Build your Transgrancanaria plan
The instant browser builder stops at the marathon, so this one comes from the coach itself. Tell it your race date, your weekly mileage, and the terrain you can get to, and it writes the whole build and keeps adapting it as you log the training. Free account, no card. You are about 18 weeks out.
- Distances
- 126K
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Field
- More than 5,000 registered runners across all races for 2027
- Taper starts
- February 8, 2027
Course
The Transgrancanaria course
The Classic crosses Gran Canaria from north to south: 126 km with about 6,764 m of climbing and 6,734 m of descent, starting at 23:59 on Friday from Playa de Las Canteras in Las Palmas and finishing at Parque Sur in Maspalomas. After the night start, the route climbs inland through Tenoya, Arucas and Teror, up to Fontanales and the pine forests around Artenara, then crosses the island's high centre via Tejeda and El Garañón, the highest checkpoint at 1,677 m.
Read the full course notes
From there the long run south drops through Tunte and Ayagaures to the coast, which means a lot of steep, rocky descending on tired legs. The terrain is mostly mountain trails and old stone paths, and the 30-hour limit gives finishers until 06:00 on Sunday. The race week also offers the Advanced (82 km from Teror), the Marathon (47 km from Tejeda) and shorter races, all finishing in Maspalomas.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- 126K
- Field
- More than 5,000 registered runners across all races for 2027
- Weather on race day
- February on the Gran Canaria coast is usually mild, around 15–21 °C, but the island's interior is much colder at altitude, especially through the night, and the organisers can require cold-weather kit. Expect warm sun and dry air on the final descent to Maspalomas, so carry enough water for the last exposed sections.
What to train for
This race is won and lost on the descents: the final third drops almost 1,700 m from El Garañón to the sea, so train downhill running on technical trails every week and add eccentric strength work such as step-downs and lunges.
Build back-to-back long days (for example 5–6 hours Saturday and 3–4 hours Sunday) with as much vertical as your local terrain allows, using a weighted vest or treadmill incline if you lack hills.
Rehearse a full night section with your headlamp and race nutrition, since you start at midnight and run roughly the first 8 hours in the dark. Practise power-hiking with poles if you plan to use them.
Sample week
A sample Transgrancanaria training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Hill repeats: 10 × 2 min up a steady grade, jog back down
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 10 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 13 km with 6 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 29–32 km on trail, with as much climbing as you can find
- Sunday Key session
- Second long day, 16–19 km easy on tired legs
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Transgrancanaria
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on February 26, 2027, your taper starts around February 8, 2027.
Transgrancanaria training questions
How long should I train for the Transgrancanaria?
Most runners give a 126k race twenty to twenty-four weeks of focused training on top of a season of consistent aerobic mileage. The coach counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Transgrancanaria course hilly?
Hilly. The Classic crosses Gran Canaria from north to south: 126 km with about 6,764 m of climbing and 6,734 m of descent, starting at 23:59 on Friday from Playa de Las Canteras in Las Palmas and finishing at Parque Sur in Maspalomas.
What is the weather usually like at the Transgrancanaria?
February on the Gran Canaria coast is usually mild, around 15–21 °C, but the island's interior is much colder at altitude, especially through the night, and the organisers can require cold-weather kit. Expect warm sun and dry air on the final descent to Maspalomas, so carry enough water for the last exposed sections.
When should I start tapering for the Transgrancanaria?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on February 26, 2027, your taper starts around February 8, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Transgrancanaria training plan?
For this one, yes. The instant browser builder stops at the marathon, so an ultra plan comes from the coach itself, which needs a free account. Still no card, and the plan adapts as you log the training.