The alpine runner is regarded as one of the best in the circuit and is the reigning trail running world runner-up
“The level of the runners is always very high, especially this year, and that motivates me a lot”, he says
Italian runner Andreas Reiterer, current trail running world runner-up and multiple national champion, will debut in the Classic race of the upcoming The North Face Transgrancanaria, the third stop of the World Trail Majors international circuit, taking place from February 21 to 25.
“For many years I’ve wanted to participate in The North Face Transgrancanaria, as it marks the beginning of the major competitions in our trail running calendar. Finally, this year I managed to register and prepare properly”, explains Reiterer, who has never run in Gran Canaria before.
This year, the Gran Canaria race will feature several of the world’s best runners, including Americans Zach Miller, Jim Walmsley, and Seth Ruling; Portuguese Miguel Arsénio; Spaniards Miguel Heras and Andreu Simon; and Chinese Jiasheng Sheng. However, as Bolzano’s runner points out, “the level of the runners is always very high, especially this year, and that motivates me a lot”.
“The race itself is very long and challenging,” he admits, “but the beautiful island remains very tempting.” Reiterer aims to “give my best and run as fast as possible.” He also acknowledges that “running 126 kilometers in February is a challenge since my winter training involves a lot of ski touring, but I will do my best to give my all”.
In 2023, he was runner-up in the trail running world championship held in Innsbruck, Austria, improving on the third place he achieved in 2022 in the race held in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He was also third in Transvulcania and the Eiger Ultra-Trail, besides finishing sixth in the Grand Trail des Templiers. Likewise, his record includes third-place finishes in the Courmayer-Champex-Chamonix of UTMB (2022) and the Ultra-trail Cape Town (2021).
The North Face Transgrancanaria is organized by Arista Eventos and is sponsored by the institutions Cabildo de Gran Canaria, through Gran Canaria Tourism and the Insular Sports Institute; the Government of the Canary Islands with Islas Canarias Latitud de Vida; Maspalomas Costa Canaria; the Municipal Sports Institute of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; and the City Council of Tejeda. It also has the support of companies such as The North Face, Fred. Olsen Express, San Roque University Hospitals, Expomeloneras, 226ERS, Teror Waters, and Sonocom Audiovisuals.
