, who challenged him for the bronze.
Silvia Pérez (3:17'57'') had an excellent race in the women's 25K, maintaining her lead and holding off any challenges from her rivals. Sandy Pasche (3:26'38'') finished second, comfortably ahead of Rut Eva Fernández (3:34'28'').
The XTRM 18K was known for its charm and difficulty, especially the challenging climb to the TF-12 junction in the early kilometers. Jorge Hernández led the way there, setting a fast pace. However, Olmo Allue caught him, along with Raúl Díaz Perdomo, who broke away from a group including Edwin Camacho, Francisco Castillo, and José María Rodríguez.
In the end, Olmo Allue (1:43'35'') from Aragon used his pace and skill on a very technical descent to win. Perdomo (1:46'37''), holding back his usual fast start, managed his race well and overtook Jorge Hernández (1:49'13'') in the final kilometers. Camacho slowed down to support his partner, Valeria Hernández, who performed brilliantly. Castillo and Rodríguez finished strongly to complete the top 5, while Rayco López missed out.
Valeria Hernández (2:15'33'') was in a league of her own in the women's 18K, finishing well ahead of Mari Luz Martín (2:33'45'') and Lara Esther Rodríguez (2:35'50'').
In the shortest race, the 10K, Quique Morales took the win. The runner from Patea San Borondón seems to be getting better with age, winning in 52 minutes and 22 seconds against strong competition from Sergio Santana (53'33'') and Daniel Sacramento (54'01'').