A great edition of the Lanzarote Foil Challenge

06/12/2023

On 30 November and 2 December, the island of Lanzarote in the Canaries was the scene of the 3rd edition of the Lanzarote Foil Challenge. On a day when the fickle wind became an ally, the competitors defied the elements for a complete tour of the island.

Scheduled to take place between 24 November and 6 December, last week's unstable weather conditions prompted the organisers of the Lanzarote Foil Challenge to spread the competition over 2 days, 30 November and 2 December. The result? A challenge taken up with brio, more than 200 kilometres covered, and the consecration of the Lanzarote Foil Challenge as one of the rare ultra-marathon races in its category.
Competitors competed in a range of categories, including Open Pro (women and men), iQFOil, locals and kitefoil. On Thursday 30 November, the start from Marina Rubicón towards Faro de Pechiguera kicked off a frantic race along El Golfo to La Santa. In Famara at around 2.30pm, Germany's Nico Prien and France's Adrien Mestre emerged at the top of the Open Pro category, closely followed by Sweden's Hugo Sjöberg. Poland's Pawel Tarnowski won the iQFOil, crossing the finish line in 1st place, followed by his compatriot Michal Polak and Hungary's Máté Bors.

On Saturday, the competition resumes in Famara, with bigger-than-expected swell testing the tenacity of the competitors. Adrien Mestre confirmed his supremacy, followed by Nico Prien and Pawel Tarnowski. The 4th stage, finishing in Costa Teguise, saw Michal Polak take the lead, followed by Tarnowski and Mestre. It was Michal who crossed the finish line first in Marina Rubicón, although it was Mestre who took the win at the end of this long day.
The women's category did not fail to shine, with France's Marion Mortefon and Poland's Anastasiya Valkevich distinguishing themselves in the Open Foil category. Pawel Tarnowski continued his reign in the iQFOil category and won this edition, followed by Michal Polak and Máté Bors.