Category: Lanzarote

La Santa 2023

Over the years the club has had many group trips away. The Dublin marathon and the Majorca marathon (twice) in the 80’s. More recently, smaller groups have been to Amsterdam, Berlin and even Tokyo. There was a long weekend away for the iconic Ballycotton 10 (look it up) and there are gentle suggestions of a trip somewhere in the UK next year.

However, the one trip that has stood the test of time only came about because of war in Yugoslavia! In 1990, there were plans to go to the Split marathon, but when war broke out following the collapse of the Berlin Wall, that went out the window and someone came across the Lanzarote International Challenge. Four races in four days, sunshine and beer, what more could you want? That first trip took about thirty people and it has been going every year since (2020’s Covid closure excepted). read more

Thirty Trips and Counting

The rain was lashing the car as we overtook some bedraggled cyclists after cresting a hill in the middle of the island. It was early on a November Saturday afternoon and we hadn’t come to Lanzarote for British weather! As we headed back towards the coast, the rain eased and finally ceased almost at the moment we got our first view of Club La Santa sitting adjacent to the lagoon in solitary splendour.

Our family of four, together with four ladies from LBAC, a small MKAC family and a random Irishman were the final arrivals in our 32 strong group that had gone to “Grotty” for holiday with a bit of running included. It was the 30th time that LBAC had trip for the event and remarkably there are still a few going who were there in 1990 for the second International Challenge. As you would expect, much has changed in the intervening years, but the atmosphere remains pretty similar. read more

Podium Finish in the Sun

By Chris Large

The club’s annual overseas trip is to Club La Santa, one of the world’s leading sports resorts which is on the north of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. There are loads of activities available on the site and there is of course The International Running Challenge which is a set of four races at the end of November.

Club La Santa is a Danish-run resort which provides a training base for amateurs and some elite teams alike. In fact the Belgium Olympic Team visit regularly and the U20 GB Ladies Wheelchair Basketball team also recently stayed, while we’ve been out here in the past with Johnny Brownlee and Angelique Kerber. This year the Danish ´help for heroes´ army/air force veterans were here. There really are a huge range of sports to fit into your stay including all the racquet sports, wind surfing and crazy golf(!) to name but a few in addition to the three Olympic size swimming pools. read more

International Challenge Number 4

By Chris Large

Back in spring 2016 I received the annual email from Richard Inchley asking if I wanted to go along on the International Running Challenge 2016 trip to Lanzarote.  For those who don’t know about it, it is four consecutive races on four consecutive days each November.  Competitors stay at Club La Santa which is a purpose-built sports resort based on the north side of Lanzarote.  So the answer for whether or not I wanted to take part again was “is the Pope Catholic?!”.

This was to be my fourth experience of running ‘The Challenge’.  It has proved to be a great motivator for me to get fit in the winter months.  Although I try to keep my fitness level quite high throughout the year, this tends to be through doing lots of classes, rather than getting out running.  I’d started to put a few pounds on and this was made worse by the fact that I had a nasty fall off my bike in July, leading me to leave it broken in the corner of my living room.  Trips to the shop in Heath and Reach tended to be by car for that last minute pint of milk, rather than jumping on my bike and heading up Birds Hill.  I had very much lost my confidence and was burning petrol rather than burning fat! read more

What? No Crazy Golf!

By Andy Inchley

“Oh no! What are mum and dad going to do with their afternoons?” This was the immediate thought that crossed the minds of both Amy and I when we discovered that the crazy golf course at Club La Santa (CLS) was being rebuilt while we were there this year.

Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely loads to do, but mini golf (as CLS call it) is an absolute staple of our time in Lanzarote and when legs are weary from racing it’s a great way to pass the time and take in the sun while retaining a level of friendly competition. However, this is true of Mr & Mrs Inchley Senior more than anyone else! read more

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