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PlanB Coaching > Blog > Uncategorized > End of an Era: IRONMAN Lanzarote and Club La Santa Part Ways After 34 Legendary Years
In the world of endurance sports, some partnerships become so deeply intertwined with the identity of a race that it is impossible to imagine one without the other. Think of the Boston Marathon and Heartbreak Hill, or the Tour de France and the Alpe d’Huez. In the triathlon universe, that unshakable bond has always existed between Club La Santa and the IRONMAN Lanzarote.
However, the landscape of professional triathlon shifted dramatically this week. After 34 years of shared history, 50,000 athletes, and countless tales of suffering and triumph, Club La Santa and IRONMAN have announced they are ending their partnership.
As of the 2027 season, the iconic sports resort will no longer serve as the organiser or title sponsor of Europe’s oldest IRONMAN race .
For the triathlon community, this feels less like a business divorce and more like a seismic event. To understand why the ground is shaking, we have to look back at how a volcano blasted island in the Atlantic became the “Hell of the Triathlon” and what this split means for the future of the sport.
To understand the shock of this split, we have to go back to 1992. Kenneth Gasque, a man inducted into the IRONMAN Hall of Fame, was one of the first employees of Club La Santa. Having competed in the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, Gasque was struck by a strange realisation: the volcanic lunar landscape of Lanzarote felt exactly like the Big Island .
At the time, the IRONMAN brand was still finding its footing in Europe. Gasque had an ambitious, almost “crazy” idea: bring the race to Lanzarote. He managed to secure a few qualifying slots from the IRONMAN Germany race (back when it was held in Roth) and launched the first edition on May 30, 1992 . Just 148 brave souls toed the starting line that day.
That small beginning sparked a 34-year-long revolution.
Club La Santa didn’t just host the race; they were the race. Unlike corporate owned events that feel manufactured, the Lanzarote event had a soul. The resort, a mecca for age groupers from Northern Europe escaping the winter, provided the perfect infrastructure. The three outdoor 50-meter pools, the world-class bike center, and the endless running trails turned the event into a destination pilgrimage .
The race grew from a local challenge into a global monster. The tagline they used for years—“Normal limits do not apply”—wasn’t marketing hype; it was a warning .
For the uninitiated, the IRONMAN Lanzarote course is widely regarded as the most difficult on the IRONMAN circuit, often compared to the “original” brutality of Norseman or the Alpe d’Huez. It is the race that breaks the strong and humbles the elite.
The 2026 edition, set for May 23, will be the swansong for the Club La Santa era . The course is a sadistic tour of the island’s beauty:
The Swim: 3.8 km in the Atlantic Ocean at Puerto del Carmen. While beautiful, the currents and salt water provide a deceptive opening before the real pain begins .
The Bike: The stuff of nightmares. Athletes must tackle 180 km (112 miles) with over 2,500 meters of climbing. They ride through the lunar landscape of Timanfaya National Park (the Fire Mountains), face the crosswinds of the Famara cliffs, and grind up the Mirador del Rio. It is relentless, with zero flat sections to recover .
The Run: A three-loop marathon along the seafront. By this point, the sun is high, the humidity is suffocating, and the rolling terrain destroys quads that are already shot from the bike .
Legends have been forged here. Names like Paula Newby-Fraser, Peter Reid, Luc Van Lierde, Thomas Hellriegel, and Jan Frodeno have all conquered this specific terrain . More recently, Lucy Charles-Barclay has dominated here, famously stating that if you want a true test of your limits, this is the race to do .
The official announcement came on April 14, 2026. In a joint statement, both parties confirmed that Club La Santa will cease to organise and name the event starting in 2027 . While the press release was polite—featuring quotes about “gratitude” and “extraordinary legacies”—the silence regarding the reasons for the split was deafening .
However, looking at the tea leaves left behind over the last few years, the cracks in the relationship have been visible for some time.
The most significant red flag came in 2023. Club La Santa and IRONMAN pulled the plug on the IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote (the half-distance race). At the time, rumors swirled that the partnership was becoming strained, and the two sides simply couldn’t come to terms on a new agreement to keep the half-distance race alive .
While the race has a mythical status, its participation numbers have been in a worrying decline. The peak came in 2014, when a record 2,097 athletes finished the race. Post-COVID, the numbers have plummeted. Barring one year (2022), the race has struggled to break the 1,000-athlete barrier in recent seasons .
Why is this happening? Partly, the rise of competition. Spain now hosts multiple IRONMAN full-distance events, including IRONMAN Barcelona (known for its fast, record-setting course) and IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz . Why suffer in the Lanzarote wind when you can PR in Barcelona?
There is an underlying cultural tension here. Club La Santa is a family-owned, passion-driven resort. Kenneth Gasque built the race to promote the island and the experience. IRONMAN, now owned by the private equity group Advance (which also owns The New York Times and The Athletic), is a global corporate machine .
Negotiations have reportedly become more difficult over the years. It is likely that Club La Santa balked at the rising licensing fees imposed by the IRONMAN Group, or simply didn’t want to cede operational control to a multinational corporation . As one insider noted to Slowtwitch, the deal for a continued license simply couldn’t be reached .
The breakup is set to take effect after the 2026 edition. So, what does the future hold for the athletes?
Nothing changes yet. The 2026 race is happening on May 23. It is fully operational, and registration is currently open. If you have always wanted to experience the race with the “Club La Santa” banner flying high, this is your last chance .
The race is not dead. IRONMAN has made it very clear that they intend to keep the event in Lanzarote. Thomas Veje Olsen, Managing Director of IRONMAN for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, stated that they are committed to “honouring and building upon the remarkable legacy” .
IRONMAN has confirmed they are in “constructive discussions with the local government and relevant institutions” to keep the race going .
However, this is a risky move. The magic of Lanzarote is Club La Santa. The resort provided the central nervous system for the race and the logistics, the volunteers (hundreds of them), the pre race vibe, and the post-race recovery . Without that infrastructure, IRONMAN will have to build an event from scratch using only the course and the brand.
Club La Santa is not retiring. In fact, they are doubling down on their own identity. They have announced that they will continue to “build the legacy” through their own events. The resort is refocusing on races they fully control, such as:
Club La Santa Volcano Triathlon (the oldest triathlon in Spain).
Vuelta Ciclista a Lanzarote (cycling).
Lanzarote International Running Challenge.
4 Stage MTB Race .
Essentially, Club La Santa is betting on the “Club Life” brand over the “IRONMAN” brand.
As we process this news, it is worth looking past the corporate statements and participation numbers. What is being lost here is a specific flavour of suffering that is rare in modern sports.
In an era of “easy” courses, plastic medals, and sterile hotel conferences, IRONMAN Lanzarote stood defiantly analog. It was the race where the wind howled so loud you couldn’t hear your own breathing. It was where the lava fields reflected the sun directly into your eyes. It was where you saw Jan Frodeno walking (yes, walking) up a hill because the gradient was too steep even for a world champion .
Fabio Cabrera, the long-time race director, summed up the emotional weight of the split perfectly. He thanked the police, the civil protection, the volunteers, and the sponsors, noting that while they won’t organise it after 2027, “the IRONMAN family will always be special to Club La Santa” .
For the 50,000 athletes who have crossed that finish line in Puerto del Carmen, the feeling is mutual. You never forget your first IRONMAN, but you really never forget the one that tried to kill you in a volcano.
The Verdict:
This is the end of an era. While IRONMAN will likely find a way to keep a race on the calendar—perhaps moving the start/finish to a different part of the island—it will not be the same. The soul of the event was the symbiotic relationship between the athlete’s grit and the resort’s hospitality.
If you are a triathlete, you have one year left to pay your respects to the original. Book your spot for 2026. Go ride through the Fire Mountains. Go face the wind.
Because after 2026, the “Hell of the Triathlon” is entering uncharted territory, and the landlord won’t be home anymore.
Thinking of Entering Ironman Lanzarote in 2027? Get in touch
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