La Palma is one of the Canary Islands. The islands lie 200+km from the coast of Morocco and lies in the north west of the Canary Island group. La Palma is ideal for people seeking rest, quiet, beautiful scenery and nature at its best. It is a truely volcanic island: the whole island is full of volcanoes; the last eruption happened in the year 1971. While the south part of the island contains bare lava fields and volcanoes, the northern part of the island has an abundance of wild plants and wild flowers, many of which only occur on La Palma, or only on the Canary islands. The island is 47 km long, 29 km wide and La Palma is called „la isla bonita” which means beautiful island. It’s true !

In the year 2016 the Transvulcania ultra trail, the 1st trailrunning race of the Skyrunning World Series ultra races was held there, on 7th May. In 2016 I was at the start too to run a unforgettable race (74 km + 4350 m). I ran and finished that, it was the most memorable running event / day of my life.

In the year 2009 I cycled 2 weeks in the Canary islands and I was amazed by the landscape, the weather, the nature, plants, etc. I fell in love with La Palma. Maybe in the year 2014, one year after I had started running, I got the information that Transvulcania, one of the most favourite trailrunning races, which is held in La Palma. The race is famous for its wonderful route and the great and enthusiastic fans, local people.

The course of Transvulcania starts at the south end of the island, by the ocean, than goes upwards on volcanoes, on volcanic sandy path to the village Los Canarios, where enthusiastic locals people waits and claps for the runners. After the village the path goes on the Ruta de los Volcanes higher than the altitude of 1900 m. After descending to Rifugio El Pilar and running few kilometeres under 1500 m, the following rocky ascent goes up to the caldera, above 2200 m. On the ridge, the Caldera the path goes up and down, up and down till the highest point of the island, the 2426 m high Roque de los Muchachos. The following 17 km long section goes down to Puerto Tazacorte that is situated at the ocean; this descent could be hard for the tired legs. The last few km long part of the descent is a wonderful path containing serpentine-bends on the ca. 300 m high, very steep, rocky mountainside just next to the oceanside. From Puerto Tazacorte the runners has to run only 5 kms to the finish; the path goes in a dry river bed in the first 2 kms than a steep climb waits for the participants to reach the edge of Los Llanos de Aridane, the town of the finish. Running in the last 1-2 kms is fantastic (although you ran several hours after the winners): enthusiastic local people are cheeering, clapping along the route, it’s unbelievable. Lot of travelogues, reports write the same: there are several other running events, but such an atmosphere is very-very rare, it’s unique.

In May, 2015 I knew that in 2016 I would be at the start of Transvulcania and I followed the race (2015) on the net / web. I started preparing for the race in autumn, but I did the serious trainings in spring, in March and April.
The ca. 1800 runners, containing the previous year World Cup” winner and Transvulcania course record holder Luis Alberto Hernando, the 2 times winner, legendary Anna Frost and other famous runners left the edge of the islands, the start at 6 am., in full darkness. I had read many travelogues so I knew that after a while the route would be much thinner and the speed would decrease, we had to walk for a while. We went upwards on the GR131 path, one of the 2 main paths of the island. I wore gaiters on my shoes so few times I decided to run next to the path in thevcanic sand to be able to overcome slow walking participants and they were good decisions. After ca. 3 km we run on wide, lightly ascending runnable path while we got the first lights of the day. Before reaching Los Canarios and the 1st refreshment point, a short volcanic sandy serpentine-sections caused slow walking. In the village few hundreds of people waited us and cheered us, clapped for us. I enjoyed it very much  I had never ever had such a feeling. I reached the refreshment point (5 km) at 7:22.
I run on the course of the following 5 kms few days earlier: the path went along rocks, in pine tree forest, along and on some volcanic hills and above 1300 m the route offered more and more views. Till the altitude of 1200 m the volcanic sand hardly made us slow, but after it ....
Earlier, in the darkness I had no problems with the runners with poles, but after sunrise more and more runners (with poles) caused problems to overcome them. The path was usually just such wide to be enough for one runner and the participants with poles didn’t usually take care of the others, the faster runners. Sometimes they were dangerous with their poles. That was the 1st race where I met with so many pole-holder runners.
Above 1500 m the route had more and more panoramic sections, I often stopped to take photos and took my GoPro or Sony videocam to record the nature, landscape. When I first got sight of Tenerife and the peak of Teide above the clouds I couldn’t keep the feeling, emotions in my mind: Woooow!  It was like a miracle in the morning lights. I hoped to have this. When few days ago I ran there in the afternoon I ran in the cold clouds. I thought, hoped that in the morning we would may run before the increase of the clouds. I had right  I was very happy ! I could enjoy just the same view and panorama that I so often saw in videos or on photos.
I reached the refreshment point of Las Desedas at 9:41 am. The following ascent was maybe the hardest ascent of the course; at the top of that photographers stood and made several thousends of photos. I refilled my softflasks, drank iso, took 2 photos and kept on running.
After a while I had an unpleasant surprise: I thought there won’t have another hills in front of me before reaching El Pilar, but I had to run ups and downs for another ca. 20-25 minutes. I enjoyed reaching sections that I knew (thanks to photos on the net / web), but I wanted to reach the descent going to El Pilar. It was wonderful to get sight of the sunny Caldera Taburiente and Roque de los Muchachos (2426 m) above the clouds. Descending in the volcanic sand was great, then it was followed by forest trail to El Pilar, the place that had a timelimit: runners didn’t let run farther if they didn’t arrive there 5 hours after the start. I checked in after 4:50 , but I had to understand that taking many photos and recording videos with my Sony vidcam (that needs to stop) caused the delay to my schedule.

The El Pilar (after 24,3 km and altitude: 1440 m) refreshment point offered wide selection of food, snack, dried fruit, there were sandwiches and drinks. I ate something, refilled my softflasks, took a sandwich and 2 energy bars with me and after spending there ca. 7 minutes I kept on running on the cloudy dirt road. I had to run 6,8 km to the following refreshment point, El Reventon (1420 m): there weren’t many descents or ascents there.
After leaving El Reventon and starting the steep and rocky ascent under / in the clouds I rarely stopped to take photos or record videos that caused that I overcame a few dozens of participants till reaching the sunny part of the ridge above 1900-2000 m. There was a half or one km long part that caused pleasant surprise to me: I had never seen that part in videos or on photos: the path goes under / next to interesting plants and trees with lichens. Before reaching the altitude of 2000 m, somewhere I felt less energy in me, so I got out two energy bars from the backpack and ate them. In the clouds it was cold and I needed the jacket, so I enjoyed very much when we went out of the clouds and felt sunshine (altitude: ca. 1900 m). In that section, on the ridge in every ca. 5 kms mountain rescue men were standing along the path to help if it was needed.
At about 1:15 pm. I reached a panoramic place and the ca. 2000 m high situated Rifugio Punta de los Roques. I took there some pictures, recorded video and ate something + shared few photos on facebook to be able for my friends to check that I was OK.  During that time ca. 100 or more runners may overcame me. Spending the time there at a time I heard the name f Luis Alberto. I „had to” ask, if he was finished and the answer made me happy: he won Transvulcania again ! That was the 3rd time in a row!
I kept on running just at cloudlevel: sometimes I felt the sunshine, sometimes I ran in the clouds. After running few times on dangerous mountainsides I arrived at the refreshment point of Pico de la Nieve (42,3 km + ca. 3200 m and at the height of 2038 m at 2:26 pm. ). It was followed by a steep climb back to the ridge from where we had to run following ups and downs. Each direction offered wonderful views: into the cloudy caldera, onto the ridge or to Tenerife and Teide.
After leaving the Pico de la Cruz refreshment point I felt the same that I read in travelogues: Roque de lso Muchachos didn’t seem to be far away, but when I was running it needed much more time than I (had) hoped. The minutes were passing by. Sometimes I had to warn myself not to stop for photos or videos, because the timelimit of Roque de las Muchachos (5 pm.) was „coming” closer and closer 
At last I reached Roque de los Muchachos at 4:52 pm. And I knew that several runners behind me wouldn’t be to reach the peak in time and won’t let keep on running in the race. (Because of taking photos and recording vidos using my SONY cam too they needed time, so I was the 1353th place when I reached the peak. )
Because of the following 17 km long descent I ate much pasta, took 2-3 muesli bars with me and after spending 25 minutes at the summit, I left it. I knew that the descent could hurt and it needs concentration not to fell down onto the path or onto rocks.
I had ran the first 4 kms of the descent few days earlier so it didn’t cause surprise: most of it was runnable, it was descending with some short climbs. Sometimes I could overcome others, but once runners with poles caused some problems for me. After that 4 km long section I reached an unpleasant, steep, muddy, gravelled part of the descent. Sometimes it was dangerous for me with my shoes; once I let the runners with poles overcome me. The poles helped them well! I had to watch and not to loose concencration to avoid falling down.

At last at about the altitude of 1500 m I reached the much less gravelly forest path: I could ran faster again. That time we run again in clouds and after a very unrunnable, rocky part of the descent I arrived at the Torre del Time refreshment point in light rain. I needed to put on the light rainjacket. The following section sometimes went along alone houses on the mountainside and next to small villages or housegroups.
On a bare section it was surprise to get sight of Caldera and Los Llanos de Adriane, the town of the Finish . It made me spend a minute to send a picture and a message on facebook to my friends and family: „I’m seeing the Finish!”  It was 7:38 pm. The view increased my motivation and gave me power, energy and not much later I reached one of the most wonderful parts of the course. But before....
On a steep paved descent I enjoyed running without any pain, while I saw several runners running, walking with pain. I had read several reports, travelogues and and knew that if someone is fit enough than the long descent, not enough salt in the body could cause the pain in the muscles, or sand in the shoes or socks. I ate enough salt pills during the race, I had gaiters, I was OK and happy 
(in the year 2016 the weather wasn’t too hot, so not enough salt could cause less problems than before.) From the height of ca. 300 m a very steep, thin, twisty path descended on a very steep, dangerous moutainside to Puerto Tazacorte, to the ocean. It offered wonderful views, but previous day the clear sky made it more beautiful. I started this part of the descent at about 7:55 pm. I was curious how well I could descend there and I was suprised that I countinuously overcame others. I wasn’t fast, but others were slower or they had pains. I reached the beach, the village Puerto Tazacorte at about 8:14-15 pm. (69,3 km + 3980 m) where few local people clapped for the runners; at the refreshment point the crew was very friendly and smiley. 
(I was on / at the 1219th place, I overcame 134 others on the descent – I stopped very rarely.)
I spent there only a minute and kept on running to the finish: I needed to run and climb another 5 km to reach that! In the dry gravelly, rocky river bed (almost no path there) I saw ca. 7-8 participants in front of me and none of them were running; one of them carried his shoes in his hands. For me it was obvious to run and I didn’t feel tired and my goal was to finish before darkness. I enjoyed to feel that I had enough energy, power (it’s true that for me the time of the finish wasn’t too important so I didn’t run as fast as I could, I had reserves). Between the rockwalls I could imagine how hot the weather was there. I kept on overcoming others and arrived at the bottom of the very steep climb going up to the houses of Los Llanos de Aridane. I smiled: „-Yes, climbs are my Home / World!”
When I arrived at the main street of the town, more and more emotions came into my mind: I thought about the whole wonderful day, the trainings, my willpower and felt tears coming behind my eyes.... I knew that I would meet more and more people appreciating our sport-achievement, cheering us, clapping for me / us, etc. I enjoyed it very much and I knew that I needed ony few minutes to make another one dream of me come true !
I met with more and more enthusiastic fans, children maybe inside the last km. At a place 2-3 women showed a sign „You are Finisher!”. I loved them .
I ran, sometimes I used my GoPro videocamera to record video, smiled at the fans; I enjoyed it very much !  It’s very rare in a life to feel people cheering and appreciating me, or my achievement. At last I reached the finish line 15 hours and 1 minute after leaving the start in the morning. The Sun set down ca. 15 minutes earlier, but it wasn’t dark, so I could be satisfied. I recorded my finish and the finish-photo shows how happy I was.
After the finishline I got the medal, I smiled very much and I felt a lot of emotions inside me. It was hard to understand that I did it ! My dream came true! As I had thought the tears was just at the edge of my eyes..... it was a wonderful, a perfect, unforgettable day: the beautiful terrain, landscape, running above the clouds, looking into the caldera, descending on the steep, twisty path to Puerto tazacorte and at last the amazing finish!

Few minutes later two thing showed too how this trail running event is so perfect ! After finishing Transvulcania, just few meters behind the finish line I was asked if I was OK and then ca. 10 miutes later, where I had to give back the chip, I wasn’t asked to take out of the chip from the shoe-lace, but I was ask only to stand there and one member of the crew worked with my shoe-laces by my muddy leg! It was very kind and not only this...
I wanted to get back my pack that I send to finish from the start. I asked the crew about it and I only had to give her that small paper with number on it, and she went away to take the pack to me.  Gracias ! Everything was for us, for the runners ! Gracias La Palma ! 

Transvulcania ultramarathon became my most memorable trail running adventure; just a perfect day, as I had dreamed about it ! (or almost... because it would have been better without clouds on the descent)
I experienced and understood why this is one of the most favourite trail running event of the runners, and as it happened with me after finishing Ötztaler bicycle marathon, now this time I feel the same: in the future I have to come back „here” and run again . It was an amazing adventure, day! By bicycle Ötztaler / Ötz valley bicycle marathon became a love for a lifetime, by trailrunning I feel the same about Transvulcania: I love it forever !

For those who would like to enjoy this wonderful ultra trail, the landscape, the nature and feel how I felt running between the lovely enthusiastic fans, I suggest to watch my video (longer version will be edited too):

MY GoPro TRANSVULCANIA VIDEO

Movescount data: Transvulcania 2016'- Györgyi Gábor.