Returning to La Palma for a third time, Petter Engdahl finished 2nd at the 2026 Transvulcania Ultra Marathon in 6:41 — a race so fast that all of the top six men beat the previous course record. For Petter, Transvulcania is one of the most beautiful, prestigious and historic races in the sport: he finished 3rd here in 2019 in his very first ultra, then returned in 2022 to take the victory and fulfil one of his biggest trail running dreams. This year he came back with high ambitions of fighting for another podium. Recovery from the Boston Marathon had gone well, and Petter felt himself getting stronger in the weeks before travelling to La Palma alongside Emelie Forsberg. From the start he felt good and in control. Damien pushed the pace and opened a gap while Petter stayed with the pack to save energy. The air was cool and the trails crisp and firm — where the opening sand is usually loose, this year the grip was excellent. At the volcanoes a small group of favourites was still together: Nadir, Ben, David and Petter, with Petter and Nadir running into El Pilar about a minute behind Ben and David. His plan was to make his move on the hardest part of the course, take the lead at the summit of Roque de los Muchachos, and hold it to the finish. On the climb from Reventón he began pushing hard and caught David near the front at Pico de la Cruz, but couldn't shake him — David would not crack. As soon as they hit the downhill Petter's legs were done and he couldn't hold the pace. He felt the victory slip through his fingers, a tough moment, but stayed focused on securing the podium. The descent was long and he was exhausted, yet on the beach at Tazacorte he was surprised to find his legs still strong on the flat and uphill. He could see Nadir closing behind on the final climb, but felt in control and kept pushing to the line. It was not a victory, but second place felt like a huge relief. The clock told the story: 6:41 — 30 minutes faster than his previous best on the course, 40 minutes faster than his 2019 run, and even under the old course record. David finished eight minutes ahead, Nadir just two minutes behind, and remarkably all of the top six broke the previous record. Petter calls it a major highlight and a great source of motivation for the rest of the season, with thanks to Team adidas TERREX for the support.