- The race, which holds the World Record, will be held on Sunday 9 January with 5 starts and all the necessary safety measures
- The 10K is aiming for the Spanish men's record and the European women's record.
Valencia, 7-01-2021.- The 10K Valencia Ibercaja, which is considered the best 10K in Spain by the RFEA, will once again open the year of races in Valencia Ciudad del Running with a 14th edition for which more than 10,000 popular runners have registered to fly through the streets of the city in the fastest 10K in the world.
This information has been advanced in the presentation ceremony, which has taken place in the Municipal Sports Foundation of Valencia, where the director of the 10K, Álex Aparicio, has also revealed that the race has "a first class group of athletes with whom we will try to make the best possible marks, even getting close to the Spanish record for men and the European record for women".
All this in an edition," he continued, "in which we have more than 10,000 popular runners registered and in which the organisation has made every effort to celebrate it with all the necessary security so that they, our raison d'être, enjoy as much as possible to the rhythm of Chimo Bayo's Hu-Ha! For this reason," continued Aparicio, "we have prepared a safety protocol that will include various measures and actions, such as making the start in five waves of a maximum of 2,000 participants, or the obligatory wearing of masks at the start and finish areas, among others.
Aparicio also explained that the race "has 58 nationalities represented and runners from more than 500 clubs from all over Spain who want to take part in our 10K, and that is a great source of pride".
In this sense, from the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, the main partner of the race, its director Juan Miguel Gómez, said that this 10K "is a race desired by popular runners and that is what makes it great. Although I know that there is a great work behind the selection of this elite team, records are achieved or not. They are held, as they are now, or they are lost, as they may be in the future. But the greatness is and will be to open the València's race calendar in a big way every year, which we hope will be another year of success in the city".
Aim: safety and fun
For his part, José Gil, Provincial Director of Ibercaja in Valencia, wanted to thank "the enormous effort of the organisation and volunteers, as well as the support of institutions and other sponsors, who make possible the celebration of this 10K, which we are very proud to be part of since its inception. We are convinced that this January 9th all the runners will enjoy a new edition that will surely be, as always, a source of joy and fun".
Finally, from AMES (Myasthenia Association of Spain), the solidarity organisation of this edition, its president Raquel Pardo thanked "the opportunity we have been given to publicise this rare disease, to make all those people who are going to run know what myasthenia is, how it affects those diagnosed, and to recognise the importance of research. In short, to make the Valencian running family aware of the importance of solidarity and associationism in our society".
Athletes ready to fly
The 10K Valencia Ibercaja still holds the world record, achieved in January 2020 when the athlete Rhonex Kipruto (Kenya) crossed the finish line with a time of 26:24; and the European record of the Swiss Julien Wanders (27:13).
This year, among the favourites in the women's category is the athlete Norah Jeruto (Kenya), who in the October 2021 edition already participated in the race, finishing second (30:08), the fourth best world record of the year. In search of the European women's record (Paula Radcliffe: 30:21), Karoline Bjerkeli Grövdal (Norway) and Meraf Bahta (Sweden), among others, are coming to Valencia. And on a national level, the 10K Valencia Ibercaja will live a nice duel between Carlos Mayo and Chiki Pérez, who take the start with all the desire and illusion to snatch the Spanish record from Toni Abadía (27:48).
You can download this press release HERE
