Playa Blanca experienced a day full of emotions and solidarity this Saturday with the celebration of the Music Race Night, a sports and family event in which 300 runners participated, flooding the center and maritime promenade of the southern tourist town with joy, good vibes and sportsmanship for a good cause: raising funds for the residents affected by the La Palma volcano.
A great festive atmosphere prevailed from the early hours of the afternoon with light shows and music enlivening the center of the town, while the participants were approaching to collect their bibs. In the vicinity of the start and finish line, located at the taxi rank in the center of Playa Blanca, couples, groups of friends, families, well-known faces from the various sporting events that take place on the Island such as the Olympian José Carlos Hernández or Albi Cedrés, as well as sports teams of young southern triathletes who are already emerging in competitions, the recently created Fondo Sur Playa Blanca women's soccer team and, of course, many members of the Club Deportivo Triyaiza, organizer of the event together with the Yaiza City Council, were meeting.
As planned, the foot race began at 6:30 p.m. with the shortest distance, one mile, which was encouraged by most families with young children who wanted to do their bit to help their neighbors in La Palma, but also athletes who never leave the clock aside, always trying to beat their own records. The route took them along Limones Street towards the port, turning around on Avenida de las Canarias to return to the starting point crossing Avenida Don Jaime Quesada 'El Maestro'. This was followed by the 5 km starts, whose route added to the mile a route along Avenida Papagayo and El Berrugo to the Rubicón Shop & Fun Shopping Center with a return via Marina Rubicón and the promenade to the starting line; and the 10 km, in which athletes had to complete two laps of this same route.
The animation was maximum in the center of the town, where most of the public gathered, but it did not decline in the most distant points of the route where several stalls with lights and DJs, in addition to the live performances of the touch bodies of the municipality's comparsas Los Yaiseros and Los Timanfeiros, cheered not only the passage of the participants but also the public who accompanied their rhythms with cheers and applause.
At the end of the races, both comparsas approached the finish line, moving the public towards the center of Playa Blanca to enjoy the awards ceremony, since despite not being a competitive event as the absolute winner in the 10 km and one mile distances Tinguaro Quintero pointed out, "we are here to help La Palma", the first three in each distance, both in the men's and women's categories, received their corresponding trophies.
Winners of the three distances
In the one-mile distance, the men's podium was occupied by Tinguaro Quintero, Daniel Casanova and Akoran Rodríguez, while in the women's category it was headed by Sara Rivas, accompanied by Carla de Marco and Elisabeth Rosa.
In 5 km the men's victory went to Yerove Rodríguez from the south, followed by Alcorac Niz and Agoney Delgado; and in the women's category Sara Rivas repeated victory, accompanied in this distance by Cristina Capitán and Cristina Díaz.
Tinguaro Quintero also won the highest award in the long distance, the 10 km, escorted on the podium by Juan José Martín and Aladdin Bouhania; while M Yisel González was the women's champion, followed by Cristina Molina and Yadira Pérez.
The mayor of Yaiza, Óscar Noda, the Councilor for Sports, Ángel Lago, and Leandro Gutiérrez, representing Club Triyaiza, were in charge of presenting the trophies to the winners, as well as awarding a distinction to the athletes of the municipality Jonathan Umpiérrez, for having been the best Canary Islander classified in the 2021 MTB Police Championship, and Albi Cedrés, who has been proclaimed this year's Canary Islands Trail champion.
Without time for the public to be aware that the Music Race Night Playa Blanca was coming to an end, the music moved to Plaza del Carmen to put the finishing touch to an unforgettable day with the Juan Luis Guerra Tribute concert, the first post-pandemic concert held in the municipality that allowed people to stand, without distance and with the possibility of movement and dancing, although with a mask. Something that the attendees undoubtedly appreciated in view of the swaying caused by such popular songs by the Dominican singer-songwriter as 'Visa para un sueño' or 'La bilirrubina', among many others that were enjoyed both by those inside the venue and those who gathered in the vicinity.
The mayor of Yaiza, Óscar Noda, was pleased with the good reception that this first edition of the Music Race Night Playa Blanca has had, thanking the response from the residents of the municipality and the entire Island and pointing out that "Yaiza continues with sports, combining solidarity with our brothers and sisters in La Palma and giving a boost at the same time to the local economy of the central area of Playa Blanca."
For his part, the Councilor for the area, Ángel Lago, wanted to extend his gratitude, in addition to the supportive runners, "to all the companies that have collaborated to make the event possible."
