The Club La Santa Volcano Triathlon has long been a part of the early season triathlon landscape in Europe. The high profile training centre attracts both age-group and Pro athletes to the event – many of them likely in the middle of training camps at the venue!
There has been a long line of British winners in the women’s race on the island which – prior to today – went all the way back to 2015.
Previous Volcano Triathlon winners:
2021: Lydia Dant (GBR) / Raúl Lecuona Gil-Roldán (ESP)
2020: No race
2019: Lucy Charles (GBR) / Emilio Aguayo Muñoz (ESP)
2018: Alice Hector (GBR) / Emilio Aguayo Muñoz (ESP)
2017: Alice Hector (GBR) / Romain Guillaume (FRA)
2016: Alice Hector (GBR) / Kenneth Vandendriessche (BEL)
2015: Corinne Abraham (GBR) / Bert Jammaer (BEL)
Women
We’ve seen the swim strength of Spain’s Sara Perez Sala at several middle distance races over the past 12 months (she matched Lucy Charles-Barclay at Challenge Miami 2021 for example), and thus it was no surprise that she led the way today. Olympic distance this time, she clocked 19:08, to lead Kate Curran (GBR) by 1:45. Italy’s Giorgia Priarone held third place 2:24 behind the Spanish leader.
Lydia Dant, the defending champion (and Outlaw Half Nottingham winner last year), was outside the top-10 and more than four minutes back, though with her strongest disciplines to follow, far from out of contention.
Perez Sala continued to lead from the front, setting the fastest bike split (narrowly…), with Priarone moving up to second place. Defending champion Dant however made her move on two wheels, her 1:03:35 split just two seconds slower than the race leader. Perez Sala started the 10km run with a comfortable lead of more than four minutes, with Priarone and Dant just seconds apart. Another Italian, Marta Bernardi, was however less than a minute back. The race for first place looked clear already, but the rest of the podium was up for grabs.
36:45 for the 10km was enough for to complete a gun-to-tape win for Sara Perez Sala, while 34:36 and 34:20 for Priarone and Bernardi, respectively, secured them the podium positions, with defending champion Dant coming home in fourth
Men
There was an Italian double at the front of the men’s swim, with junior Miguel Espuna Larromona (18:14) 20 seconds up on Gregory Barnaby. Just a few seconds further back was Oscar Hobson, the talented son of long-time British elite athlete, Richard Hobson (who was going to have to use his legendary cycling legs to try and catch junior – though he was still leading the 55-59 division with a 23:07 swim!).
The 40km bike ride saw Barnaby take the lead, but Kristoffer Visti Graae (DEN) was showing the Danish cycling power, making up a minute and a half on the Italian on two wheels, to start the run just 47 seconds back. Per van Vlerken (GER), Chris Standidge (GBR) and Oscar Hobson were among the chasers onto the run, with close on 10 athletes still in podium contention.
Gregory Barnaby completed an all-round performance with a 31:15 run split to take the win, almost four minutes clear of Dieter Comhair (BEL) and the experienced German, Per van Vlerken (GER).
Club La Santa Volcano Triathlon 2022
Saturday 26th February 2022
1.5km / 40km / 10km
MEN
- 1. Gregory Barnaby (ITA) – 1:51:41
- 2. Dieter Comhair (BEL) – 1:55:37
- 3. Per van Vlerken (GER) – 1:56:13
- 4. Nicholas Ward Munoz (ESP) – 1:56:41
- 5. Kristoffer Visti Graae (DEN) – 1:56:56
- 6. Chris Standidge (GBR) – 1:57:05
- 7. Miguel Espuna Larromona (ITA) – 1:57:06
- 8. Oscar Hobson (FRA) – 1:57:50
WOMEN
- 1. Sara Perez Sala (ESP) – 2:03:38
- 2. Giorgia Priarone (ITA) – 2:05:48
- 3. Marta Bernardi (ITA) – 2:06:32
- 4. Lydia Dant (GBR) – 2:09:08
- 5. Marlene de Boer (NED) – 2:10:10
- 6. Diede Diederiks (NED) – 2:11:27
- 7. Zairo Lorenzo Perez (ESP) – 2:13:02
- 8. Anna Birrell (GBR) – 2:14:32
