The King Lizard Lacktail Marathon, Gran Canaria
Marathon # 487
Maspalomas Dunes Marathon # 60
Date: April 6, 2025
My Time : 5:51:21
By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
I coincidentally finished my 487th marathon right in front of the palace of King Lizard Lacktail—no relation with King John Lackland (1167–1216)—on the Meloneras Promenade, hence the majestic name of this private marathon. King Lizard Lacktail was resting in the shade, after several hours of sunbathing. History doesn’t say whether the absence of his tail was congenital or whether it was severed on Tailbreak Hill, the most difficult uphill section of the Meloneras Promenade.
It’s the equivalent of Heartbreak Hill on the Boston Marathon course. Tailbreak Hill is much shorter, but you need to do many out-and-backs to complete the distance of the race, so much so that, according to my Garmin data for both races, you end up totaling a bit more elevation gain than in the Boston Marathon, which I ran barefoot on April 18, 2022.
The “palace” is actually a small archaeological site, called Punta Mujeres, located between the Meloneras Promenade and the cliff overlooking the sea. It allegedly features remains left by the island’s first inhabitants before its conquest by the Spanish. The site is now the home of the Tailless King and members of his court.
My book Running Barefoot for Human Survival is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book format (French edition: Courir pieds nus pour sauver les humains).
Maspalomas Dunes Marathon # 60
Date: April 6, 2025
My Time : 5:51:21
By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
I coincidentally finished my 487th marathon right in front of the palace of King Lizard Lacktail—no relation with King John Lackland (1167–1216)—on the Meloneras Promenade, hence the majestic name of this private marathon. King Lizard Lacktail was resting in the shade, after several hours of sunbathing. History doesn’t say whether the absence of his tail was congenital or whether it was severed on Tailbreak Hill, the most difficult uphill section of the Meloneras Promenade.
It’s the equivalent of Heartbreak Hill on the Boston Marathon course. Tailbreak Hill is much shorter, but you need to do many out-and-backs to complete the distance of the race, so much so that, according to my Garmin data for both races, you end up totaling a bit more elevation gain than in the Boston Marathon, which I ran barefoot on April 18, 2022.
The “palace” is actually a small archaeological site, called Punta Mujeres, located between the Meloneras Promenade and the cliff overlooking the sea. It allegedly features remains left by the island’s first inhabitants before its conquest by the Spanish. The site is now the home of the Tailless King and members of his court.
My book Running Barefoot for Human Survival is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book format (French edition: Courir pieds nus pour sauver les humains).
The Lizard King was resting in the shade, after having lazed around for several hours under the sun.
Dr. Sidy Diallo’s King Lizard Lacktail Marathon Garmin Data
The archaeological site Punta Mujeres in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain