What a day! Stage 3 of the 2025 The Coastal Challenge will go down in history… Local legend, Erick Aguero pulled back a 16-minute deficit after stages 1 and 2 and now leads the race after an epic winning margin of 23-minutes.
This is Nauyaca with Pitufollow – Photo by Ian Corless
Stage 3 with more technical trail, played into the hands of Erick and at the Nauyaca Waterfall he already had a lead of 5-minutes. This lead increased from cp too cp, Erick was on a mission. By the final beach section, has lead was +/- 23-minutes. He held on to the line to take a stunning stage win and overall lead.
Pierre chasing hard – Photo by Ian Corless
Pierre Meslet was running strong all day and post-race he confirmed he felt good and was running strong. He gave kudos to Erick on a stunning stage and he also confirmed, “If Erick wants to win, he has a fight on his hands!”
Katie – Photo by Ian Corless
For the women, Katie Young was once again untouchable. She was running strong and what looked like without effort all day. Post the finish line, she confirmed she was 30-minutes quicker than last year, she is unbeatable.
Lucia – Photo by Ian Corless
Lucia Jarquin was once again 2nd on the stage and now, after 3-stages is 6-hours and 24-minutes behind Katie.
Pura Vida – Photo by Ian Corless
Stage 4, tomorrow, moves away from the ocean and into the more mountainous and technical trail that Erick loves. It’s going to be an exciting day.
It’s countdown time to the 2024 MDS Fuerteventura, the 6th edition taking place from September 28 to October 5th.
The MDS format is the perfect synergy of travel, adventure and luxury.
The 2024 edition, once again, uses the Playitas Resort Hotel as a pre and post-race hub for 4 nights: two nights pre and two nights post.
Three nights will be spent in bivouac in full self-sufficiency, the only provision provided is a tent in which to sleep and water. All other items the participant must carry, this includes all food and snacks for the duration of the event, clothes, sleeping bag, sleeping mat and any luxuries.
Day 2 and 3: breakfast, lunch, dinner. (Stage 2 and rest day)
Day 4: breakfast, lunch. (Stage 3)
If a participant requires power for phone, watch, mp3 player etc, they must provide this themselves in the form of a portable battery which they must carry.
The MDS format is the same for all events, MDS The Legendary and MDS Trek excluded.
The race will take place over 4-days and 3-stages, typically broken down as follows:
Day 1/ Stage 1 between 25 and 30km.
Day 2/ Stage 2 20, 40 or 60km – the participant chooses the appropriate distance.
Day 3 Rest day
Day 4/ Stage 3 between 25 and 30km.
The race is designed so that finishing is a possibility for all, regardless of ability or speed. Importantly, if a runner does not finish, they are provided a free race entry for the following year.
The last edition of the race took place in 2022 which turned out to be a considerable challenge due extreme and unprecedented weather. 2023 did not take place due to environmental rules. So, 2024 will be a special year for MDS Fuerteventura. Notably, 300 participants will toe the line of which, 58% are women. A fantastic statistic.
The Program for the week will be as follows:
Saturday September 28
Arrival of participants and relaxed night at Playitas Resort Hotel.
Sunday September 29
Technical and medical checks followed by relaxation at Playitas Resort Hotel.
Monday September 30
Stage 1 – overnight bivouac
Tuesday October 1
Stage 2 – overnight bivouac
Wednesday October 2
Rest day – overnight bivouac
Thursday October 3
Stage 3 – followed by relaxation at Playitas Resort Hotel.
Friday October 4
Tourism and rest day followed by evening Gala dinner.
Saturday October 5
Onward travel
Playitas Resort Hotel is one of the key sports hotels in Europe. Located in the southeast of Fuerteventura, it is the perfect hub for a sports minded person, there is a gym, yoga, indoor cycling, CrossFit, pools and so much more available.
MDS Fuerteventura is closely followed by MDS Morocco, October 12-19, MDS Trek, October 20-29 and MDS Jordan, November 2-9.
Runner’s got there first night in camp last night. Tired bodies looking to recover and prepare for stage 2 of the 2024 The Coastal Challenge, a 230km, 6-stage journey from Quepos to Drake Bay. Ambiance and atmosphere was high. Stage 1 had certainly taken a toll and surprised many. The combination of route, heat and humidity a wake up call. The impact of day 1 saw 18 participants move from the Expedition race to the shorter Adventure category; a huge number!
But today, starting almost 3-hours early makes a huge difference. The almost vertical climb straight out of camp allows for cooler temperatures and an ability to ease in the day.
A rollercoaster of gravel roads followed by rainforest and more gravel roads lead the race to the coast and finally the ocean.
Now the heat of the day takes hold as the the participants navigate a route to the Dominical finish via long stretches of beach.
Jean-Francois leading the top men.
There was a very different mood to the start of stage 2. Summed up in one word, respect. The top men ran together lead by Jean-Francois Cauchon. This lead group did not include Cristofer Clemente Mora who ran a short distance behind with Erick Aguerro behind.
Cristofer and Erick
Pierre Meslet made a 3rd group running Lina El Kott Helander.
Pierre and Lina.
Lina El Kott Helander pushed the pace for the women, this came as no surprise with a steep climb to start the day. The skyrunner no doubt in her element. Behind Katie Young followed with a parmanent smile.
Katie
Sanna El Kott Helander, just like her twin sister, enjoyed the early vert to run in 3rd.
Sanna
As the runner’s headed to the coast, the race opened up and Cody Lind and Carlos Calvo López were the first to arrive at the estuary leading to the final 5km’s and a long beach section. Cody now in familiar territory from his 2020 victory no doubt relishing the final km’s pushed to take the stage and overall lead with 3:59:13 on the clock.
CodyCarlos
Carlos was expected to finish 3rd but Jean-Francois pushed and not only caught but passed the Costa Rican, 4:00:15 and 4:01:53. Cristofer finished some way back and lost his overall lead by almost 10-minutes and is now in second. We have a race on!
Jean-Francois
Lina continued her strong running all the way to the estuary, she had now opened up a 6-minute lead. Katie arrived looking fresh and full of enthusiasm, with flat running all the way to the line, Katie pushed and closed the gap to under 2-minutes at the line, 5:06:08 and 5:07:58.
Lina
Sanna continued to pull away from Lindsey Ullrich and ran a strong 3rd place in 5:29:05. A very positive run after a troubled ay 1.
Stage 2 was not without drama, Lina took a bad fall and had concerns for a badly damaged arm. More news to follow. Pierre also had troubles with a very badly twisted ankle that saw him require a stick in the early stages.
Tomorrow, stage 3 to Marino Ballena is 46km with 1686m. It’s the toughest stage of the race.
Pura Vida! The final and 6th stage of The Coastal Challenge is done!
The Coastal Challenge
Starting at Ganadito Beach and concluding at Ganadito Beach, the 36.4km final stage of the 2022 TCC was a tough one, with a substantial amount of extra kilometres over the usual victory loop of the iconic Drake Bay.
Long and endless beaches
This time, Drake Bay was reached after 10.7km, usually, this would be the start and end point.
At 21.3km, Cp2 SanJosecito Beach saw the lead men all together and Giudy well out on her own.
San Josecito Beach – Hayden Hawks
Agujitas at 33.3km rewarded runner’s with a sight of the finish at Ganadito Beach.
Franco Colle and Julien Chorier
For all, it was a day to enjoy, signified by the lead men running together for much of the race, the exception coming with Erick Agüero who lost the group and trailed minutes behind.
Giudy at the waterfall crossing.
Giudy Turini ran solo, no doubt looking to get the last day done as quickly as possible. Francis Davila Palacios doing the same.
Francis Davila Palacios
Stage 6 is a mini TCC encompassing, waterfalls, rainforest, plantations, dusty fire trail, water crossings, beaches, coves and the stunning Pacific as a backdrop.
Peter van de Zon ran a great race for 2nd place
Fire roads start the day, a run in a river bed, a waterfall crossing, dirt roads with countless water passes and then finally the beach arrives. The coastline weaving in and out all the way to the line.
At the end, Hayden Hawks and Giudy Turini are the 2022 TCC champions.
The men’s podium, Hayden, Peter and Erick2022 female champ, Giudy
The line was full of emotion as an epic journey has come to an end. The 2022 TCC was a huge success.
Day 5 is a long day on The Coastal Challenge and what a day! At 42km, it is shorter than previous editions of the TCC due to a change of the finish area and camping location. This, makes the last day considerably longer and much more of a challenge than in previous years.
Runners depart camp via bus for a short bus ride to the Sierpe River and ferry across to the other side.
Cp1 Portero, 11km, is reached by gravel roads and faster running. Sábalo follows at 18km and here, the gravel road gives way to more technical and challenging terrain. There is a steep climb and descent before gravel road resumes to Cp3 Ganado. Now a final technical loop, beach section and water crossing brings stage 5 to an end at Ganadito Beach.
Peter van de Zon
Much of today’s route is considered very runnable on wide gravel roads. Great if you can run, but for many, stage 5 is a tough day with tired bodies.
Peter and Hayden, head-to-head
It may come as no surprise that once again Hayden Hawks and Peter van de Zon dictated the race from the front. The duo running together for the whole day and crossing the line in 4:20:50.
The water crossing
Erick Agüero battled hard and early in the race he held a small gap. But as the race progressed, the gap opened and Erick seemed to relax, content with his 3rd place crossing in 4:50:15.
Erick Agüero
Franco Colle finished 10-minutes with Julien Chorier in 5:00:33. Franco somehow finding form in the latter stages of the race, no doubt due to adapting to the heat.
Julien ChorierJulien and Franco Colle
5:47:43, 6:05:35 and 6:43:42 were the women’s finishing times, the race once again taking the format of the previous days with Giudy Turini, Francis Davila Palacios and Courtney Hill finishing 1, 2 and 3.
Giudy TuriniFrancis Davila Palacios
Japanese runner, Tomomi Bitoh joined the race today after opening quarantine in San Jose and then being cleared with a negative PCR test. It was a bitter sweet moment for Tomomi after excitement over a trip and race in Costa Rica, for it all to be taken away at the 11th hour. She will savour the opportunity to experience some Pura Vida and a magical part of the TCC race.
Tomomi Bitoh
Tomorrow’s stage is a loop of Drake Bay – it’s a stunning day that manages to encamps all the previous 5 days in one loop. However, in previous years, this race was often a victory loop at just over 20km… Now, the last day is a challenging 37km!
Day 4 from Coronado to Palma Norte (a new finish) is a unique day – starting at sea level, the route climbs to just under 1000m in 10km and then stays high with a rollercoaster of hills dropping to just under 600m at 15km and then climbing again to 900m at 20km. From here, the runners drop to 600m at 30km and then once agin, climb to 850m before a short, sharp and very steep drop to the finish.
Hayden Hawks pushing the pace
With three aid stations, Tres Ríos at 6.1km, Guagaral at 15.5km and Donkey’s Hill at 23km, it is essential for the runner’s to ensure they have enough fluid for this tough stage. The distance 37.4km and 2414m of vertical.
Early morning had a chill and misty start and at remained that way for some time, providing the runner’s with a welcome refreshing start to the day.
Giudy Turini
The main protagonists of Hayden Hawks, Peter van de Zon, Erick Agüero and Julien Chorier marked each other over the opening 10km running side-by side.
Eventually, Hayden Hawks decided to make a move… His motive was to build some time and a gap so that he could concede some time on the more challenging and technical terrain.
Peter chasing hard
By Donkey’s Hill he had really opened the throttle and built a huge lead over Peter who chased.
Erick Agüero
Despite the terrain and challenge, Hayden stormed his way to the finish crossing in 4:18:15. Peter battled hard but in the end, the speed of Hayden on the flat and more runnable terrain could not be matched, he reached the finish in 4:25:23.
Expansive vista
Erick Agüero once again finished 3rd once again in 4:38:27 with Julien 4th in 4:46:07.
Giudy Turini
The women’s race went to the protocol of the previous days with Giudy Turini pushing from the front, holding her place and crossing the line in 6:02:17.
Francis Davila Palacios
Francis Davila Palacios played the eternal bridesmaid, always running with a smile and crossing in 6:20:52.
Courtney Hill
Courtney Hill, once again placed 3rd in 7:17:59 and today, Jennifer Schwegler placed 4th.
Tomorrow’s stage is 42km from Sierpe to Drake Bay with a new finish.
Day 3 of The Coastal Challenge kicked off at 0530 this morning and what lay ahead was a tough and challenging day of hills, technical trail, waterfalls, long dusty and stony roads and beach – all intensified by Costa Rican heat and humidity.
The early trails leaving Dominical Beach take the runners into 9.7km’s of technical river bed. It’s all rock hopping and slip sliding away on the wet and greasy surface until Cp1 Barú.
Danish ultra runner, Jakob Bloch.
Nuayaca Waterfall is no doubt the highlight of the day, if not the race. The runners arrive down a small trail and the cascade greets them, they pass through and then climb up a winding trail.
From here on in, the terrain varies from rainforest, dusty access roads and technical trail. La Florida, Cp2 at 23.4km provides hydration and nutrition before the push to Cp3, Hermosa Beach and then Uvita at 42km.
Erick tries to cool down.
Now, the heat is intense and the runners are sandwich pressed between sand and sky.
Peter at the water crossingEveryone survived…
A small technical forest section leads to a water crossing, the highway and then another trail section before road leads to a new campsite, first used in the 2021 edition. Katakolo signifies the finish.
Erick Agüero
Erick Agüero dictated the pace from the start, it comes as no surprise with his experience on the course, particularly the opening technical 10km. He was accompanied by the main protagonists, Hayden Hawks, Peter van de Zon and Julien Chorier.
Julien Chorier
At Cp2 though, Hayden and Peter had pulled away on the rollercoaster terrain and had gained a substantial 5-minute lead. Julien Chorier was now trailing the leading three and losing time.
Hermosa Beach passed and then at the water crossing, immediately after Cp4, Hayden extended a short lead over Peter; both looking strong. Erick now had lost significant time but had a huge lead over 4th, Julien.
Hayden strong and in control
At the line, Hayden had once again extended his time crossing in 5:29:16. Peter, running a solid and excellent race, crossed in 5:31:25 well ahead of the local hero, Erick who ran a time of 5:49:43.
Erick pushing to the lineGiudy was flying!
Giudy Turini once again lead from the front and never looked back. Early in the stage, she was contending a top-10 position overall and that remained the way through most of the stage, so strong was her performance. With no immediate pressure from behind and with such a convincing lead, she is pacing herself perfectly for 2022 TCC victory.
Giudy at the final water crossing
Francis Davila Palacios once again ran strong and steady for 2nd place. Consistent in the heat and terrain, barring any problems over the next three days, her 2nd overall looks secure.
Francis Davila Palacios
Courtney Hill once again followed up a solid stage 2 with a great stage 3, however, the battle with Paolo Gamboa Sanchez, for today, was truce, the due crossed the line together, a second apart.
It was a an 0330 wake up call this morning and an 0530 start. It may sound super early but believe me, the runners weren’t complaining! Most had been in bed before 8pm. The advantages of an early start are simple, it gives the runners a good 2-hours before the heat starts to take its toll. For Costa Rica, it was a chilly morning (relatively) as the runner’s departed straight in to a steep climb.
Today’s stage was a tough 41.3km with 1828m of vertical and 1953m of descending.
Julien Chorier and Peter van de Zorn
Julien Chorier, Peter van de Zorn, Hayden Hawks and Erick Agüero pushed hard on the first climb and after the summit, Julien and Peter opened a small gap over the chasing duo. Leaving the trail, gravel roads lead the way to Cp1 El Brujo at 13.1km. It was a tight race up front and the more technical trail suited Peter, Erick and Julien. Erick opened a gap!
Dos Bocas, Cp2 at 23km and Eick had taken the lead with Peter 2-minutes behind and Hayden chasing 4-minutes back. Was the Costa Rican local and TCC regular about to light up the race?
By Cp3 at Hatillo, 33km, Hayden had closed the gap with Julien not far behind. It was significant marker in the race. The heat was now full strength and ahead flat beach running to Dominical and two water crossings.
Hayden HawksDominical Beach is a haven for the local fishermen.
Hayden bided his time and pulled away, it was a clever move, he had saved something for when it mattered and the gap opened up over Erick with Peter chasing.
Peter van de Zorn
At the line, Hayden had opened up several minutes and clinched another stage victory and a solid lead. Next to appear was Erick and on his heels, Peter. The due crossing the line 35-seconds apart. A stunning day’s racing.
Julien Chorier
Julien Chorier placed 4th and Daniel Herrera Montero placed 5th, flying the flag for Costa Rica.
Daniel Herrera Montero
In the women’s race Giudy Turini followed on her stage 1 victory with a convincing performance. Before Cp1 she had already built a lead, this only increased checkpoint by checkpoint, she crossed the line well ahead of 2nd and looked comfortable in the heat.
Giudy Turini
As on day-1, Francis Davila Palacios ran the day in 2nd place, but as the day progressed and the distance lengthened, the time gap to Giudy only extended. However, at the finish she still looked strong and fresh. There is still a long way to go!
Giudy at the finish.
Paola Gamboa Sanchez who placed 3rd on day-1 struggled a little today opening the door for Courtney Hill who achieved a 14-minute gap. Paola still retaining 3rd overall after 2-stages.
Francis Davila Palacios Courtney HillPaola Gamboa Sanchez
Tomorrow’s stage, stage 3, is 50.5km and a tough one that runs from Dominical Beach to a new finish at Katakolo.
Stage Results:
Hayden Hawks 3:57:06
Erick Agüero 4:00:22
Peter van de Zorn 4:00:57
In the overall standings, Hayden has a 16-minute lead over Peter.
Giudy Turini 5:14:41
Francis Davila Palacios 5:46:35
Courtney Hill 6:26:08
In the overall standings, Giudy has a 37-minutes lead over Francis.
Episode 170 of Talk Ultra is here… We bring you a full and in-depth interview with Michael Wardian after his stunning FKT on the Israel National Trail running 631-miles in 10 days 16 hours and 36 minutes. We also speak with Kaytlyn Gerbin after her excellent podium at Transgrancanaria.
*****
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Jim Walmsley broke a long-standing CR of 5:35 (1994) to cross the line in 5:12 with Jared Hazen and Kris Brown 2nd and 3rd in 5:23 and 5:29.
Taylor Nowlin won the ladies race in 6:24 ahead of Sandi Nypaver in 6:30 with Jade De La Rosa 3rd in 6:58.
CHUCKANUT 50K
Hayden Hawks took the win in 3:37 getting over his Transgrancanaria disappointment ahead of Tyler Sigi and Rob Watson. Kathryn Drew took the womens top slot ahead of Kim Magnus and Emily Hawgood 4:26. 4:29 and 4:38 respectively.
TRAIL DU VENTOUX 46k
Marc Lauenstein won in 3:39 ahead of Thibaut Garrivier and Nicolas Martin. Rachel Drake and Blandine L’Hirondel had a battle for 1st with Rachel taking the edge by 40-seconds. Sarah Vieuille was 3rd – 4:28, 4:28 and 4:30.
Importantly, go to iTunes and subscribe so that you automatically get our show when it’s released we are also available on Stitcher for iOS, Android and Web Player and now Tunein.
Please support Talk Ultra by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/talkultra and THANKS to all our Patrons who support us. Rand Haley and Simon Darmody get a mention on the show here for ‘Becoming 100k Runners’ with a high-tier Patronage.
Michael Wardian from the USA just set a new FKT for the Israel National Trail. The time, 10-days, 16-hours and 36-minutes (time to be confirmed.)
I was fortunate enough to be asked by Mike and the creator of this crazy idea, Zoli Bihari of Canaan Running Adventures, to document this incredible journey in images and words.
Daily I produced a morning video and chased Mike around the FKT route for up to 20-hours a day to capture images. In the 10-days, I managed to cover 187km’s with Mike and I have to say, I was there at the most remote and beautiful sections of the course. It pays to commit oneself to the process to get the really special images that I seek and desire.
My daily reports typically have 6-10 images selected, but as you can imagine, I captured so many more. So here, I want to summarise the most incredible 14-days of my life with a summary of the journey.
The journey started in Eilat and Mike, Zoli, Erez and myself did a couple of days preparation to get everything ready for the epic journey. This allowed us to check out early sections of the course and do some pre FKT photography.
“The landscape and scenery on day-1 is truly spectacular. Beauty comes at a price though – the trails are technical, have plenty of climbing and descending and then add some intense heat.”
“Mispe Ramon towards Mahmal Fort brought a conclusion to the day at 1900 hours. Mike, as the previous day, was robot like. He maintained a consistent pace. At no point did he say he was tired, on the contrary, at all times, he said, ‘I feel so good!’”
“Karbolet is known as the hardest and most challenging section of the whole Israel National Trail – it was stunning. It involved a long technical climb with rungs, exposure and technical sections. Once at the summit, the trail went up and down, mostly on angled slabs of rock. To the left, a drop to the valley below.”
“Day 5 or 6 are not the days to push over the edge, as a team, decisions will be made on day 7 on what is needed over the final couple of days. Mike is prepared for that and quite simply it may well come down to one or two very long days and then a big rest.”
“Today felt very different to the first 5-days. Not only because of the terrain but mostly due to the amount of support Mike received. Throughout the day runners joined him. At no point was he left alone.”
“A marathon was soon covered. Then 50km. At 61km Mike was still saying how good his legs were and at 73km darkness came and for the first time in the day he was alone on the trail. At 9:15pm, he had covered 89km at ‘Mitzpe Modiin’ and then he departed for a final leg to close out the day at 100km.”
“At Poleg Beach (16:47) disaster almost struck. Mike was freezing cold as the wind whipped in off the sea. Wrapped in blankets, he could not get warm. Adding layers including two jackets and woolly hat also didn’t seem to help.”
“For the final sections of the days trail, he had an entourage of runners, all keen to embrace an opportunity to say, ‘I was there!’ They left the final checkpoint at 2125, the final kms of the day would soon pass…”
“He laughed and complained about his pathetic 4-mile per hour pace. ‘Dude, this sport is so funny. One minute you feel like you are being stabbed in the heart 50 times and then moments later, you can feel great. I love the depths this sport can take you!'”
“The small group of five left and `mike looked eager to be done with the final miles as soon as possible. Dropping down to river bed, climbing up and finally the running was good. in the night sky, the glow of ‘Qiryat Shemona’ and ‘Krar Gil’adi’ would eventually lead to the finish of the INT in ‘Dan.’”
TIMING RECROD DATA – Importantly Mike accumulated additional distance with navigation errors and look at the vertical gain – 23.575 meters vert in 10-days!
POST FKT INTERVIEW
Conclusion
Sitting in Tel Aviv airport waiting for my flights home and I was trying to process the last 14-days with Mike, Zoli and the team. Israel, Mike and the INT has really made an impact.
I will write more when I have time to process the journey.
For now a huge thanks for all the wonderful words, comments and support.
This FKT would not have been possible without YOU ALL.
Remember, in years to come, you will be able to say, #iwasthere
IAN CORLESS 