Thanks to its stable climate all twelve months of the year, its contrasting landscapes, and its sporting infrastructure, Gran Canaria has become one of the great stages of international sport, hosting several world-class competitions each year across a range of disciplines. This is not simply an island that allows for sport — it is an island that has been chosen, year after year, by sporting bodies and elite athletes alike as a benchmark venue.

The standout event is The North Face Transgrancanaria, one of the most prestigious ultra trail running races on the international calendar and part of the global World Trail Majors circuit. Held every year since 2003 — making it one of the longest-running ultra trail events anywhere in the world — the race is organised in close collaboration with the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, the island’s local councils, and the Government of the Canary Islands. Every February or March, hundreds of runners from dozens of countries cross the island from coast to coast: the flagship 126-kilometre race starts at midnight on Playa de Las Canteras, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and finishes at the Dunas de Maspalomas, passing the legendary Roque Nublo. Some of the world’s best athletes in this discipline have competed and won here, cementing Gran Canaria’s reputation as the world capital of trail running for the days the event runs.

The island’s international sporting calendar does not stop there. The Challenge Mogán Gran Canaria is the island’s only international triathlon and one of the most international races on the global Challenge circuit, drawing hundreds of professional and amateur triathletes from more than twenty countries each year to the calm waters and safe roads of southern Gran Canaria. Many European triathlon teams, particularly from the United Kingdom, choose the island as a winter training base ahead of this event, making the most of its guaranteed good weather all year round to prepare for the season that officially kicks off in Europe with this race.

On the island’s southeastern coast, the small bay of Pozo Izquierdo has earned its own global reputation as windsurfing’s spiritual home. Since the late 1980s, it has hosted the Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup, part of the international PWA World Tour — in 2026 the event reached its 38th edition, drawing more than 120 athletes from three continents. Pozo Izquierdo owes its status to a natural phenomenon: strong, remarkably consistent trade winds, accelerated by a Venturi effect along the coastline, that have shaped generations of the sport’s top riders. Backed by the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, and the Canary Islands Government, the event draws a distinct crowd of its own — sea- and wind-sport enthusiasts who know a very different side of the island from the typical sun-and-sand visitor.

Kitesurfing off the south coast — Gran Canaria’s steady trade winds draw sea- and wind-sport enthusiasts year-round

Adding to this is the ARC Transatlantic Rally, one of the great events on the global sailing calendar, which each November brings together more than 200 sailors from around the world at the Muelle Deportivo in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the starting point for the transatlantic crossing to the Caribbean. Alongside other events such as the Gran Canaria Fronton King bodyboarding competition, this sporting calendar confirms the island as a true open-air gym, open 365 days a year.

Golf on Gran Canaria is playable every day of the year — the island is home to Spain’s oldest golf club (1891)

Two more disciplines round out the picture. Gran Canaria is home to the Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas, the oldest golf club in Spain, founded in 1891 and set on the rim of the volcanic Bandama crater, and it offers several courses playable every day of the year — a strong draw for Canadian golfers used to a season that ends with the first frost. The island has also become one of the pro peloton’s favourite winter bases: its mountain roads, low traffic, and 20°C February temperatures now draw professional cycling teams and riders every December and January, including reigning world champion Tadej Pogačar, who trained here ahead of the 2026 season as part of the island’s Gran Canaria 365 cycling initiative. The Gran Fondo Pico de las Nieves, which climbs to the island’s highest point, is widely rated among the toughest amateur cycling events in Europe.

Mountain biking in the island’s interior — Gran Canaria is a favourite winter training base for the pro peloton

Fruits growing on the island — part of a fresh, locally grown produce

This active lifestyle goes hand in hand with fresh, healthy eating, another of Gran Canaria’s great assets. The island’s subtropical climate allows for the successful cultivation of exceptional tropical fruit — Canary bananas, papaya, mango, avocado, and pineapple — alongside local markets where fish is sold freshly landed each morning at the island’s fishing ports. Many coastal restaurants own their own boats and serve the day’s catch daily, such as parrotfish, wreckfish, or tuna, while seasonal meat and vegetables, grown in volcanic soil, round out a diet that nutritionists across Europe cite as an example of healthy, balanced eating.

This constant access to fresh, local produce is no accident: much of the island’s food is grown and caught just a few kilometres from where it is eaten. This combination of stable climate, top-tier sporting infrastructure, and healthy eating explains why an increasing number of clubs, federations, and athletes from around the world choose Gran Canaria not only to compete, but also as a training base during the European winter months. You do not need to be a competitive athlete to enjoy this active side of the island: a coastal walk at sunrise, a round of golf, or a rented bike on the quiet roads of the south are equally valid ways to connect with the healthy lifestyle that defines Gran Canaria all year round.

Between world-class competitions, year-round outdoor training, and a fresh, healthy larder, Gran Canaria offers the active traveller far more than a holiday destination — a genuine way of life.

Learn more: Golf: grancanaria.com/turismo/en/golf/  |  Gran Canaria 365 cycling: grancanaria365.eu  |  Water sports: grancanaria.com/turismo/en/nautical/enjoy-the-sea/