When Victor Del Corral took the lead in the Ironman Lanzarote 2012 last weekend, the excitement rippled around Sands Beach Resort like a Mexican wave. When he broke the tape after an incredible 8 hours 44 minutes and 40 seconds of sheer hard work, sweat and determination we couldn’t contain ourselves any longer and cheered ourselves hoarse!

For the past three months, the Spanish triathlete champion and his girlfriend Azucena have been staying with us here in Sands Beach Resort while Victor put himself through his rigorous training paces and familiarised himself with the terrain he was to face during the competition.

Today, by way of a thank you and in a gesture of generosity that typifies Victor’s selfless nature and warm personality, the newly crowned Mr Ironman Lanzarote 2012 has donated his winning shirt and medal to Sands Beach Resort. Our Director Juan Carlos Albuixech (above left) will be proudly displaying the shirt and medal for everyone to share in Victor’s success.

Their arms seemingly permanently wrapped around each other, Victor and Azucena have become a familiar sight around Sands Beach, arriving daily at La Hacienda Restaurant where our chef, Marcial, prepared a special diet for the athlete to complement his training regime. Clearly, the combination of good living, good eating and hard training is a winning formula because on Saturday Victor seemed to go from strength to strength.

After a stifling heatwave the week before, Saturday dawned with the ideal weather for an Ironman event, sunny with partial cloud and a light breeze to keep athletes the right side of heat exhausted. Emerging from the calm and placid sea off Puerto del Carmen’s Playa Grande in sixth place, Victor moved from his weakest discipline to his strength of cycling where he quickly made up lost ground, reaching the literal and mental dizzy height of second place around Mirador del Rio. From there it was a battle for first place with British triathlete Philip Graves who had to retire from the race with muscle problems leaving Victor to prove his parents were wise people when they named him

Everyone here at Sands Beach Resort add our congratulations to those of our Mayor, Oswaldo Betancort (pictured above right with Victor at Sands Beach Resort). We’ll take good care of your medal and we look forward to hosting our awesome guest again in the future!