Mention Ferrari F1 training in Lanzarote and you’d be forgiven for imagining Fernando and his fellow drivers tearing through the volcanic landscape in supercharged vehicles… but you’d be completely mistaken.

To prepare for the F1 2012 season, team Ferrari visited Lanzarote in January and took advantage of the climate, the terrain and the island’s first class sporting facilities to boost their stamina and fitness by kayaking, swimming, tennis, football, basketball and running. In fact everything but driving.

The team did actually get to tackle the volcanic landscape on vehicles with tyres but on this occasion it was ones with two wheels and no engines.

Funnily, the most difficult sporting activity for F1 drivers Fernando Alonso, Felipe Masa and Jules Bianchi seemed to be swimming. Luckily there’s no great requirement to be good at the crawl to be able to succesfully drive the world’s fastest cars.

As well as improving fitness, the video shows that Ferrari’s time spent on Lanzarote worked as a team building exercise with the drivers who clearly had a great time on the island, enjoying winter temperatures of over 20c throughout their week.

A comment from Fernando Alonso revealed why Lanzarote offers much more than just excellent training facilities and a year-round sportsperson friendly climate.

“We discovered amazing places here…” he says in the official video.

The great thing is, you don’t have to be one of the most famous F1 drivers on the planet to do the same.

Thanks to Julie from Lanzarote Information for bringing the video of Ferrari’s visit to our attention.

The island’s landscape, facilities and climate make it hard to beat for sport related activities, whether relating to training or competitive events, and in a couple of weeks we welcome the return of the  Third Vuelta Playa Blanca. It’s a cycle race which is a perfect illustration of why Lanzarote is a paradise for all sportsmen and sportswomen.

For those who don’t know about it, the Vuelta Playa Blanca is a cycle race with a bit of a difference as the 70+ contestants race through Playa Blanca’s streets using hand cycles. The race starts in the centre of Playa Blanca at midday on the 12th February and Sands Beach Resort will be there as usual to cheer on one our sponsored athletes and good friend, Rafa Botello.

Although the big race takes place on Sunday the 12th, there’s another, less competitive, event on Saturday 11th  February. The 1st Concentración Ciclista de Lanzarote is open to everyone of all ages (participants  under 13 must be accompanied by an adult) and cycling abilities and bikes of any sort from leisure to mountain to handbikes. The 1st Concentración Ciclista de Lanzarote starts at H10 Timanfaya Palace at 11.00 (registration drom 10.15am) and finishes at Puerto Marina Rubicon… well, whenever you get there.

Registration is free, but a contribution of €3 (which goes to the TriWWW charity supporting people with disabilities through involvement in sporting activities) will ensure your name is entered in a draw and you’re in with a chance of winning some great prizes including dinner at some of Lanzarote’s top restaurants, T-shirts and loads more.

As always, the Vuelta Playa Blanca promises to be an hard fought and exciting race and the events planned around it, like the 1st Concentración Ciclista de Lanzarote, a lot of fun.

Lying on the south east coast of Lanzarote where, sheltered from the dominant NE winds of the area and protected from high waves by the presence of the islands of Fuertaventura and Lobos it’s the ideal base for sailing, is the deluxe marina of Puerto Calero, venue for the 2012 RC44 Cup to be held from 8th to 12th February 2012.

The RC44 is a boat which is suitable for both lake and coastal conditions and is effective in both fleet and match racing. Designed by Andrej Justin and first created in 2005 from an idea by New Zealand sailor Russell Coutts (RC) to develop a smaller and more portable America’s Cup class, the RC44′s scoop, keel and mast can be dismantled so that the boat fits into a 40′ container for easy transportation. So popular has the boat proved to be that in just five years the class has expanded across three continents. The RC44 has been gracing the off-shore seas of Lanzarote since 2007.

The picturesque marina of Puerto Calero first opened her floating pontoons in 1989 with 220 berths and has been expanded over the years to 420 berths for boats up to 60 metres in length and 20 super yacht berths for boats between 25 and 50 metres. As well as sailing, the nautical contingent can indulge in sea kayaking, fishing, diving or heading out on a submarine safari while the family landlubbers get to grips with golf, squash or tennis. And with brand label boutiques lining up alongside restaurants whose menus range from Britain to China, via Italy and Argentina, the focus is very firmly on leisure.

Having ended their 2011 World Cup season here in November last year, the RC44 class returns to Puerto Calero in February to kick off their 2012 racing calendar. For spectators, the event promises to be an exciting two days of racing over Thursday 9th and Friday 10th February, and with all the additional razzmatazz of an International boating event, Puerto Calero is the place to be.

Photos from www.rc44puertocalero.com and marina.puertocalero.com

What is it about Lanzarote that produces athletes made from girders? Is it the stark, volcanic terrain that transfers its rugged nature to the island’s inhabitants or perhaps the near constant breeze that instils a spirit of man pitted against the elements? Either way, Mother Nature is certainly to be held partly responsible for producing an island whose terrain and weather create such a perfect setting for athletes to train and compete 365 days a year. The rest is down to the friendliness and warmth of the participating athletes, organisers and spectators that make Lanzarote such a unique sporting venue.

Home to the extraordinary rigours of the annual Lanzarote Ironman competition, Lanzarote is rapidly becoming one of Europe’s foremost triathlon venues and the first triathlon of 2012 is just around the corner.

Organised by Enduroman in conjunction with Lanzarote Cabildo and officially registered with IUTA (International Ultra Triathlon Association), the Second Enduroman Lanzarote will be held over the weekend of the 4th and 5th of February in the island’s southern resort of Playa Blanca. Four individual events will be held simultaneously over the weekend allowing athletes to choose which distances suit them best. The four categories are:

Double Enduroman: 7.6km swimming; 360km cycling; 84km running – entry fee €285
Enduroman: 3.8km swimming; 180km cycling; 42km running – entry fee €190
Half Enduroman: 1.9km swimming; 90km cycling; 21km running – entry fee €110
Olympic Enduroman: 1.5km swimming; 40km cycling; 10km running – entry fee €40

Athletes competing in the triathlons will each receive a race bag, gels and isotonic during the race, a finishing T shirt and medal. Winners will get prize money of:
Double Enduroman €350
Enduroman €250
Half Enduroman €150
Olympic Enduroman €100

The Course
The swim section will be held from the resort beach in Playa Blanca with the Double, Enduroman and Half Enduroman swimmers completing eight, four or two laps respectively around a 950 metre circuit. The Olympic Enduroman swimmers will complete 2 laps of a 750 metre circuit.
The cycle segment will take riders around a 15km return circuit beginning in the centre of Playa Blanca along the coastal road to Charco de Los Clicos.
Runners will pound a 2630 metre circuit from the town centre, heading along the promenade towards Marina Rubicon and will complete 32, 16 or eight laps according to their category. Olympic Enduroman runners will continue the circuit for a further 700 metres and will complete three laps to make up their 10km distance.

The deadline for registration for Enduroman Lanzarote 2012 is 31st January 2012 and you can apply online.

Sun, sea, sand and sports
Whether you’re an athlete, a support crew member, a volunteer or a spectator, Enduroman Lanzarote is a chance to enjoy one of the island’s newest resorts and experience the warmth and friendliness of its world class sports facilities and competitions.

Just 5 nautical kilometres from the neighbouring Canary Island of Fuerteventura, Playa Blanca has regular ferry crossings between the two islands. Its long, golden beach was the site of the first Europeans to invade the Canary Islands at the beginning of the 15th century and changed little over the ensuing years until the 1980s when it was developed for tourism.

Very much Lanzarote’s quieter resort, Playa Blanca provides the perfect setting for Enduroman Triathlon and is in easy distance of Sands Beach Resort.

Photos Bob Foy

Fast paced and skilful, handball is a major sport in Europe and a firm favourite in Spain. Sands Beach Resort are proud to be a key sponsor of the 2012 International Mens Handball Tournament held in Arrecife, the Lanzarote capital. Working closely with the Lanzarote cabildo (government) and Lanzarote Tourism, Sands Beach will be eager to see some hard fought games.

Sands Beach is a natural partner for this event as the beachfront hotel is both a family and sporting centre and is used to hosting visitors from many action sports. The 2012 tournament runs from 6^th to 8^th January and features Spain, Tunisia, and Argentina, all top ranking nations on the world stage. All games start at 1pm and entrance is free.

The action starts on Friday 6^th January with Spain v Argentina, continues the next day with Argentina v Tunisia, and concludes in the 8^th January with Spain v Tunisia. The venue is the Palicio de los Deportes in Arrecife, just a 15 minute drive away from Costa Teguise. Pop along if you get the chance and see why this game grips the Spanish nation.

Lanzarote kindly provided us with her usual temperate winter climate of sunny intervals in a balmy 19ºC with a breezy accompaniment – ideal conditions for everyone who was working up a sweat running or helping with the event. In all, some 2000 people were on hand, most of them around the finishing line, to witness the day and help to make it such a huge success.

At the centre of the activity were the athletes themselves, almost 650 in all, many of whom had travelled from great distances to be with us, including the winner in the women’s full marathon, Pilar Mahamud, who came from running in the New York marathon and is heading to Alicante next. Most chose to run in the half and quarter marathon distances with some 250 runners in each, while the full marathon attracted around 100 runners.

Amongst those competing were some 14 reduced mobility athletes, some of them International success names such as our own Rafael Botello (above), Denis Lemeunier who recently achieved a third place result in New York, and Claude Issorat the Olympic and Paraolympic Champion. Special applause goes to our Sands Beach Resort runner José Carlos Hernández, Canary Islands Marathon record holder, who clocked up first place in the quarter distance. Well done, José!

Sands Beach Resort would like to extend a HUGE gracias to the 150 volunteers who helped to ensure everything ran smoothly; to the Costa Teguise Triathlon Club for their invaluable support and above all to the Sands Beach CB Grubati Basketball Club – it’s fair to say we simply could not have done it without all you guys We also owe a debt of gratitude to the Civil Protection and to our neighbours, the residents of Costa Teguise for their support and help on the day.

Thanks also go to James Mitchell for his own marathon session in capturing the day in such wonderful images and don’t forget, you can purchase high resolution pictures of the day from James for the paltry sum of €5 each and all proceeds will go to support TriWWW who work so tirelessly to ensure the field for all athletes will always be a level one.

To all our winners and runners-up, many congratulations, and to everyone who participated  – well done and thank you for making the Lanzarote International Marathon 2011 such a success. You are all superstars in our book

Winners and Runners-Up in the Lanzarote International Marathon 2011

Full Marathon Distance:
Women – 1st place Pilar Mahamud (above) (03:14:30); 2nd place Minna Syvälä of Finland (03:17:27); 3rd place Heli Lehtinen of Finland 03:30:47
Men – 1st place Marcos Diehl of Germany (top photo) (02:37:40); 2nd place Haj Atef of Finland (02:49:14); 3rd place John Nagelhout of Northern Ireland (02:54:51)

Half Marathon Distance:
Women –  1st place Aroa Merino of Lanzarote (01:20:50); 2nd place Maja Stage of Denmark (01:24:09); 3rd place Christina Hedegaard of Denmark (01:26:39)
Men – 1st place Miguel Vaquero Agauna of Spain (above left) (01:08:48); 2nd place Victor del Corral of Spain (above right) (professional triathlete) (01:13:19); 3rd place Thomas Trampedach of Denmark (01:16:31)

Quarter Marathon Distance
Women – 1st place Tamara Sanfabio of Spain (current Spain marathon record holder) (00:39:02); Lisbeth Pedersen of Norway (00:40:48); Summer Ibrahim of Spain (00:41:21)
Men – 1st place José Carlos Hernández of Lanzarote (00:32:57); 2nd place Francisco José García viñoly (00:33:52); 3rd place Javier García Gómez (00:35:56)

Wheelchair Marathon:
1st place Denis Lemeunier of  France (above); 2nd place Simon Lawson of Great Britain; 3rd place Claude Issorat of France

Copias digitales de alta resolución de las fotos del Maratón de Lanzarote se pueden comprar por 5 €. Todos los ingresos irán a la TriWWW. Por favor, póngase en contacto con James Mitchell. Los pagos sólo a través de Paypal o transferencia.

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Sands Beach Resort are proud to be amongst the sponsors of this year’s competition final which will see pilots hanging in their cradles beneath their gliders like static-winged butterflies floating across Lanzarote’s extraordinary landscape. Each pilot will be competing to pick up a trophy and title in the Canaries Open and the Canary Islands Champion 2011 competitions which are being held in parallel over the 4th to the 10th December 2011.

Delta Wing gliders are so called after the shape of the wings which mirrors the Greek letter ‘delta’. Pilots are suspended beneath the hang glider in a cradle supported by an aluminium frame and usually they adopt a prone position to ride the updraughts and steer by pendulum movements which shift the centre of gravity.

Flying High in Lanzarote
Located within a sub-tropical high pressure belt and experiencing near-constant trade winds, Lanzarote is an ideal island for the use of hang gliders. Throw into the mix its semi-desert lack of rainfall which averages little over 200mm annually and a topography that means there are take off points on the island for just about any wind direction and you’ve got the perfect conditions for competition flying.

Access to taking off points is easy, take off will be on foot and the island is small enough that if your wind direction changes you can locate a fresh head wind within 20 minutes. All of which adds up to the prospect of an exciting competition for both pilots and spectators.

Entry to the XV Canaries Open
The International Canaries Open 2011 Championship is open to all pilots with the appropriate rating and federal license in force and you can register online here. The registration fee is 30 € for Canaries pilots and 60 € for everyone else. Trophies will be awarded to the winner of the Canarian category who will be awarded Canarian Champion 2011 and to 2nd and 3rd placed Canarios; to the winner and 2nd and 3rd places in the International category and to team/club, sport and female categories.

At registry pilots must provide:

• Sporting License.
• FAI sporting license
• At least 1 GPS, 3D GPS recommended for flight verification (also recommended a backup GPS) for registration.
• Pilot, team leader (if any) and driver mobile telephone numbers. Any other contact numbers available
• Receipt for payment of entry fees

Closing date for registration is 18.00 on the 3rd December 2011.

Entries and pilot briefings will be held at Sands Beach Resort on December 3rd at 14.00 and 15.00 respectively.

Annual Fight Night featured a programme consisting of two thrilling battles. There was nothing to separate Bob Hoskins and David Timmo in the first whilst Brian Timmo Junior took the honours against Mark Preston in the second bout.

Although Annual Fight Night offers a hit for boxing fans on holiday or living in Lanzarote, one of the most interesting things about it is the gym where it’s held, or more accurately its inspirational owner, boxer Dave Payne.

At 71 he’s still a rock of a man and known and respected, apart from his boxing skills, for the work he does teaching young people on the island discipline and a code of conduct using boxing and training at his gym as tools.

Last year Dave was the subject of a mesmerising short film by the immensely talented photographer  and film-maker John Hicks. The Hardest Fight is just over three minutes long yet packs a punch as hard as one of Dave Payne’s bare knucklers.

Anyone from 14 years and up is welcome to train at Dave’s gym, whether professional or beginner, English or Spanish speaker. He’s open from 9am to 7pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and from 11am to 1pm on Saturdays.

If you want to find out more about the gym or this charismatic ‘film star’ boxer, call Dave on +34 639 987 629  or send an email to davepaynegym@hotmail.co.uk

Annual Fight Night Photos by James Mitchell

What are Sundays for? Washing the car, long lunches with the family, lazy afternoons on the beach? Not if you’re thinking of running in the Lanzarote International Marathon 2011 they’re not, they’re for getting into your stride with the Sands Beach Resort ‘Train With Us’ club.

Every Sunday morning from 9.30am to 12.30pm, the Train With Us team take visitors and residents through the techniques of running, including proper stretching and warm up routines, both in the gym and at the beach in Costa Teguise.

Presented by Canarian running champ Jose Carlos Hernandez and Sands Beach Resort’s Wellness Centre resident sports physiotherapist Juan Montero, the sessions are aimed at all ages and all abilities and are free to join. Although in Spanish, many of the instructions are decidedly visual in nature which, along with no shortage of helpful unofficial translators, ensures that everyone is able to understand and participate on an equal footing (no pun intended).

Aside from helping you to develop more efficient running styles and prevent injury, the sessions are great fun and a good way to ensure that when you take your place at the start line for any of the races lined up for the Lanzarote International Marathon on Sunday 4th December, you’ll see lots of familiar and friendly faces on the line next to you.

So tomorrow, leave the car wash sponge under the sink, defer the beach until the afternoon and head along to Sands Beach Resort to join the enthusiastic ‘Train With Us’ gang for some professional advice on your running techniques. Everyone’s welcome

You’ll find lots more of photographer James Mitchell‘s images of the Train With Us club here.