When and where can spectators see the start?
The starting gun fires on Wednesday 4 November 2026 at 09:00 on the Plaza de Santiago in Gáldar, says the Gáldar Ayuntamiento (town council). The square is a new start venue for the race, run by the organiser Arista Eventos.
Runners must reach Tejeda within 101 hours at the latest. On paper that means Sunday 8 November at 14:00, but that sum is ours, not the organisers'.
The council's statement says nothing about road closures, admission or spectator rules. Our own search found nothing either, which is hardly surprising with just over a hundred starters and no public registration.
Anyone who wants to watch should ask the organiser at transgrancanaria.net and the Gáldar council beforehand.
Where does the route cross the south?
The race also passes through the south, because after Maspalomas the second half turns back into the mountains. Before that, the council says, runners climb via Los Moriscos and Artenara to Cercados de Araña and then drop down towards Maspalomas.
The council also names Arteara, Fataga, Santa Lucía, Agüimes, La Pasadilla, Valsequillo and Santa Brígida along the way. When the leaders reach each place has not been published.
Runners here fend largely for themselves, with one food point in Artenara and four “life bases” at Cercados de Araña, Parque Sur, Santa Lucía and Santa Brígida. Under earlier rules, outside help is allowed only at these official bases, so spectators should not hand runners anything.
The course is unmarked and runners navigate on their own. The council calls route-finding one of the decisive factors, and the organiser kept the route secret until shortly before the race.
Who is running and who are the favourites?
106 runners are on the start list, 96 men and 10 women, the Gáldar council says. Seven of the ten women come from outside Spain.
Among the men, José Bordón from Gran Canaria defends his 2025 title. Last year Álvaro Santana finished fifth, and Croatia's Nenad Ostojic came fourth, just over an hour behind.
Italy's Luca Papi aims to finish for the eleventh time. According to RTVC (the Canary Islands broadcaster), he is the only runner to have finished every edition.
Among the women, Claire Bannwarth meets the Swiss runner Anita Lehmann, the 2025 winner. Bannwarth won five editions in a row up to 2024.
The Canarian runners Nira Castro and Guacimara Suárez also start. Both stood on the podium behind Lehmann in 2025.
What happened in the 2025 edition?
A wildfire alert less than 24 hours before the start forced the organiser to move from Tejeda to Las Palmas in 2025, RTVC reports. The start slipped from 09:00 to 15:30 and the course shrank from 265 to 222 kilometres.
Of 107 starters from 22 nations, 84 finished and 23 dropped out, according to RTVC. A record eleven women started, and seven of them got through.
José Bordón won in 40:47:53 hours and was reportedly the first Canarian to take the title. Sébastien Raichon (41:23:19) and Dave Phillips (41:23:21) finished only seconds apart.
Anita Lehmann won the women's race in 55:15:11 hours, ahead of Nira Castro and Guacimara Suárez. In 2024 the course was 258 kilometres long, according to carrerasdemontana.com, and Marco Gubert won.
What is still open before the start?
Whether weather or wildfire risk will change the 2026 course is open. The organiser decides on route, relocations and cancellations, as the 2025 move showed.
The Cabildo is the island government of Gran Canaria. Whether it is involved in 2026 is not confirmed.
None of the sources we checked gives an entry fee, prize money or an official finishing forecast. Why the start moves to Gáldar has not been published.
After the 4 November start, the race runs until Sunday 8 November 2026 at the latest. Where results will appear is not confirmed, though RTVC and the organiser reported them for earlier editions.