(Oct. 14) – USA’s Christian Allen took center stage on day two at the Valsir Mountain Running World Cup Finalissima in Gran Canaria, dominating the Sky TPT38 Long race on Saturday. The event, marked by a last-minute course change due to a weather alert, delivered another exciting day of competition, following Friday’s first day of action with the uphill race.
On Saturday, Allen established a commanding lead of more than three minutes by the 22km mark, ultimately crossing the finish line in 2:29:29. Full uphill race results | Full long race results | 2023 World Cup rankings
His performance puts him in a strong position for a high overall World Cup ranking and adds another significant win to his impressive 2023 season, featuring wins in events like the Speedgoat 50km in the Wasatch Mountains, USA.
He finish well ahead of fellow American Andrew Wacker, who posted a time of 2:35:52 and Czechia’s Ondrej Fejfar was third in 2:36:50.
Allen, who also participated in Friday’s uphill race, summed up the competition’s essence: “Competing is all about adapting and going out there and having fun.”
Although uncertain about participating in the third race of the weekend, he left the possibility open, stating, “We’ll see how I sleep tonight.”
Meanwhile, not to be overshadowed, Spain’s Ikram Rharsalla Laktab made a remarkable comeback in the women’s race, clocking a winning time of 2:27:26 to emerge as the surprised winner this weekend.
She displayed grit and superb descending skills as she overcame a four-minute deficit, highlighting her adaptability and resilience.
“I’m happy with the win,” said Laktab on the World Mountain Running Association website. “It was a very runnable course, although I do like a bit more of a technical course with a touch more climbing,” she continued.
Italy’s Camilla Magliano was second in 2:59:01, while Great Britain’s Sara Willhoit, who was fifth in the uphill race on Friday, returned today to take third in 3:17:14.
For more information on the Valsir Mountain Running World Cup Finalissima, visit here.
