The very first Elche–Alicante International Marathon is limbering up for the starting gun on 30 November.
The 42km race will set off from outside Elche’s Altamira Palace, and excitement is already building: 4,000 runners have signed up. A quarter of them will be jetting in from 50 different countries.
So far, 2,995 Spaniards are on the list, and the rest of the pack is a mix of international runners. The French lead the way with 210 participants, followed by 175 runners from the UK. After that come Poland with 89, Belgium with 81, Italy with 60, the Netherlands with 57, Germany with 50, Switzerland with 43, Sweden with 35, and Norway with 29. And that’s before you add the Americans, Mexicans, Moroccans, Algerians, Kiwis, Aussies and even a handful from Laos.
Spanish entries aren’t all from around the corner either. While Madrid tops the charts, plenty are travelling in from places as varied as Albacete, Barcelona, Vizcaya, Cáceres, Murcia, Seville, Valencia and Zaragoza. The organisers are hoping to push the numbers up to 5,000 before race day.
How do I register for the Elche–Alicante international marathon?
Anyone feeling brave enough to join the fun can head to maratonelchealicante.com to register.
As for the route, it is being sold as “practically flat”. The highest point sits 80 metres above sea level in Elche, and from there it is mostly a gentle slide down to Ciudad de la Luz before levelling out. The last stretch winds its way to the finish line at Pier 12 in Alicante’s port, right by the Ocean Race area.
The 42 kilometres are evenly split. Eleven around Elche’s centre, twenty connecting the two cities, and another eleven through Alicante.
