UTMB Tenerife BlueTrail 24K Review

We went to the Expo the day before, and it was one of the best ones I've been to. Lots of vendors selling items that we needed, like survival blankets and bars. They also had samples of each fuel type so you could see how it hit you. There was a huge presentation with the elite runners, and though it was done in Spanish (I'm not great at it, but I got the gist), it was really inspiring. It was right on the water in Puerto de la Cruz where all the races finish, and though the picture has clouds, it was largely the perfect day in a gorgeous place. 

One thing you should know is that the expo had no safety pins for your bib. Make sure you bring your own. 

This was the first year that the 24K was done at night, so we all took a bus up the mountain to where we started at Palo Blanco around 3:30 p.m. There were actually chairs to sit in, which is something I've never seen at a race. We were all ready to go, music blaring and everyone getting gear checks. That said, we ended up starting about 30 minutes late because one bus got lost on the way up. Unfortunately, that meant a lot more of the race was done at night. Normally, I love night races, but visibility would really have helped in this one. 

I will freely admit that I was not prepared for this race the way I should have been. You see the elevation on a page, but I truly had no idea that I would barely be running. This was far more like steep hiking in the mountains than anything else. When we finally started, it was pretty much straight up a hill, and friends, I'm warning you: Don't try to run it like I did. One of my new race buddies told me, "If you run a hill like that, you don't gain speed. You just lose power." He was absolutely right.

As you can see, the hills here are no joke. As I got up to the top and onto the trail (that first part was pavement), it was possible to run slowly for a bit. The scenery was breathtaking, truly, as we wound our way through the forest, and when we were around spectators, they couldn't have been more supportive! There were happy dogs, a very cute cat, and birds I've never seen before. The mist rose above us, and I thanked my lucky stars that I got a chance to experience this. 

I want to make that very clear, because this race was harder than any I've ever done, and I just finished my 18th marathon. (Maybe I shouldn't have done three marathons in 60ish days with the last one three weeks beforehand.) I loved this race, no matter how tough it was. The cut off times are very strict, so you have to time yourself, which I really didn't know. The other thing I didn't know was that, while the uphill part was wildly steep, the downhill was the dangerous part. You should also do some elevation training. I don't get elevation sickness, but the first few miles made me a bit dizzy, which cut into my time. Some of the path was single file at points, so there were a number of times where we were forced to stop and wait for people to clear out. 

The second hill when on for around two kilometers, and it just kept going up. This is not a hill you can run. These are very steep dirt and stone steps, and they just kept going. It was dark by the time I got into it, and while the track wound around, you could see how much higher you still had to go because of the headlamps everyone was required to carry. If you do this race (and if they do it again at night), bring one for your hand as well. I had two headlamps and carried one in my hand. Thank goodness I did, because the ground is very, very uneven, with sharp stones that might make you slide, even if you're walking. 

When I got to the top, I was thrilled with myself, because there were quite a number of times (particularly when I passed injured runners who pressed the SOS button on the app for assistance leaving the race) where I wondered if I could do it. I thought I was home free, but the downhill was really scary. If you do this race, bring poles. I didn't, nor did I expect to need them, but you definitely do. 

The path was muddy and sometimes very, very slippery, so it was almost impossible to run it in the dark. It was more of a series of tiny steps, grabbing onto things (and dripping blood from the cuts that resulted -- I looked like I'd been through a battle). On the first downhill, I hit a particularly slippery patch of stone and twisted my back really badly. I really had to do some mental gymnastics to keep going, but I'm so glad I did. I have never seen that many stars in the sky. The picture above is actually fairly far down the hill. (Thank goodness the injury was my muscle and not anything worse.)

Though I didn't quite make the final time cutoff (which sucks, because that part was actual running), it was really an incredible experience, and one that taught me a lot. I'm sure some of you know what it's like to run races that don't really require more training than you would normally do. I'm not even someone who usually fuels or drinks much during a full marathon. This required parts of my body and my brain that I'm not used to using, and in a way, it made me feel a brand new type of love for racing. This was a challenge in every sense of the word. I'm giving you the nitty gritty about the hard parts because I couldn't find any info about what it was like anywhere before I ran it myself. I spoke to a few girls from Spain who told me this year's course was much harder than last year, but I haven't confirmed that. 

This race reminded me that there is still so much to learn about running. It also showed me that I will not quit, no matter how hard it gets. It gave me access to a whole new group of runners, who do different types of training and races than I do, and opened up a whole new world. If you do this one, be prepared for a major challenge that will test you, body and mind. I would do it again in a second, particularly now that I know what to expect. I wish I'd been able to be more prepared, but I hope this will help anyone else who tries it.