After very hard years due to the pandemic, the Barcelona marathon returns in style. It is one of the most important sports events of the year in the city of Barcelona and this 2023 hopes to recover the long-awaited normality. And, for the moment, everything suggests that he is going to achieve it. Both the half marathon and the queen test are already close to participation figures prior to the pandemic, the best sign for the two races. In the case of the average, which will run on February 19, there are already 17,000 registered and the final figure is expected to be around 20,000. In the case of the marathon, with two months to go, more than 12,000 people have already signed up.
LThe first date will be on February 19 with the half marathon, which has the IAFF Gold Label seal. It is the only test of these characteristics in Spain and one of the few in Europe. With 17,000 registered, the race will have the same magnitude as before the pandemic. Also for the elite athletes who will run it, since the Barcelona average is one of the fastest in Europe. Last year, without going any further, five of the 25 best marks of the entire year were achieved in the distance of 21 kilometers. The great incentive of this edition is to know if Haftu Teklu will achieve his third consecutive victory. The Ethiopian has not only been proclaimed winner in 2021 and 2022, but also has the test record with 59:06 ‘. His strongest opponents will be Birhanu Legese and the Dutchman Abdi Nageeye, silver medalist in the marathon at the Tokyo Games. In the female category, Joyciline Jepkosgei and Genzebe Dibaba stand out.
PBut it is the marathon, which will be run on March 19, where all eyes are focused. Because it is the queen test, but also because it aspires to be massive again. The organization expects 15,000 people to compete. Unattainable figures in a pandemic, since more than half of the runners are foreigners. With a tour of the most emblematic streets of Barcelona, The organization is waiting for a couple of tweaks to the layout to make it even faster. The goal is for the winner’s mark to be close to 2 hours and 4 minutes (currently it is 2 hours 5 minutes and 53 seconds) thus making it even more attractive for elite athletes.