So When Was the First IRONMAN Lanzarote? 30 May 1992. That is the date. 148 people turned up to swim 3.8 kilometres in the Atlantic, cycle 180 kilometres across exposed volcanic roads and then run a full 42.2 kilometre marathon at the end of it. In Lanzarote. In May. The race finished on the seafront avenue of Puerto del Carmen and IRONMAN now describes it as Europe's oldest race on the circuit. If you want more than just the date, keep reading, because the story of how this race ended up on a small volcanic island in the Canary Islands is actually a good one.
The Man Behind It A Danish sports figure called Kenneth Gasque started the whole thing. He arrived in Lanzarote in 1983 and worked at Club La Santa, the sports resort in Tinajo on the northwest of the island. A few years later he went to Hawaii and raced at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. That trip changed things. Kona is not just a race. It is a whole sporting culture built around one very difficult day in a very dramatic landscape. Gasque came back to Lanzarote, looked at the volcanic roads, the wind, the open terrain and the year-round training conditions, and decided Lanzarote could do the same thing for Europe. Slowtwitch reports he came up with the idea specifically to promote both Lanzarote and Club La Santa, negotiated qualifying places with IRONMAN and put on the first race in 1992. Lanzarote Deportes calls him the man behind IRONMAN Lanzarote, which is probably the most straightforward way to describe it. Drive through La Geria or along the roads near Timanfaya and you get an immediate sense of what Gasque saw. The scenery is extraordinary, the wind is relentless and there is nowhere to hide on long stretches of road. For people who do endurance sport on purpose, that is exactly what they are looking for.
Why This Island Specifically? Because Lanzarote is not easy and that was always the point. The wind here is not occasional. It arrives with opinions and it does not care that you have 80 kilometres left on the bike. The roads are exposed. Large sections of the course run between black lava fields with wide open skies and no shade at all. The heat is a factor, particularly for athletes coming from cooler climates. The climbs are not dramatic alpine switchbacks but they keep coming, often into a headwind, which adds up. IRONMAN's official race page calls Lanzarote Europe's historic IRONMAN and the oldest IRONMAN in Europe since 1992. The difficulty of the course was not something the race organisers had to work around. It was the entire reason for choosing this island over somewhere more comfortable.
What Club La Santa Had to Do With It Pretty much everything, at the start. Club La Santa in Tinajo was where Gasque worked, where the race was based and where the whole idea came from. For more than three decades the two names were basically the same thing. Most athletes who have followed the race for any length of time know it as Club La Santa IRONMAN Lanzarote, not just IRONMAN Lanzarote. The resort gave the race infrastructure: pools, a running track, a bike centre, training facilities and a community of athletes who were already there. It also helped position Lanzarote as a serious sports tourism destination rather than just a beach holiday island. That reputation still holds. Spend a few days here and you will see cyclists on the roads at seven in the morning, runners along the promenades in every season and groups of triathletes who have been coming back to train here for years. IRONMAN Lanzarote is a big part of why that culture exists on the island. Club La Santa is a big part of why IRONMAN Lanzarote exists at all.
What Is Changing After 2026? The 2026 race, scheduled for 23 May, is the 34th edition of Club La Santa IRONMAN Lanzarote. It is also expected to be the last one with Club La Santa as organiser and title partner. From 2027, Club La Santa has said it will stop organising and lending its name to the event. La Voz de Lanzarote reported the decision came via a joint statement and no reason was given publicly. The same report noted that IRONMAN representatives indicated details and registration for the 2027 edition would be announced, which suggests the race is not ending, just changing hands in terms of who runs it. So 2026 is the end of a chapter, not the end of the race. Those are different things and it is worth being clear about that. If you are anywhere near Lanzarote on 23 May 2026, the race is worth watching even if you know nothing about triathlon. It is expected to be the last edition with the Club La Santa name on it, which gives it a particular atmosphere for anyone who has followed the event over the years.
Why Did Club La Santa Walk Away? Nobody has said publicly.La Voz de Lanzarote reported specifically that the announcement included no explanation. Whatever the conversations were between Club La Santa and IRONMAN, they stayed private. Slowtwitch has suggested the split may relate to licensing negotiations that did not work out, but that has not been confirmed by either side. The triathlon media analysis is reasonable, but it is still analysis rather than fact. The honest answer is that the reasons have not been made public and anyone claiming to know for certain is guessing.
Watching It as a Visitor You genuinely do not need to know anything about triathlon to find race day worth being out for. Puerto del Carmen is the easiest place to watch, particularly around the swim start and the run. The promenade is accessible, there is space and the atmosphere is good enough that you tend to end up staying longer than you planned. What you are actually watching is people who have already swum nearly four kilometres in the Atlantic and cycled 180 kilometres across volcanic roads somehow continuing to run. That is impressive regardless of whether you follow the sport. Race week changes the feel of the island slightly. Puerto del Carmen gets busier, bikes are everywhere and the promenade fills up earlier than usual. If you are staying nearby during race weekend, check local road information before a long drive because the bike course covers major sections of the island.
The Timeline If You Want the Quick Version
1983: Kenneth Gasque arrived in Lanzarote and started working at Club La Santa Late 1980s: Gasque raced at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii 1992: First IRONMAN Lanzarote on 30 May, 148 competitors, finish in Puerto del Carmen 1992 to present: Lanzarote runs as Europe's oldest IRONMAN race 23 May 2026: 34th edition, expected last with Club La Santa as organiser and title partner 2027: Expected first edition without Club La Santa involvement
Frequently Asked Questions When was the first IRONMAN Lanzarote? 30 May 1992. 148 competitors, finish line on the Puerto del Carmen seafront. Word got around quickly that this was one of the harder races on the circuit and the reputation has not really changed since.
Who started IRONMAN Lanzarote? Kenneth Gasque, a Danish sports figure who was working at Club La Santa at the time. He raced in Kona, came back to Lanzarote, looked at the wind and the roads and the volcanic landscape and decided this island could host the same kind of event for Europe. Lanzarote Deportes calls him the man behind IRONMAN Lanzarote.
Why Lanzarote and not somewhere easier? Because easy was not what they were going for. Gasque had seen what Kona was: a brutal landscape that became part of the race's identity. Lanzarote had the same qualities. The wind, the exposure, the volcanic terrain. The difficulty was the draw, not a problem to solve.
Is IRONMAN Lanzarote the oldest in Europe? According to IRONMAN's own official site, yes. It describes the race as the oldest IRONMAN in Europe since 1992. Thirty-plus years and still going.
Is 2026 the first year without Club La Santa? No. The 2026 race on 23 May is still the Club La Santa IRONMAN Lanzarote, the 34th edition. 2027 is the first year expected to run without Club La Santa as organiser and title partner.
Why did Club La Santa stop being involved? Nobody said publicly. The announcement gave no reason. Triathlon media has speculated about licensing negotiations not working out but nothing from either side has been confirmed. The decision was made, the statement was released and the explanation stayed private.
Is the race ending? It does not look like it. IRONMAN said details and registration for the 2027 edition would be announced. The Club La Santa chapter is closing. The race itself appears to be continuing. Where is the best spot to watch as a visitor? Puerto del Carmen, around the swim and the run. The promenade is easy to access, there is room to stand and the atmosphere on race day is genuinely good. You do not need to understand the sport to appreciate what you are watching.
To Wrap Up
IRONMAN Lanzarote started in 1992 because one person looked at a difficult volcanic island and thought it would make a good race. He was right. More than thirty years later it is one of the most well-known endurance events in Europe and a significant part of how Lanzarote thinks about itself as a sporting destination. The Club La Santa era ends in 2026. The race, as far as anyone can tell, does not. One man, one idea, thirty-plus years, and a course that still has the same reputation it earned in that first edition: one of the harder ones on the circuit. That is not nothing.
