Every time I go on holiday I tell myself that I will keep active and go for a couple of runs. So with that in mind, while packing for two weeks in Lanzarote over Christmas I included my trainers.  The weather was exceptionally good for December with a minimum of 20 degrees every day before about 11 in the morning.  I stuck to my guns and made myself get up and do a few runs along the sea front.  The island is both a runners and cyclists dream in terms of infrastructure with dedicated bike lanes and wide pedestrian paths.  As luck would have it there was also an organised race taking place. I signed up to the Be Brave & Run 5k challenge.

The event was split out over a number of distances and start times. There were distances to suit everyone from 200 metres to 5km.  Naturally I opted for the 5k one and headed off to Playa Blanca in the south of the island on the morning to pick up my race number.

Race Number Pick Up

The race was an out and back one with the start and finish line placed just out side the Princesa Yaiza hotel which was hosting the event for the day.

Start & Finish Line

The route as mentioned started outside the hotel and travelled along the coast to Marina Rubicon and then back again. It was a gorgeous scenic route to run along and a great way to see some of the island that I hadn’t visited before.

Course Route

Route along the coast

By 11.30 in the morning the sun was high in the sky and it was over 20 degrees.  I wont’ lie, despite the fact it was only a 5k run I was sweating buckets and I actually found it quite tough. I did nevertheless manage to finish the run in under thirty minutes and rewarded myself with a cold pint of beer to cool down.

All Done!