The International La Bocaina Crossing, with 130 swimmers of various nationalities, produced this Saturday the two best times in its 20 years of history, two decades of overcoming, uniting the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura through a very tough 15-kilometer swim with departure in Playa Blanca and arrival in Corralejo. Juan Carlos Vallejo, a prominent Spanish swimmer in the Moscow 80 and Los Angeles 84 Olympic Games, broke the record for La Bocaina, setting a fantastic time of 3:28:08h, thus lowering the record of 3:39:44h set in 2012 by the Basque Guillermo Verdejo.
Rebeca Santos, double European and world master champion in open water, also writes her name in golden letters in the history of the La Bocaina Crossing. Rebeca Santos achieved a final record of 03:37:52h, which also surpasses Verdejo's 2012 mark and sets the women's record for the event.
Vallejo and Santos participated in La Bocaina in the challenge mode. Santos warned in Playa Blanca that her plan was to "start with a medium pace while warming up and then pull hard more or less in the middle of the crossing."
From seven in the morning, swimmers began to arrive at Playa Dorada, in the tourist town of Playa Blanca, and a good sporting atmosphere began to be felt minutes before the start of the race. At 07:45h the swimmers of the slow group left, later the middle group left, then the fast group and finally the components of the challenge mode, which consisted of making the crossing accompanied by a kayak and with their own supplies.
Before starting to swim, all the groups paid tribute to Carmelo Santana, winner of last year who recently passed away. The first deputy mayor of Yaiza, Ángel Domínguez, the Councilor for Sports, Ángel Lago, and the councilors Daniel Medina and Rubén Arca were next to the swimmers at the start.
The weather conditions accompanied the swimmers throughout the course. Nicolás De Smaelle Espino (04:13:34) and Raquel Quevedo (04:13:57) were the first to arrive within the fast group. All participants received a finisher trophy for completing the challenge. The complete classification can be found at www.tripasioneventos.com
After the arrival of all the participants to the Corralejo pier, the swimmers enjoyed lunch and shortly after the awards ceremony was held. The Councilor for Sports of the La Oliva City Council, Gleiber Carreño, and the Councilor for the Environment, David Fajardo, were at the event presenting the trophies and different distinctions to the swimmers. The 15-year-old from Lanzarote, Pablo Cedrés, was the youngest swimmer to participate in this 2019 edition.
The Open Water Association B15 Active has once again been the organizer of this event that mobilizes about 200 volunteers and countless logistical resources to guarantee safety. La Bocaina is sponsored by the Yaiza City Council, the La Oliva City Council, the Cabildo de Lanzarote, European Sport Destination by Turismo Lanzarote (ESPD), Promotur Canarias and Hotel Hesperia Playa Dorada.
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