Triathlons to Lanzarote are a bit like scandals to politicians – they happen on a fairly regular basis, and the island has long played host to the cruellest of triathlete tests with Ironman Lanzarote.

Last year the island held its first Ocean Lava Lanzarote Triathlon and it was such a huge success that the organisers are repeating the exercise this year on the 8th October 2011. Coming in at precisely half the distance covered by Ironman, it’s a chance for lesser mortals to participate in what is nevertheless a tough test of strength and endurance, as well as giving Ironman athletes a a real time workout.

The Stages
The Ocean Lava Lanzarote Triathlon begins at 8am with a 1.9km swim course which is held over two loops off Playa Grande beach in Puerto del Carmen. From there, athletes will dash for their bikes and set off on a 90km cycle ride which will take them through Lanzarote’s extraordinary and unique landscape of volcanoes and vines.

The biggest test on the cycle circuit is the energy sapping Fermés climb from 35 metres to 355 metres above sea level with a 20% incline to make the final push to the top. With Fermés mercifully behind them, participants then cycle through the volcanic wonderland of Timanfaya National Park before returning to Puerto del Carmen to face the final test.

On legs that by ordinary standards would now be fit only to take their owners to the nearest horizontal position, participants begin a 21.1km run over a three lap circuit along the sea front at Puerto del Carmen.

Be a part of Ocean Lava Lanzarote
The organisers anticipate that they can accommodate up to 1000 athletes participating and the early commitments are already off to a flying start with well over 100 registrations. The fee for participating in the event is €150 for individuals and €220 for a relay team. Registration is available online and is open up until 24th September 2011.

If you don’t see yourself as a triathlete, you can still participate by volunteering to help out on the day. Enthusiastic volunteers are needed for a multitude of tasks from helping to lay out the courses and areas to cleaning up when all the participants and crowds have dispersed. T shirts and food and drink are provided and you get to be a part of the wonderful atmosphere and camaraderie of the event. You can volunteer online at the Ocean Lava Lanzarote website.

Apart from rigorous training, a nutritional diet and super fitness levels, one if the things that keeps participants going on the day is the encouragement they get from the crowds. If you’re on  holiday at Sands Beach Resort over the weekend of 8th October 2011, why not apply the sunscreen, grab the sun hat and pop over to Puerto del Carmen on the Saturday to lend your support. It’s a great day out and you can enjoy the after triathlon party afterwards which promises to carry on until the early hours or as long as legs will hold up.

All photographs are from James Mitchell Photography

It’s funny how geographical features can sometimes be referred to in terms that completely belie their reality, like referring to the Atlantic Ocean as the pond. I mean, we’re talking over 4,500 nautical miles of ocean. The word understatement doesn’t really cover it.

Well El Rio (the river), which is what the participants in the Travesia a Nado El Rio have to swim, is a little bit like that. El Rio is the local name for the stretch of sea that divides Lanzarote from its satellite island of La Graciosa, the most north easterly point of the Canary Islands.  Unlike the mental image of a lazy, slow moving body of water that the name conjures up, the reality is a stretch of 2,600 metres of open water which can regularly take pleasure boat and ferry passengers to the brink of sea sickness and beyond.

On 24th September 2011, over 600 swimmers will make their way to the tiny harbour of Caleta del Sebo on La Graciosa where, beneath the fluttering bunting, and encouraged and supported by crowds of spectators, they will register for their race number, their dorsal and their chip. There will be synchronised warm up sessions, massages, sunscreen application and photo calls on the white sand paradise island before the swimmers are ferried to Playa Bajo Risco on Lanzarote’s northern tip of La Haría for the 12.30pm start of the race.

El Rio is part of the largest marine reserve in Spain and although the water is only 10 to 12 metres deep, it can swell in the middle and the undercurrents can be deceptive. Last year’s winner came home in a time of 34 minutes and 38 seconds and 586 out of the 650 starters finished the swim. It’s a fantastic day out for spectators and swimmers alike and it’s the most popular of all the Canary Islands swim events, particularly as it allows visitors to enjoy a taste of paradise on La Graciosa.

Registration
All participants in this, the 19th edition of the Lanzarote to La Graciosa Travesía a Nado El Rio, have to be accredited as fit to do the swim before they can register and there are flotillas of boats, lifeguards and a helicopter on hand to ensure their safety. Places are limited so if you want to participate, complete your online registration before the cut off date of 7th September 2011.

There are going to be some epic sea battles off Lanzarote’s shores in September as man goes up against what is considered by many professional fisherman to be the equivalent of the Barcelona of big game fishing; the sleek, blue and very dangerous marlin fish.

The IX Marina Rubicón Marlin Cup is three days of competition fishing followed by a post tournament blow out party at the port of Playa Blanca. It is also a qualifier for the IGFA offshore World Championship which concludes in Mexico next year and as such is bound to attract the world’s top big game fishermen. Over 50 boats are expected to participate.

Ironically, three days of competitive marlin fishing for marlin doesn’t mean that the fish of the day on menus in Lanzarote‘s restaurants is going to be what you might think is the obvious. The IGFA have a strong conservationist policy and are currently running a ‘Take Marlin Off the Menu’ campaign because of concerns about the threat to marlin populations posed by commercial overfishing.

The IX Marina Rubicón Marlin Cup takes place from 15th to 17th September 2011 at Playa Blanca.

Carmen opens the back of the van and takes out neat bundles of silver foil which she passes to each of us, along with an apple and a chocolate bar. “Lunch”, she smiles, as we head off towards Monte Corona, stopping every so often for Carmen to point out the native flora.

Born in Prague to a Czech mother and a Peruvian father, Carmen has lived on Lanzarote for eight years. Three years ago she set up Lanzarote Active Club in order to “start enjoying the things that are important to me” as she puts it.

Like so many of us, somewhere in between earning a living and raising a family, Carmen realised that the joy she got from doing the things she loved most – spending time outdoors and developing a deeper understanding of nature and her environment – was being sucked away by life’s necessities. But unlike most of us, she didn’t just sigh and carry on, she decided to do something about it. And that’s when she set up Lanzarote Active Club.

As we walk and chat, we can hear whistling and we look around to see two farmers trying to attract the attention of a Podenco (Ibizan Hound) who seems far more intent on tracking down rabbits than she does responding to her calls. After a while the farmers give up and disappear inside their finca. The dog begins to follow us at a distance. We continue on our hike, trekking the Cliffs of Famara with their jaw-dropping views over La Graciosa and watching an amazing aerial battle between two male falcons over the attentions of a female.

Still the Podenco follows us. Now she’s braver, rubbing her soft muzzle against our hands; her bright eyes and keen expression revealing her intelligence, her protruding ribs betraying a lack of regular food. When we arrive back at the van, Carmen puts the dog inside and we drive all the way back to the finca to deliver her to her owners. But it turns out they don’t own her. She’s a stray who’s been around for months and she’s clearly in need of care. Carmen resolves to keep her overnight and then to take her to Ladies Who Lunch – an animal protection organisation – who will find her a home.

That’s Carmen. Her caring nature ensures that everyone in her group is okay and is getting the experience they want from the trip. She always takes an extra sandwich on her guided walks for the dog who’s chained in the yard at the finca and she takes responsibility for a stray because it’s in need of help.

Two days later, Francesca is leading us on a hike to Peñas del Chache, her passion for vulcanology providing us with fascinating insights into the different types of volcanic eruptions that have formed Lanzarote. An encyclopedia of information, she points out to us the way that the terrain changes as time passes between eruption and present day and she explains the invaluable role algae play in the restoration of the planet.

Born in a small village outside Rimini where her mother still lives, Francesca exhibits a love verging on obsession for the environment in which she lives, at one point taking the entire group on a small detour rather than walk through a spider web across the path. Like Carmen, she stops to point out the various indigenous flora and to explain how the plants trap and retain moisture in this arid terrain. Her enthusiasm is infectious, as is her knowledge. By the time we get back to Sands Beach Resort, I find I can identify and name at least half a dozen plant species en route.

Later that evening we head into Arrecife for a wine tasting being held by Alena, the third member of the Active Lanzarote Club team. I come away with a deeper understanding of the wine culture on Lanzarote, knowing how to taste wine properly and a glow on my cheeks which must have come from the exertions of the day and couldn’t possibly have come from doing Alena a favour by draining the unfinished bottles…

With Active Lanzarote Club you don’t just get a walking guide who ensures your health and safety while showing you the best bits of Lanzarote, you also gain an understanding of botany, vulcanology and viniculture. And you get it while enjoying the company of what feels like friends – a family.

Incidentally, the Podenco never made it to Ladies Who Lunch, she was adopted by Carmen’s friend who already owned a Podenco and who fell in love with our stray while looking after her overnight. And they’re all living happily ever after…aaahhh