This past weekend, the eleventh edition of the 'Emmax Crossing' was held, a well-established event on the island calendar and part of the 'Lanzarote Open Water Swimming Cup' circuit. This year, nearly 250 swimmers have opted for this event, which also included a coastal cleanup in its program of activities to promote environmental awareness. In the 5,000-meter course, which started at the emblematic Charco de San Ginés, the British triathlete, Fenella Langridge (01:03:48) achieved victory, although only one second later, the veteran Olympic swimmer, Juan Carlos Vallejo 'Kimbo' (01:03:49) entered, who had been her battle companion throughout the course.
The 'Emmax Crossing' began on Saturday afternoon with the delivery of bib numbers and chips in the tent that the organization had installed on Playa Honda Avenue. At the same time, several people were encouraged to carry out a coastal cleanup, an activity that the organizers had prepared to launch an environmental message and with the aim of promoting "good practices" so that waste does not end up in the sea.
The competition arrived on Sunday. The first to touch the water were the participants of the 5,000 meters who departed from the Las Bolas Bridge (Arrecife) at 9:45 a.m. The good sea conditions throughout the course meant that the participants enjoyed each stroke, feeling at all times the safety of the support boats and kayaks. After the arrival of the first two classified of each gender, Kat Mathews and Natalia de Marco closed the podium in the female category. In the male category, the second position was for David González and Bruno Castro entered as third.
From La Concha Beach at 10:45 a.m., the 2,000-meter course was started. The distance with the highest number of participants in this edition and which is valid for the 'Lanzarote Open Water Swimming Cup'. After just over twenty minutes of swimming, Andreu Jaén (00:23:03) reached the finish line, Juan José de Armas arrived in second position and Herminio Fernández as third. In the female category, the victory was for Kennedy Hope (00:24:10), Naira Jaén as second and Lucía Vázquez closed the podium.
The children's routes (150, 400 and 1,000 meters) and the special route for participants with functional diversity were the next to enter into action. The smiles and hugs after crossing the finish line, located on Curita Beach, were the "best reward" for the brave participants in these categories. The last competition that was held was the popular 1,000 meters for those adults who are starting in swimming and for the participants who wanted to accept the challenge of the Power mode (5,000 meters + 1,000 meters). Sarah Bonner achieved victory in the 1,000 meters and Juan Carlos Vallejo 'Kimbo' was the winner of the 'Power' mode. All classifications can be consulted on the website.
The awards ceremony closed this new edition, which was attended by several councilors from the San Bartolomé City Council and members of the organization.
