Roquey Road

Transvulcania Race Report

The 2014 Transvulcania Ultramarathon began at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 10 on La Palma, a volcanic island in the Canaries. More than 2000 runners boarded buses at 3:00 a.m. and were taken to the starting line at Fuencaliente on the southern tip of the island.

Discombobulated

If yesterday I had gone to hell in a hand-basket, I would have enjoyed more legroom than I did on Iberia Express flight 3942 from Madrid to Tenerife (one of four flights involved in my journey to La Palma). They should rename that carrier Oz Express as the seating plan was designed for Munchins.

Not that I’m complaining.

Shown actual size.

On the Road to La Palma

According to the old saw, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. If so, I took the first step in my current journey (which has involved a good deal more than 1000 miles) at the start line to the Bulldog 25K last August in Malibu. In preparing to tackle next week’s Transvulcania Ultramarathon in La Palma, Canary Islands, I took part in several races of increasing distance and difficulty. The Bulldog 25K is a 16-mile race with a few good climbs in the late summer heat, but it’s a Chihuahua compared to what I’ll face off the coast of Africa.

The purported author of the famous "journey of a thousand miles" quote, Confucius was actually a mama's boy who never left his hometown in Wang Duk province China