copyright Ian Corless – Transvulcania 2013
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Transvulcania Race Summary
Transvulcania La Palma in 2012 was billed as the race of the decade…. that is until the 2013 edition of the race came around. Without doubt the race was stacked and finally we would have a show down of the best of the best racing head to head in the men’s and ladies fields.
The start of race week saw a couple of key withdrawals, firstly the ‘Queen’ as Nuria Picas calls her, Anna Frost. Anna has been plagued with niggles since late 2012 and as much as she would have loved to race, she made the correct long term decision and withdrew.
Miguel Heras, also withdrew midweek. Knee issues had not improved and he would therefore, like Frosty, play safe.
Pre race build up was quite incredible as one elite athlete after another arrived at Hotel Sol La Palma on the coast. I did a series of pre race interviews which can all be viewed on the ‘home page’ of this website. One of those interviews had been with Anton Krupicka (Here), finally he was fit, healthy and he was looking forward to the opportunity to one again race Kilian on a course that he had only encountered as a spectator in 2012. But would he race…. ?
The day before the race, Tony complained of fever, chills and aches and then at approximately 1800 he confirmed, “I am going to pull out. I race to win and I don’t like to bail. The way I feel now will just not do me or my performance justice”. Needless to say it was a huge blow not only for Tony, who certainly needs some good luck at the moment, but the race and all the other runners.
The Race
Early starts of 0200 to 0300 and then 1000+ runners assembled at the lighthouse at Fuencaliente. It is just an incredible start and atmosphere. On the strong of 0600 they left the coast and turned left, headed immediately onto the GR131 trail and like a series of ants with head lamps and red tail lights they disappeared into the darkness.
The Men’s race
The mens’s race ultimately came down the three runners, Sage Canaday, Luis Alberto Hernando and Kilian Jornet. But that would not do justice to those runners behind, Timothy Olson ran a very clever race starting a little steadier and working his way up through the field to a solid fourth. Cameron Clayton, played an early role pushing up front with Sage but paid the price and dropped back a little. Of course we should forget dark horse, Patrick Bringer who eventually finished fifth.
During the race one key issue arose… stomach problems! Francois D’Haene, Philipp Reiter, Joe Grant, Luke Nelson and Adam Campbell were all hit by a bug (maybe what TK had?) and spent much of the 83km’s either running for the bushes or vomiting. A real shame!
But up ahead, Luis Alberto Hernando showed all his skills as Skyrunning world champion and forged up the tough and sometimes technical course to have an approximate two minute lead ahead of Kilian Jornet at Roques de los Muchachos, the high point of the course at 2956m.
Kilian put all his incredible descending skills to use on the ‘drop’ from the summit to the sea and the port of Tazacorte. This is the place in 2012 when he stumbled and the heat hit him! Not this year, he pushed ahead and arrived to an incredible finish in the town of Los Llanos to the applause and cheers of 1000’s of spectators. Not only did he win but he set a new CR*. Luis Alberto Hernando arrived just over four minutes later and he looked ecstatic (and tired) with a second place. Completing the podium was Sage Canaday who performed exceptionally well in his first European mountain race.
- Kilian Jornet – 6:54:09 NEW COURSE RECORD* – pre race interview HERE
- Luis Alberto Hernando – 6:58:31 (*beat the old course record)
- Sage Canaday – 7:09:57 – pre race interview HERE
- Timothy Olson – 7:11:53 – pre race interview HERE
- Patrick Bringer – 7:17:19
- Francois d’Haene – 7:17:43
- Cameron Clayton – 7:17:47
- Miguel Caballero Ortega – 7:30:49
- Cristofer Clemente – 7:37:40
- Marcin Świerc – 7:52:21
The Ladies
Emelie Forsberg one again proved herself to be a star in the making. She literally only started running again just over a week ago and she had a battle royal with Nuria Picas. They pushed each other along the 83km’s of the Transvulcania course but ultimately Emelie found something in the latter stages and crossed the line first, just outside ‘Frosty’s’ CR from 2012.
Nuria, gave the race everything and was tired and emotional on the line. She has a big heart, not only in terms of her generosity but also passion and power. She loves to race and in particular, she loves to race against Emelie. Without doubt the two of them created a spectacular show on the trails of the GR131, today, it was Nuria’s turn to be second behind Emelie, just over six minutes difference.
Final spot on the podium went to Uxue Fraile. She ran a very smart race. She started behind many of the front runners and slowly worked her way up through the field. She had experience of the course as she placed fifth in 2012. What was impressive was how much quicker she covered the 83km’s. In 2012 she was ninety minutes behind Frosty, this year she was just over thirty one minutes behind Emelie.
- Emelie Forsberg – 8:13:22
- Nuria Picas – 8:19:30 – pre race interview HERE
- Uxue Fraile – 8:44:48
- Nathalie Mauclair – 8:46:14
- Emilie Lecomte – 10:14:05
- Karine Samson – 10:37:05
- Mar Ferreras – 10:47:57
- Raquel Antonia Delgado – 10:51:33
- Luciana Moretti – 11:02:54
- Lidia Gomez – 11:16:37
You can listen what Anna Frost had to say in a pre race interview HERE
It was an incredible day, an incredible experience, a beautiful island, a beautiful course with an incredible field. The race fulfilled all expectations and our congratulations go to Kilian & Emelie on two incredible performances.
Links
RACE DAY IMAGES HERE
Transvulcania 2013 RACE START IMAGES
The 2013 Transvulcania La Palma is underway….
Mohamad Ahansal – Transvulcania 2013
Mohamad Ahansal with translation from Niandi Carmont, Transvulcania 2013 – copyright Ian Corless
Mohamad Ahansal needs no introduction to followers of the Marathon des Sables. Just three weeks ago, Mohamad clinched his fifth victory in the iconic multi stage race. Tomorrow, May 11th, he lines up against the best in the world. He says. “I plan to run hard on the uphill as I am not great on the downhill”.
Mohamad placed top 5 in the 2010 edition of Transvulcania and if he is fresh after ‘MDS’, I personally feel that he may well be the dark horse of this years race…. watch this space.
YouTube HERE
Many thanks to Niandi Carmont for providing translation.
Links:
Joe Grant – Transvulcania 2013
Joe Grant Transvulcania 2013 – copyright Ian Corless
Arc’teryx athlete, Joe Grant chats with Ian about his recovery from the Iditarod Trail Invitational and about he is excited to once again to return to La Palma.
Joe has the advantage over much of the competition to have experienced the Transvulcania course before. In 2012 he raced well to place just outside the top 10. He hope to improve on that this year….!
YouTube HERE
Links:
Timothy Olson – Transvulcania 2013
Timothy Olson Transvulcania 2013 – copyright Ian Corless
Timothy Olson has been on the island of La Palma for nearly two weeks now and he has loved every moment exploring. Early in 2013 he placed second behind Sage Canaday at Tarawera in New Zealand and just recently he raced at Lake Sonoma. A few niggles with his knees have caused some concerns in recent weeks but we all hope that he is in full health on Saturday.
YouTube HERE
Links:
Adam Campbell – Transvulcania 2013
Adam Campbell, Arc’teryx Transvulcania 2013 – copyright Ian Corless
Arc’teryx athlete Adam Campbell talks to Ian ahead of the 2013 Transvulcania La Palma. He discusses the race course, the competition and Arc’teryx.
Adam loves competition and revels the opportunity to race the best in the world. His running goals are to seek out interesting challenges in inspiring settings. A lifelong traveler and racer, Adam’s new belief is: if you are going to be suffering, you might as well suffer somewhere beautiful!
YouTube link HERE
Links:
Adam Campbell – Interview
ARC’TERYX/Brian Goldstone
Arct’eryx athlete Adam Campbell, gained much notoriety early in 2012 after securing a solid second place behind Julien Chorier in his first 100 mile race at Ultra Trail Mt Fuji in Japan. With high hopes, he moved into the 2012 season looking to race well at TNFUTMB and the Skyrunning calendar. However, injury issues and personal issues got in the way… I caught up with Adam in April ahead of the 2013 season and his first big race, Transvulcania on the island of La Palma.
IC Adam, the last time we spoke you mentioned that your background as a sportsperson came from triathlon.
AC: Yes, what was I thinking! All those accessories to clutter my life. Actually, triathlon was a big part of my life. I started in 97/98 and I made the junior Canadian National Team. It was a great honor to wear the Maple Leaf. It had a huge effect on me. At the same time, Simon Whitfield was world champion, so I had lots to tempt me into the sport. I decided to take the leap. I had an invite to live in Victoria, British Columbia and train. So, I packed in college and lived with Simon Whitfield, he took me under his wing. I trained with him for a few years and raced the world cup circuit. I had the goal of trying to make the Olympics in 2008.
IC: You couldn’t have had a better teacher! Simon Whitfield was the man to beat!
AC: Oh yeah. Amazing. Victoria had a wealth of talent… Lauri Boden, Greg Bennet, Peter Reid and Laura Bennet. I was spoilt with influences and inspiration from a whole host of the best triathletes. Canada was a mecca for the sport.
IC: You decided that your ability as triathlete was limited and you turned to run and run long!
AC: Sport is fair like that. I realized in 2006 I wouldn’t make the Olympics as a triathlete. I gave it a really good shot but I just wasn’t good enough. I lacked certain physical traits. I wasn’t explosive enough and my swimming was poor in comparison to the competition. I worked my butt off to make it happen but the whole time I enjoyed running the most. I loved it. It gave me the most satisfaction. Especially the long runs in woods and trails. The farther I went the better I became, so, it seemed a logical choice. We are all drawn to the things that we are good at. At the same time I was amazed about this guy I would read about in magazines, Scott Jurek. He looked incredible and he ran in incredible places. I have always been drawn to the mountains. I guess it is the challenge of pushing your self, would I have what it would take?
ARC’TERYX/Brian Goldstone
IC: 2007/2008 you qualified for the Canadian Mountain Running Team, was that a plan that you had put in place or did it happen by default?
AC: I actually qualified in my first ever trail race. I guess I was lucky. If I want to do something well, I always love to speak the best. So I sent Jonathan Wyatt an email and I asked him to coach me. He said yes! Unbelievable. He wrote me a plan for the Jungfrau marathon and I followed it to the ‘T’.
IC: It worked.
AC It sure did. Thanks to Jonathan. But it wasn’t planned. Initially I just enjoyed the process. I had speed and the rest clicked in place. As for ultra running, beyond 3 hours seemed nuts to me.
IC: It still does…
AC: Oh yeah!
ARC’TERYX/Brian Goldstone
IC: Mountain running races do tend to be a shorter distance. Of course the terrain is up and down but it is more like the ‘Sky’ distance of races. You need speed and agility. What was it that interested you to go longer? For many a marathon on a mountainous course is far enough.
AC: I don’t know to be honest. Curiosity I guess. The longer I went the more I enjoyed it so I decided to race the longer races too. It had a strong appeal. The longer a run gets the more I get the opportunity to really know my body and my mind. I don’t have the ability to run a sub 4 min mile so this type of racing tests the participant in a different way. I was drawn to it.
IC: You have been noted and still have a reputation as a fast runner, even in the ultra circles you are noted as being fast. What combination of speed do you bring to ultra training?
AC: Well, that is all relative. No sub 2:04 marathons coming out of these legs!
IC: Well you say that but speed is becoming very important, particularly if we look at Sage Canaday and Max King.
AC: For sure, speed is important. The terrain brings many changes and it is important to adapt. I do a couple of hard runs a week but it is more organic. Certainly less structured than when I was a triathlete. I have been in sport a long time and I have become more intuitive. I listen to my body. If I want to go hard I will and when I do I tend to go really hard. By contrast my easy days are easy. I have a long background in sport and that has benefits. I can apply that knowledge to what I do. I also talk with John Brown from the UK, he helps me with my planning and calendar. It’s critical now with the way races are going. You can’t be fast all year and race all year.
IC: One thing that crops up with ultra runners is the desire and need to get in lots of vertical. Do you bring that into your training?
ARC’TERYX/Brian Goldstone
AC: Absolutely. I never look at weekly mileage. I just log vertical. That is what is the most important for me, how much vertical and it’s huge how much strength comes from this. It creates a great foundation.
IC: Anton Krupicka and Kilian Jornet have the same approach. It’s all about going up. Kilian in particular just logs vertical ascent.
AC: Geoff Roes and Mike Wolfe amongst others do the same. I guess the Europeans do the same? No magic formula is required. It is all about being specific to the terrain and distances that I race.
IC: If we look back at your ultra career what would you consider a highlight?
AC: That is tough. I like to pick races that are in beautiful places or races with competitive fields. So, every race has been special. I guess UTMF in Japan last year… my first 100-mile race was special. I was 2nd behind Julien Chorier. I had a respectable race and it really challenged me. It took a huge physical and emotional toll on me as I raced very hard. Also my first ultra back in 2010, Chuckanut 50, that to me was awesome. Just being on the line to start was incredible. I was definitely scared going beyond a marathon distance!
IC: Most of us are Adam. The first time can be a worrying experience. You mentioned UTMF and we actually spoke last year not long after that race. I was interested in your training but also your equipment. You had specific needs which Arc’teryx helped with. I guess one of the benefits you have had is your location and the proximity to Arc’teryx HQ. They can manufacture and provide equipment for you usually within a couple of days?
AC: Incredible. I have been with Arc’teryx since 2007. I cold called them and my timing was perfect. I actually was suggesting making running apparel and luckily somebody in the design team had the same thought. I was lucky. I work closely with them and we are constantly developing more run specific apparel. They have the best materials and the highest quality. They have a no compromise approach, which is amazing. It can take ages to bring something to market. This is the price of quality. I test lots of products on the trail so I am lucky.
IC: Your physique is unique. You are a small guy so I guess you have lots of custom clothing made?
AC: Oh yeah, I take take XS in Japan. Now that is small.
IC: That IS small
AC: Yep. I am lucky. I get custom clothes from Arc’teryx because I am very particular. I don’t like baggy clothes for running. It must fit and it must have no excess fabric. For UTMF I had some specific kit made. I wanted the most minimal gear possible. If I am not going to use it, I don’t want to carry it. I don’t want to carry an extra gram. It must be functional and suit the purpose it is intended for.
IC: In 2012 you spent time in Europe. You had planned to do TNFUTMB but you had some niggles which ultimately meant that TNFUTMB had to be taken out of your calendar. Do you have plans to go back to Chamonix and race the iconic 100 mile race?
AC: For sure. I love Chamonix. It’s an incredible town. I will be racing the Skyrunning Mont Blanc Marathon in summer and Arc’teryx are putting the Arc’teryx Alpine Academy together; a week of mountaineering so that will be incredible. I do a little climbing but I am really looking forward to working on my mountain skills.
IC: Mountain skills? So is this going to be climbing and everything related?
AC: Glazier travel, mountaineering and learning specific skills.
IC: Sounds awesome.
AC: It will be an amazing week.
IC: You mentioned Skyrunning, Arc’teryx are heavily involved in the series. It is going to be a great year for you, the team and the brand.
ARC’TERYX/Brian Goldstone
AC: I was gutted last year not to race in the Skyrunning series due to unjury. I like to race the best people on the best and most beautiful terrain. Skyrunning personify that!. They have done a brilliant job. Nothing like being recognized for personal achievement and Skyrunning offer this. It’s the vibe, the experience and yes, Arc’teryx are involved as a sponsor.
IC: Transvulcania kicks it off with a stacked field. I said in 2012 it was the race of the decade, but 2013 is equally impressive.
AC: It’s going to be great fun. Racing the best brings out the best in me and the field doesn’t get any better than at this race. I will be interested to see how I perform. I believe I have put the work in and I am in good shape.
IC: I presume you are doing the ultra series? You need three events to qualify but five in total are available, are you planning on the five?
AC: Jeez have you seen this 100 miler, Andorra, Ronda del Cims! It has massive appeal BUT boy I don’t know…. It took Miguel Heras 30 hours! That is a long time to be out on such a tough course. That race may end my summer. I would need plenty of recovery so I will have to see? I can’t recover like Kilian.
IC: It is all about balance and finding what works for you. You have to cherry pick and keep the balance.
AC: An incredible race but a little much for me at the moment.
IC: Tell me about your world record in 2012… some inspired idea to run a marathon in a business suit. What was that all about…?
AC: I had read an article on letsrun.com and I saw some guy had set a record in a suit in 3:25. I was sure I could run quicker. I was going through a divorce and I needed a distraction. I needed some fun and an escape. I wasn’t in a great place personally so that seemed a quirky thing to do. It was a good excuse to raise money for a charity also. I had a lot of fun. It was a great challenge… it was also really hot!
IC: Yes, running a marathon fast is a test but to run it in a shirt, tie, jacket and trousers… c’mon, what was the time?
AC 2:35! I started slow looking for 3 hours but after the first mile I rolled and I felt great. I hadn’t run in the suit before so it was all new to me. I actually negative split the race heavily 1:19 and 1:16 for the second half.
IC: Wow – ridiculous.
AC: Yes, I guess, I surprised myself.
IC: What is your marathon PB?
AC: I haven’t really run marathons before. My first marathon was 2:29 in 2006. I don’t run too much road.
IC: You finished 2012 with San Francisco 50. You had a great race. Sage Canaday and your self at the front… erm, who was to blame for going of course (laughs)?
AC: (laughs) Well I was leading but we were all together as a group. Nobody questioned the decision. It was foggy, dark, windy, raining and it was just hard. The route seemed correct and we all took responsibility.
IC: I am only joking. Sage does have a small reputation for going off course.
AC: The dude just runs way too quick!
IC: Yep, so fast he doesn’t see the markers. A great race for you though and a great boost for 2013.
AC: For sure, it’s good to be competitive and it is nice to have it in the bag. It had been a rough year so it was a good way to finish. I get confidence from racing and performing.
IC: 2013 comes around and you think about a new season and then I see you post a photo on facebook of your leg in plaster!
AC: It was dumb. These things happen. The day before I had seen my physio. He said, “Have you ever sprained your ankle?” I said no…. oh dear, fatal last words. I was 2.5 hours into a run and I slipped on a wet log. I went down hard and I had no option but to hike out. Really painful but I got great treatment and support. All is good, it flares up a little but I will be okay.
IC: And your recovery?
AC: I didn’t respect the recovery. I should have been a little more patient but we all learn.
IC: These things need time.
ARC’TERYX/Brian Goldstone
AC: Yes I tried to make up time. It never works; patience is key. I am good now, I have plenty of volume and I did cross country skiing and climbing to break things up, I have tried to save my legs a little, it is a long season. I want to be good in September and still have motivation.
IC: To finish off I would like to discuss the video ‘Silence’. I remember seeing it early on and it really switched for many people. It was a change, a breath of fresh air. It not only fulfills a running purpose but it was also a piece of art. Was it your idea?
AC: It came together by the people at the production company. I fitted the narrative perfectly and I was really keen to do it. Everything about it was perfect. When they pitched the story I said yes immediately. I could relate to it.
IC: It was a great movie. We all get stuck in our day-to-day lives. I am fortunate I think, I spend lots of time on a computer but my life evolves around running, mountains and races. I get my fix. I guess living where you do you can get on trails quickly… the film manages to get that perspective across
AC: Yes it was a fabulous. The entire production was top notch. I am really happy. The story struck a chord with so many. Canada is a great place for running. One moment in the office, the next on a beautiful local trail.
IC: You have a great local running group too.
AC: Oh yeah, Ellie Greenwood, Garry Robbins, Jason Loutitt and so on…
IC: Gary hasn’t tempted you to run Hurt 100?
AC: That race looks brutal. The time he ran in 2012 is seriously impressive.
IC: Particularly with Gary’s story; two years out of the sport with injury.
AC: Gary is a great guy. Great to see him back!
IC: Adam, it has been great to catch up. We will meet up at Transvulcania. As the season unfolds I guess we will see each other on a regular basis. It’s going to be great to see you on the circuit.
AC Looking forward to it. It is a privilege to compete. I don’t take that lightly. I consider myself extremely lucky. I will be prepared and I hope to race well. We shall see how I go.
IC Brilliant have a great 2013 season.
Links
Episode 33 – Marathon des Sables and Adam Campbell
This weeks show honours the injured and fallen at Boston Marathon. We have daily chat from the Marathon des Sables (Tobias Mews, Danny Kendall and Stuart Rae) bivouac and interviews with top placed Brits, Danny Kendall and Jo Meek. We interview Arc’teryx athlete, Adam Campbell. We discuss Mojo in Talk Training with Niandi Carmont, we have ‘A year in the life of…’ a Blog, Speedgoat, the News and ‘Up & Coming Races’.
00:00:44 Start
00:18:40 A year in the life of… with Amanda Hyatt. Amanda has been struggling with training and recently run the Brighton Marathon.
00:29:30 News from around the ultra world
00:35:40 MDS special from the bivouac with chat from Stuart Rae, Danny Kendall and Stuart Rae.
01:11:55 Back to the news
01:18:45 MDS special – after 28 editions of the race, Danny Kendall has surpassed James Cracknell and is now the highest ever placed Brit in the race.
01:35:40 MDS special – Jo Meek entered the MDS several years ago and in 2012 got the nod that 2013 would be the year. With no experience of multi day racing, Jo wanted to finish the race but also perform to the best of her ability – she made the podium in 2nd place!
015215 Blog – Nick Cark always writes an in depth blog about his running HERE
01:52:55 Back to Karl
01:55:30 Talk Training – have you lost your Mojo? We discuss ways to get your mojo back with Niandi Carmont.
02:03:10 Interview – with Arc’teryx athlete Adam Campbell as he prepares for the 2013 season.
A former member of the Canadian National Triathlon and Duathlon teams, in 2006 Adam decided to shed the extra gear and rely solely on his running shoes to get around. He also decided to put down the stopwatch and set intervals and hit the trails.
Adam’s love for running began on the beaches of West Africa and Spain, where he spent his childhood running after soccer balls and chasing waves. It wasn’t until he moved to Canada in his late teens that he began running competitively. Adam’s love for all individual athletic challenges quickly saw him jump into the multi-sport world of triathlons and duathlons where he was renown for his running ability, which saw him win a national duathlon title.
However the drudgery and structure of training and racing for triathlons caught up with him and he began to seek out new challenges. After running the roads for a year, he jumped into his first trail race in 2007 and a new love was born. Adam qualified for the Canadian Mountain Running Team in his first trail race and continued to post the best ever finish by a Canadian at a Mountain Running World Championship at the Jungfrau Marathon, a gruelling 42k uphill run with 6000ft elevation gain from start to finish.
His running goals are to seek out interesting challenges in inspiring settings. A lifelong traveler and racer, Adam’s new belief is: if you are going to be suffering, you might as well suffer somewhere beautiful!
Occupation: Trail runner/law student (environmental, aboriginal, employment law)
Favourite Trail: anywhere I haven’t run before
Favourite Place to run: Soft & hilly terrain. Summer alpine runs
Favourite Race: Comfortably Numb, Whistler BC/ Jungfrau Marathon, Interlaken Switzerland
Favourite Distance: I will race anyone, anywhere…
02:33:20 A Meltzer Moment
02:36:20 Up & Coming Races
02:41:25 Close
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Pictures tell stories…
I love what I do! I really do.
To work in a race environment and capture the action in words or audio is a real pleasure. I have played with video and although I enjoy the medium, I do prefer a ‘still’ image. It is a moment captured.
These two images really capture everything that combines to make a great image.
Meghan Hicks on the first stage of the 2013 Marathon des Sables (which she went on to win) running up a dune on the first day. I captured the image by running alongside her.
From behind, my fellow photographer, Mark Gillett captures the process involved. Story making at its best, running at its best and the use of imagery at its best. I have often been asked HOW? I manage to capture images that make the viewer feel like they are in the moment… well here is how.
Copyright Mark Gillett
Pictures tell stories… thanks for the inspiration Meghan and thanks for capturing Mark.
IAN CORLESS 