The Spanish champion Toni Abadía and David Palacios, among others, will try to lower the 10K record
2,500 participants will take part in Benidorm Half Marathon, committed to the international role and the presence of elite athletes
The race will feature runners from all the regions and 15% of British athletes
Around 2,500 runners will take part tomorrow in a new edition of the Benidorm Half that maintains the same route as the previous one, held in November, in which the city's beaches will once again take on a special role.
Don Pancho hotel has once again been the setting for the presentation of the event, which has been attended by Mayor Toni Pérez and members of the municipal corporation, as well as representatives of the organization and prominent participating athletes, in an edition that will feature elite runners looking to lower the record of the test.
The race will once again have the two modalities of 10K and 21K and will have participants from the 17 autonomous regions, from 23 provinces, and the autonomous city of Ceuta, according to the director of the event, Fernando Brotons, CEO of TSB Sports Events, organizer of the test.
One more year, the bet is on national runners without forgetting the international presence "with around 400 British athletes" according to Brotons, which represents about 15% of participants. “Another nationality that has multiplied its registrations is the Italian” he specified.
Mayor Toni Pérez has shown his confidence in the success of Benidorm Half and, alluding to the current circumstances, has stated that "tomorrow we run for the world and peace". Pérez also wanted the goal to be met that "everyone who comes to participate or follow the race feels at home" and has defined this year's competition as "a brave edition, which has made an effort to get up and stand up to the situation so that this test continues to be a reference”.
Benidorm Half has the participation of important Spanish athletes such as Zaragoza-born Toni Abadía, current Spanish champion of 5,000 and 10,000 meters, and David Palacios from Castellón, among others. Both, who have attended the presentation of the race, have been addressed by the mayor, who has asked them "to compete with all the athletes, that both of them go below half an hour and that whoever wins, there will be a new record in the 10K”, the modality in which both participate.
The organization of the race will place nine animation points along the route, with special attention for British athletes with music and atmosphere of this nationality within what they have called the 'Feeling at home' Plan.
The departure will take place from Plaza de SS.MM Los Reyes de España at 6:00 p.m. and the arrival will be in the same place. At the finish line, there will be an innovative digital arch with images and animation "that will enhance the experiential part of the runners" explained Brotons.
An experiential facet that will be increased with an activity to enjoy the local gastronomy under the name of 'Run & Tapas' will encourage the participants to go to the restaurants of Benidorm after the race. " Benidorm Half is a tourism, experiential and international sports product that seeks excellence" underlined the mayor.
The runner Toni Abadía also took part in the presentation, for whom "it is a luxury to run in Benidorm" and who has confessed to being in a good moment in a way that he hopes will serve him "to run a lot, beat David Palacios if I can and lower the test record.
Abadía, who has admitted having had "a bad year in 2021" has assured that "I have managed to reverse that bad situation and now I am very proud to be here". He has added that he has good memories of Benidorm because “I stayed here when I won the Spanish Championship held in La Nucía in 2019”. The athlete has said goodbye "thanking all those who have made a healthy sport and those who have made possible an event of this calibre such as Benidorm Half ".
Traffic cuts
Benidorm Half, with an approved route since last July, will leave at 6:30 p.m. from SSMM Reyes de España Square and will tour the downtown area, Rincón de Loix and La Cala. At different times, the test will pass through the following squares, streets and avenues: Doctor Fleming, Pont, Hispanidad, Esperanto, Doctor Orts Llorca, Mediterráneo, Bilbao, Alcoy, Madrid, Ametlla del Mar, Doctor Severo Ochoa, Gerona, Doctor Pérez Llorca , Martínez Alejos, Paseo de la Carretera, Mayor José Such Ortega, San Pedro, Spanish Navy, La Vila Joiosa, Murtal, Santander, Aigües, Vicente Llorca Alós, Alicante, Quatre Cantons, Constitució, Carmela Martínez, Canalejas and Torrejó squares, and Virgen del Sufragio.
The circuit will be closed to road traffic half an hour before the starting gun. The reopening is scheduled for 9:00 p.m., although, to generate the minimum possible effects, it will gradually reopen as the passage of the runners through the different sections is completed.
