Jonathan and Henriette Albon win both Transgrancanaria Classic titles
A married couple swept the 126 km World Trail Majors race on Gran Canaria, Jonathan in 12:58:08 and Henriette in 15:16:33 after a cold, wet night.
Photograph: Jonathan Albon at the 2013 London Marathon, by Julian Mason, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsThe Transgrancanaria Classic started a minute before midnight on Friday on the sand at Las Canteras beach in Las Palmas and finished on Saturday at the south coast, 126 kilometres and 6,764 metres of climbing later. Both titles went to the same household. Jonathan Albon of Britain won the men's race in 12:58:08. His wife Henriette Albon of Norway won the women's race in 15:16:33, her second straight win here.
The night was cold and wet, with rain in the mountains in the early hours. By midday the sun was out and aid stations were handing runners ice. Landslides after winter rain had forced a change near La Manzanilla, leaving the course about a kilometre shorter than usual. Jonathan Albon was still 33 minutes slower than the 2025 winning time.
He ran the early stages with Tom Joly, Tom Evans, Josh Wade and Hannes Namberger, then pulled clear of Wade on the climb to Roque Nublo, about 89 kilometres in. Namberger, on his Gran Canaria debut, caught Wade near the Barranco de los Vicentes and took second in 13:03:10. Wade was third for the second year running in 13:07:54. Evans dropped out.
Henriette Albon took the lead after Tejeda when the early leader withdrew and won by more than an hour and a half. Claudia Tremps and Mélanie Delasoie chose to finish together and share second in 16:49:20. It was the third World Trail Majors race of the year and the 27th edition.
Two wins in one marriage on one night. Most couples argue about the thermostat.
