Several participants in the Transvulcania race demonstrated admirable sportsmanship by stopping and sacrificing their race opportunities to help a Kenyan runner, Ephantus Mwangi, who was suffering from severe hypothermia. The incident occurred in the demanding Las Deseadas area, at an altitude exceeding 2,000 meters, under extreme weather conditions.
Juan Antonio Pardal and Julio Ballesteros were among the first to notice the emergency. According to Pardal, they heard alert shouts and upon reaching the location, found the Kenyan athlete "lying on his back, with his eyes closed." Despite cries of "emergency," rescue teams were slow to arrive, and other competitors continued the race.
“"The reality is that everyone was shouting emergency, but nobody arrived"
Ballesteros was able to communicate with Mwangi in English, confirming he was conscious but with limited mobility. Pardal and Ballesteros's decision to stop initiated a chain of solidarity, with other runners also choosing to withdraw from the competition. This act of prioritizing human aid over personal achievement has been widely praised.
The sporting and mental sacrifice was significant. "There comes a point where I say, wow, I'm mentally out of the race," confessed Juan Antonio Pardal. Although many missed the cut-off times, their gesture of prioritizing humanitarian aid over competition has been widely lauded. They stayed with the Kenyan runner, providing body heat until medical services arrived.
“"The sporting event takes a back seat, and you do what you've always been taught, which is, whenever there's an emergency or you have to help someone else, the priority changes"
Reflecting on the incident, Pardal suggested that Mwangi might have competed "at the limit of his equipment," while Ballesteros pointed to the Kenyan athlete's youth and inexperience with the Canary Islands' climate conditions as potential causes for the collapse. It was Mwangi's first time competing in the archipelago.
This incident at the Transvulcania highlights the inherent dangers of mountain racing and the crucial importance of adequate equipment, even for elite athletes. The event has become a moving reminder that human values transcend any sporting competition.
