The Valencia Half Marathon celebrates its 30th anniversary with 12,000 fun runners
The Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP, which is organised by SD Correcaminos, returns to the streets of the city of running this Sunday 24th October to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Valencia Half Marathon together with 12,000 registered fun runners from 87 different countries.
It is two years since the last fun run with the suspension of the popular race in 2020 due to COVID-19 and the celebration of an exclusive Elite Edition last year in which the men’s world record was broken. This year, the Valencia Half Marathon once again seeks the best times in history as it recovers its essence with the participation of popular participants -although with its capacity reduced by 60%- and a new route providing open areas at the start and finish line.
The race, which was launched in the Petxina Sports-Cultural Complex, will challenge for the best women’s world record to make it the only race that currently holds both women’s and men’s world records. However, as was made clear today, the best news will undoubtedly be seeing the 12,000 runners, 79% men and 21% women, who will take to the start line on Avinguda dels Tarongers at 8.30am.
Paco Borao, president of SD Correcaminos, acknowledged that “we knew that, if there was a half marathon in 2021, it would be a half marathon with popular runners. We could not go another year without the participation of thousands of runners. And so we are grateful for the confidence that these 12,000 runners, out of the 20,000 who had registered in 2020 before COVID, have shown in us with their trust and loyalty in keeping their registration”.
The 30th Valencia Half Marathon has a budget of 1.6 million euros, 45% of which is covered by the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, 32% by sponsors and 24% by registration fees. “This race is very special to us. It was the first event the Foundation began to collaborate with in its support for sport in the Valencian Community, which is the wish of our President Juan Roig”, said Juan Miguel Gómez, the director of the Foundation.
For her part, Pilar Bernabé, Valencia City Council’s Councillor for Sports, emphasised that when she goes “to any city in Spain they congratulate us on how we have managed the return of the races in such a responsible way. We were already a model before the pandemic, but now we are unrivalled” and she recalled that for the Municipal Sports Foundation, which she directs, it is also a special week “because we are celebrating our 40th anniversary”.
Honouring Member No. 1 on the 30th Anniversary
The president of SD Correcaminos also wanted to mention that “although we have not been able to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this race as we would have liked, the club has to be very proud of having reached this figure with the help and collaboration of all the members of the Sociedad Deportiva Correcaminos”. The club has a history stretching back more than 40 years and a present that does not forget its past, so there was a special tribute paid to member number 1, Vicente Plaza, who received a plaque from Borao to commemorate his life dedicated to the club as a runner, coach, manager and vice-president.
The presentation ceremony also highlighted the charitable donations given by the runners who, between 2020 and 2021, have voluntarily donated more than €16,600 to Payasospital, an amount to which must be added the contribution of ‘€1 per finisher’ that the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation has established to complement the donations to this Valencian NGO.
