Santiago Castellano and Maite Maiora reign in the LPA Trail
The sixth edition of the LPA Trail is history. The most popular mountain race in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was held yesterday with the participation of nearly 500 athletes, who enjoyed a day that ended in the Plaza de Santa Ana. The event, which has been part of the official calendar of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA), was marked by the intense heat, by the exquisiteness of the sanitary protocols and by the great marks of the winners of the different distances.
The Municipal Sports Institute of the capital of Gran Canaria was very much against the elements so that this event would be a success despite the adversities typical of this time of pandemic. The queen test, of 21 kilometers, had an outstanding line-up despite the last-minute absences of some of the favorites.
The great revelation of the day was undoubtedly Santi Castellano. The young runner from Gran Canaria confirmed his potential with a clear triumph in this LPA Trail 2021. The 19-year-old Javier Fernández from El Hierro achieved a creditable second place, while the Norwegian Bjornar Tho took bronze in the Plaza de Santa Ana.
In the women's 21-kilometer event, the talent of one of the best runners on the international scene was demonstrated. The Basque athlete Maite Maiora, who is hurrying her training days in Gran Canaria, clearly prevailed in the half marathon. Her first race on the island ended with a comfortable victory, heading a podium that was completed by the Gran Canaria runner Graciela Acosta and the Norwegian Katarina Skaufeldt, second and third respectively.
Excitement in the middle distance
As for the average race, of 13.5 kilometers, this started one more year from the capital's El Fondillo neighborhood and it was exciting until the last second. The time trial format of the event, with individual starts, means that until the final meter there may be changes of positions in the final classification.
Thus, after the confirmation of times, Azman Mesand was the one who took the male victory, ahead of Octavio León and Samuel Santana. In the women's section, tension until the last moment since the first place was elucidated for just a second in favor of Loli Muñoz. Yasmina Sánchez and Nuria Muñoz completed the positions of honor.
Regarding the shortest and earliest distance on the LPA Trail, with a route of 5.5 kilometers and starting from the Guiniguada ravine, the big favorites met the predictions. Eoin Flynn claimed the title in the men's category after just over 18 minutes into the race. For her part, Sandra Moreno repeated her first place in 2020 among women. The podiums in this distance were completed by Julián Mencara and César Betancort, in the boys' appointment, and Yaiza Expósito and Aída Martínez, in the women's.
The organization of the test was careful to ensure that all participants complied with the rigorous protocol on health matters that was drawn up.
