The 'Isla Bonita' won't be so pretty for the quads this week. The Transvulcania 2026 organizers have just activated safety protocols following a weather forecast that promises to turn the Ruta de los Volcanes into a hellscape of wind and rain. With gusts exceeding 50 km/h on the ridges and a drastic drop in temperatures at Roque de los Muchachos, the mandatory gear list is no longer a technical suggestion—it is the line between the podium and hypothermia.
The focus of this edition is managing extreme cold on terrain designed for heat. The real battle kicks off Thursday with the Transvulcania Vertical Climb in Tazacorte, a lung-burning appetizer featuring 1,160 meters of elevation gain in just 7 kilometers. But Saturday's main event, the 73km Ultramaratón, is shaping up to be one of the most tactical in a decade. The duel between American Ben Dhiman and Italy's Andreas Reiterer won't just be decided by climbing pace, but by who best survives the brutal thermal contrast between the start at Faro de Fuencaliente and the island's summit.
Could Luis Alberto Hernando's historic record finally fall? With the ground damp, the volcanic single track becomes treacherous. The lava malpaís, already a notorious leg-breaker, will turn into a black skating rink where lug traction will be critical. Runners in the Media Maratón and Maratón—which sold out months ago—will face an invisible wall: head-on winds during the technical descent toward Puerto de Tazacorte, a knee-shattering drop of over 2,000 meters.
Keep an eye on the Kenyan squad in the short distances. Joyce Njeru and Philemon Kiriago arrive ready to blitz the course in the Mountain Running World Cup, but their greatest enemy won't be the clock; it will be a climate that has forced race directors to demand the full cold-weather kit. In La Palma, when the volcano roars in the form of a storm, the epic nature of trail running reaches its rawest form.