Running on a volcano's rim - the race in the shadow of an eruption

There had been warnings. A cluster of mini earthquakes started nether nan Cumbre Vieja ridge connected 11 September.

Then connected 19 September, nan eruption began a small westbound of nan ridgeline. The first lava flows snaked down slopes.

Homes were evacuated, livestock moved crossed nan land and farmers raced to defender aliases salvage their crops.

There was small they could do. Houses were swamped, roads barricaded and fields buried by molten flows and layers of ash.

Ten days aft nan eruption had started, nan lava travel completed its 6km (3.7 mile) travel crossed La Palma, falling, steaming, into nan Atlantic Ocean.

La Palma’s erstwhile eruption successful 1971, from nan southbound of nan aforesaid ridge, went connected for a month. The 2021 eruption lasted for 85 days.

Having had to cancel nan 2020 title because of nan coronavirus pandemic, Transvulcania's organisers were near pinch nary prime but to scratch nan 2021 event.

In that moment, it was nan slightest of nan island's worries.

Ultimately much than 7,000 group had to beryllium evacuated and much than 3,000 properties were destroyed, on pinch farmland covering astir 1,500 shot pitches.

The financial harm was estimated arsenic 862.7m euros (£729m).

Now, though, Transvulcania has returned to thief La Palma recover, on pinch 2 of Britain’s champion trail-runners.