Triumph of Prikulis and Oemus at Font Vella Lanzarote International Marathon

Triumph of Prikulis and Oemus at Font Vella Lanzarote International Marathon

Triumph of Prikulis and Oemus at Font Vella
Lanzarote International Marathon

International victories on a day marked by a great atmosphere and the growth of sports tourism

This Saturday, Lanzarote once again became a celebration of European athletics with the staging of the Font Vella Lanzarote International Marathon, in an edition that brought together more than 4,200 participants, setting a new record for participation in the island’s most popular sporting event.

At 8:00 a.m., the marathon started, with bibs sold out months in advance and more than 1,200 runners taking on a route that took them from Costa Teguise to Puerto del Carmen and back, passing through the municipalities of Teguise, Arrecife, San Bartolomé and Tías, with the Atlantic Ocean always as their travel companion.

In the men’s category, the Briton Denis Prikulis (Lochaber Athletic Club) was proclaimed winner with a time of 2:33:02, followed by Poland’s Maciej Napoleon Ogrodnik (2:33:14). The Spaniard Francisco José García Viñoly (CAPOL) completed the highly competitive podium with 2:33:36. In the women’s race, Germany’s Daniela Oemus (Nike Trail) dominated with an excellent 2:46:18, ahead of Norway’s Kristine Bolseth (2:55:10), while Spaniard Claudia Iglesias Acebes secured the third place with 3:01:14.

The Half Marathon began in Puerto del Carmen, also selling out registrations with nearly 2,000 participants. In the men’s race, Italian Ahmed El Mazoury (Sicilia Running Team) claimed victory with 1:10:36; second place went to Tenerife’s Tinguaro Quintero del Rosario (Tenerife CajaCanarias) with 1:12:59, and the podium was completed by Italian Enrico Cittadino with 1:13:05. In the women’s category, it was British dominance, with Emma Taylor (City of Stoke AC) as winner (1:21:22), followed by Kerry O’Flaherty (Newcastle AC) and Lucy Lavender, with 1:25:32 and 1:26:46 respectively.

The 10 km start took place in Arrecife, with 1,000 runners, including well-known names such as Jaume Leiva, Chema Martínez, and triathlete Iván Raña, sharing the course with hundreds of participants experiencing their first competition. In the men’s race, victory went to Spaniard Jaume Leiva Beato (IrunWithLeiva) with 31:56, followed by Britain’s Daniel Hawkins (32:51) and Spaniard Chema Martínez (Adidas), third with 33:05. In the women’s category, the fastest was Spain’s Mia Leadbeater (Chamodíaz) with 38:35; second place went to Ukrainian Yuliia Tarasova (Clonliffe Harriers) with 39:29, and third to Britain’s Katherine Jones (Woodstock Harriers AC) with 41:10.

The wheelers’ start was once again a very special moment, a category that continues to have major significance within this event, offering wheelchair athletes the opportunity to compete over a 21 km route. Before the race, a tribute was held to Paralympic athlete Marieke Vervoort, whose legacy remains alive on the island. Spain’s Jordi Madera Jiménez (C.A. Canovellas) won with 1:02:01, followed by Britain’s Matthew Clarke (1:04:51). Rob Smith (1:13:21) took second place, and Steve Montgomery (1:22:26) closed the classification, both representing Coventry Godiva Harriers.

After the runners’ arrival, the atmosphere continued at the Playa de Los Charcos car park, where athletes from all over Europe shared experiences and celebrated a new organizational success in island athletics. The medal ceremony was attended by Olivia Duque, Mayor of Teguise; Alejandro Ramírez, Sports Councillor for Teguise; and Ismael Cruz, Sports Councillor for Tías.

The director of Sands Beach Active thanked the athletes, volunteers, security forces, emergency services, institutions and sponsors for their support, especially Font Vella, represented by Alfredo Colado, for making an event of this scale possible. As a major final announcement, he confirmed that in just 10 days registrations will open for the 34th Font Vella Lanzarote International Marathon, to be held on December 5, 2026, with the commitment to once again bring together the great European running family in Lanzarote.

The event is organised by Sands Beach Active, with the main sponsorship of Font Vella, Promotur Canarias, and the support of the Island Council of Lanzarote, Lanzarote Sports Destination, local councils and other public and private entities.

Text Credits: Font Vella Lanzarote International Marathon
Photo Credits: Font Vella Lanzarote International Marathon
Video Credits: Font Vella Lanzarote International Marathon