Conquering another climb in the Canaries

I’m all week looking up at these mountains, running towards them, around them and beside them. It’s a very different landscape than ours back home, the sun highlighting the red volcanic vibrant ash making for a firm, hard, bouncy trail type surface that I love compared to the rain softening the green, brown, marshy, boggy surface back home. The benefit to be felt on an early morning run when moving from wet draining land to dry barren trails is all the more worthwhile.

This week I’ve an invite from a local running club to join an adventure on a run up to Los Ancones. The route is situated on the east coast of Lanzarote, close to Costa Teguise. It runs along the rugged coastline of Ancones.

Having never heard of this place I’m told it’s a mix of everything; on road, off road, trail and trek. An hour and a half of running early morning before the heat rises, before work begins for some, before young people awake mad for a day's action, before the eager holiday trekkers amble up this very popular mountain and before the sun rises. What a way to see the world around.

I pack the bag the day before as I won't have time with all the goings on; trail runners, water, sunglasses and food. I’m told the wind will be the force against us and sunglasses are a must to protect the eyes from the barren, wide open, sand sweeping elements. Old black clothes are recommended to hide the dust and sunscreen to protect from the wind burn.

Family, as always, are number one; a trek on holidays will only be entertained if it fits in around the partying so tonight, another kids disco and show, and I party on. It’s a warm night and with not much sleep I rise early to experience some me time before heading off.

Sitting in silence in the dark, the pool lights providing a gentle glow, it is so beautiful, the wind is howling but it’s quiet all around. A silence exists in one’s own company, a hot beverage warms a tired body. I lie on a sunbed and gaze at a beautiful sky, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. A few moments to gain a few thoughts, to reflect on a wonderful few days; sometimes we need to stop still and take it all in or it passes you by.

My phone beeps, the lift has arrived, a local girl driving to our destination. I have an air of excitement, a bounce in my step, an eagerness to see what’s up there. Such an interesting conversation with a local lass; English is her second language but we manage to communicate. As the journey progresses, I begin to use words I know she understands. It’s amazing how we can communicate in limited circumstances.

The prom is occupied with early morning exercisers and workers, lighted up all along the way to the local town. The local police drive up and down and now I fully realise the safety of our surroundings.

As we approach our mountain, I learn a little about Los Ancones, a small coastal town of well-kept houses separated only by a few hundred meters from the tourist resort of Costa Teguise. The area is shaped like a quadrilateral on several slopes. From here the vision of the sea, almost always raging, breaking its waves against the random lava formations, is a spectacular sight.

The main interest of Los Ancones is volcanological. It is also of geomorphological and sedimentological interest. The powerful lava flows, which come from the Pleistocene volcanic cone of Montana Corona, spilled out until they reached the old coastline and entered the sea, forming one of the steepest capes in the eastern coast of Lanzarote.

A group gathers. Some trekkers, joggers, runners, locals, Spanish and some from all over, smiling, now happily awake and ready for the adventure ahead. A lovely introduction, a briefing of what’s to come and we are off. I’m out at the front, not a clue where I am going but I shoulder in beside the leader. I have to be up here in case I’d miss anything.

The light appearing, we run on the road through Costa Teguise for a mile, with a guided tour of the popular bars, restaurants and activities; a wonderful way of seeing the popular tourist town. As we begin to head for the outback on a dirt track, one can feel the African sand in the face, running along the cliff top, the sea on our right shoulder, fantastic views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Now I tuck in behind the leader to get some relief from the wind, the mountains are becoming nearer. We leave the road behind and cross onto a sandy, stoney, rubble trail, an uneven surface where running on the toes is the fastest way through.

We are all along this cliff top path until just before the second dry stone wall meets the cliff top; to the left a path crosses a sandy patch and leads to a larger dirt road. We’re paused and faced with large boulders of rocks; it even stuns the locals. What was once a road has been uprooted by the recent Storm Oliver, where the river flowed so fast and brought the road with it. We climb over the boulders for a quarter of a mile and thankfully are able to continue our run.

The climb begins, the wind becomes stronger, the sand harsher. The further north you go the trails become sandier and wider but the coastline more wild and rugged. This is a good feeling, a refreshing feeling, the sun begins to rise as we rise up, the warmth to be felt on our shoulders. The chats are enthralling too; I’m now being convinced to enter the mountain race in May. The adrenaline is pumping strong, the feel-good factor is on fire, and, of course, I’m easily convinced but then my mind’s eye sees the calendar at home. I’ll be out but not sure about May!

The summit is near but I don’t look up, as this part is steep. It’s beginning to feel quite hot, quite rocky in places underfoot, so concentration is now a must. The talk has calmed and so have we. I don’t believe in hanging around and so put the body to work and push on up, and a man behind takes the lead. On a wide-open unmarked mountain, one can veer off the beaten track and so to have a familiar guide leads one nicely to the top.

It is recommended to run this route at sunrise and I now know why. The sea splashes if the waves are big, the trails are windy if the wind is howling, and the beauty is highlighted when the sun begins to rise. We gather together. Photos are taken and I look all around. The route goes all the way up to Cocoteros before turning and heading back along the same coastal path to Costa Teguise.

I become inquisitive, wondering about the past, and the leader answers the call On the 30th of July 1586, the Algerian corsair Morato Arráez arrived in Lanzarote. With a fleet of seven galleys containing 1,000 men, he landed at night in the Los Ancones inlet. The next day they headed, almost unseen, to the town of Teguise, causing one of the most destructive pirate attacks on the island in the 16th century. The pirates laid siege to the Castle of Santa Bárbara, which overlooks the town. The invaders came mainly in search of slaves. Since the Canary Islands were located at the crossroads of the American routes, they were a favourable setting for international piracy since the misnamed discovery of the New World.

I see where we have travelled from, what we have run up and realise we don’t have mountains at home. It’s now like a party at the top refuelling. A talk given by one of the coaches while waiting, about the importance of keeping moving, refuelling and listening to the body in places like these.

We begin the descent. I love this surface type; a firm hard but safe downhill. I just go with the flow. I’m afraid to go too far ahead and so hang with my new ‘clubmate’. The metres just flow by when moving downhill, through a beautiful landscape with the wind at our backs, where the beauty is enthralling, the scenery eye catching and the conversation flowing.

The talks of races in May come up again and of course now I am up for anything. As we near the end I bid a very fond farewell but only for a short while as I will be back, when it fits in. For now, I am ready for another day of water, wind and sand, back at base with my loved ones.