Timothy Olson on the podium at The North Face® Transgrancanaria 2014

The American athlete was running the Spanish race for the first time and claims being impressed by its difficulty

For immediate release, Lugano, Switzerland, March 3th, 2014: The North Face®, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, celebrates 3rd place for The North Face® athlete Timothy Olson at the 125km ultra-race of The North Face® Transgrancanaria, Gran Canaria, Spain, 28nd-1th March, 2014, second stop of the Ultra Trail® World Tour.
At the stroke of midnight (GMT) Friday 28th of February 2014, almost 600 runners from across the world began the long night’s run of 125km through the National Park of Roque Nublo, tackling the varied and demanding terrain that the island has on offer. Starting at Agaete, in the north of the island, the runners of the 125km race climbed to an accumulated height gain of 11,000m, to a maximum height of 1,949m at the highest point of the island, finishing at the lighthouse of Maspalomas, in the south, on Saturday afternoon.
In a time of 14h 39m 3s and facing strong winds and variable temperatures from 4-26°C, The North Face athlete, Tim Olson secured third place on the 2014 podium. South African Ryan Sandes took first place arriving at the finish line in 14h 27m 42s, followed by the French athlete Julien Chorier (14h 36m 28s).
“It has probably been one of the most difficult and technical races I have ever done, and the fact of being the first one of the season hasn’t helped!” declared an exhausted but happy Tim Olson.
In the women’s category, Nuria Picas (ESP) took first place in a fantastic time of 16h 44m:55s. Francesca Canepa (ITA) overtook Fernanda Maciel at the last part of the race to secure second place in a time of 17h 29m 18s, just 2 minutes before the Brazilian and The North Face athlete (17h 31m 57s).
Marking the start of the ultra-running season, The North Face Transgrancanaria featured races for all levels of runners at various distances: Transgrancanaria (125 kilometers), Advanced (82), Marathon (44), Starter (30) and Promo (17.4). More than 2850 people have participated in The North Face® Transgrancanaria, a race that aimed to bring the mountain closer to everyone, without any kind of impediment.
The North Face® Transgrancanaria 2014 125km Podium:
Men
1- Ryan SANDES 14:27:42

2- Julien CHORIER 14:36:28

3- Timothy OLSON 14:39:03
Women
1- Núria PICAS 16:44:55

2- Francesa CANEPA 17:29:18

3- Fernanda MACIEL 17:31:57