News

Kenyan runner Erick Kibet and Joyce Chepkirui Win the Biggest Barcelona Half Marathon Ever

15/02/10

At nine in the morning on Sunday the 14th of February, 5000 athletes set off on the ASICS Barcelona Half Marathon, running 21.097 kilometres through the city’s main streets in what was the most successful edition in the history of this race. Race day turned out to be one of the coldest on record, although the participation of the Comediants theatre group helped to warm up runners and spectators alike.

The winners of the race were Erick Kibet, with a time of 1 hour, 3 minutes and 10 seconds, and Joyce Chepkirui, who won the women’s event with a time of 1 hour 12 minutes and 33 seconds. Kibet and Chepkirui happen to be a married couple.

In the men’s category, second and third place went respectively to Catalan runner Marc Roig, with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes and 57 seconds, and Portuguese athlete Bruno Jesús, who came in right behind at 1 hour, 4 minutes and 58 seconds.

In the women’s category, second place was taken by Kenyan runner Monica Jepkoech (1 hour, 15 minutes and 16 seconds), while Portuguese athlete Filomena Costa came in third at 1 hour, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.

All the results of the 2010 edition of the race are available online here.

Double the News for the Half Marathon

12/02/10

The ASICS Barcelona Half Marathon is back this Sunday, February 14th, with the start at 9 in the morning. The news this year is the same story heard with almost all running events in the city in recent times: participation will be a huge success.

5000 athletes will take part in this new edition, a record number for a race which has been held as an independent event since 2005.

“The Half Marathon is an example of the magnificent evolution of popular races being held in Barcelona”, observed Barcelona Sports Delegate , Pere Alcober, during the presentation of the race.

Lots of Laughs for Comediants

12/02/10

The theatre troupe Comediants will be involved for the first time with the ASICS Barcelona Half Marathon, with the slogan “Healthy mind in a healthy body”. Their ideas for enlivening the event include music, colour, dance, theatre and lots of humour, with the idea of encouraging runners along the way and raising the number of Barcelona residents watching the race as active, participative spectators of a festive sports event.

The company’s performances will take place on February 12 and 13 in the lobby of the Estació del Nord Sports Centre, where Runner’s Fair will be located, and on race day, February 14th, with a major show divided into three parts which will take place at the starting line, at the 10 km mark and at the finish line.

Solidarity Race

12/02/10

As with each year, the long distance race includes a runner’s chip recycling campaign, which besides being an environmental feature, also has charity objectives. “Sport is more than just sport and we want that to be clearly seen”, Alcober insisted.

For each single-use chip that is returned after the race, 80 cents will be donated to an NGO. This year the collaborating NGO is “Moviment per la Pau” (Movement for Peace), an entity that has been working against the militarizing consequences of violent conflict for 25 years.

The most notable campaign of this organization is its battle to eradicate anti-personnel mines, and to take care of amputation patients who have been victims of them.

All the money gathered during the Barcelona Half Marathon will go towards the upkeep of a sports centre for the rehabilitation of young Colombians in the region of Medellín suffering from amputated limbs caused by the persisting presence of these mines.

A Fast, Flat Route

12/02/10

The route of the ASICS Barcelona Half Marathon continues to be very fast and flat. It is ideal for obtaining good times, since the altitude variation has been kept to a minimum.

All told, the idea is to make sure those used to running shorter, more popular races can make the leap to longer distances, which is why the race organization will allow participants to obtain their official classification at the 10 km mark.

This year the race will start at the Passeig de Lluís Companys instead of the Passeig de Picasso, and the arrival will be just beneath the Arc de Triomf triumphal arch.

On the other hand, as the technical director of the race has Ricard Llorens has confirmed in relation to the touristic nature of the route, “the fact that the race goes past emblematic parts of the city is very enjoyable for runners of a half marathon.”

World Class Runners

12/02/10

Year after year this Barcelona race brings some of the best national and international long distance runners.

In the men’s category a stand-out is Kenyan runner Alex Kirui, who will defend last year`s victory against fellow countrymen David Kilel, winner of the half marathons of Rabat and San Sebastian, and Erick Kibet, who was on the winner’s podium as a top three finisher in the half marathons of Valladolid, Santa Pola, Cantalejo, and Albacete.

Also participating will be Morrocan runners residing in Catalonia Ilias Fifa, winner of the last Mercè Race and the Valls Cross Country race, and Driss Lakouaja, who was the winner of the 32nd Sant Antoni Race and the City of Terrassa Half Marathon.

Other notable participants are Portuguese runner Bruno Jesús, winner of the Viana Saint Silvester Race, as well as the athlete from Andorra Toni Bernadó, who is the world senior 3000 metre record holder, and British runners Darren Deed, Kevin Skinner, Richie Gardiner, Nat Lane, Neilson Hall and Rob Samuel, amongst others.

Female participation includes many important Kenyan runners, frequently taking part in Barcelona races: the recent winner of the Seville Half Marathon and the Vitoria Saint Silvester race, Mònica Jepkoech; her fellow countrywoman Joyce Chepkirui, who came first in the half marathons held in Almodovar del Río and Santa Pola, and the winner of the Ives-Vitry Half Marathon in France and the Valencia Half Marathon, Beatrice Jepchumba. Another participant will be Moroccan runner Hasna Bahom, who took first prize in the City of Terrassa Half Marathon.

The group of elite female runners will also include Portuguese athlete Filomena Costa, Caroline Hoyte and Sarah Gree from Great Britain, and Catalonia’s own Maria Carmen Auñon.

Pick-Up Number, Chip and Runner’s Bag, at the Runners Fair

09/02/10

Now that registration is closed, and with only a few days to go before the ASICS Barcelona Half Marathon, it is advisable to have everything ready as soon as possible to participate in the city’s first long distance race of the year.

Registered runners are reminded to pick up their numbers, chips and runner’s bags at the Runners Fair to be found at the Estació del Nord Municipal Sports Centre on Friday, February 12th, from 11 AM to 8 PM, or on Saturday, February 13th, from 10 AM to 8 PM.

This is the only location where participating athletes can pick up their number, chip and bag, which are essential for anyone taking part in the race.

To pick up your material you must show your registration receipt (whether done in person or by internet), together with your DNI or similar identification card (or a photocopy of the document if another person is picking up the material of a third party, together with that person’s registration receipt).

Do not forget that it will not be possible to pick up material on race day.

However, only those participants residing outside of Barcelona and the municipalities in the metropolitan area, will be able to pick up their race number on race day from 7 AM to 8 AM in the mentioned Sports Centre, as long as they have previously notified the organization by sending an email to the follow address, up to and including February 8th: aac@ubae.cat

Traffic Changes for the Half Marathon

09/02/10

Due to the celebration of the ASICS Barcelona Half Marathon, starting at 8:30 AM on Sunday, February 14th, all streets making up the route, as well as all cross streets, will be affected by motor vehicle traffic restrictions.

From 8:30 PM to noon the Passeig Lluís Company, the Passeig Picasso, and the Passeig de Pujades will be closed to traffic.

However, the rest of the streets along the route will be affected by restrictions and parking lots will be closed, though access will be restored once the runners have moved through the area.

For more efficient mobility we recommend using the metro during the duration of the race.

For a more complete idea of affected roads, see the section entitled Race Route.

Registration Closes for the ASICS Half Marathon

28/01/10

High interest in the ASICS Half Marathon, the first long distance race in Barcelona of the year registration has closed early, as expected. Numbers have already reached the maximum participation limit set out in the race rules, with still a week to go before official registration was planned to end.

The race over 21.097 km has now reached a total of 5000 registered runners. These five thousand athletes have chosen to ensure their chance to run this ideal route in the city centre, which is perfect for fast times.

Thousands of other runners have opted to get a classification time over the 10 km distance, an alternative option amidst the relative calm of the ASICS Half Marathon.

The registered total is the highest ever attained for this race, so that on February 14 at 9 AM, on the Passeig Lluís Companys, the most successful edition of the race in terms of participation will take place.

All that is left to wait for now are the days set out to pick up the race number and runner’s bag, and if necessary the single-use timing chip. The days and times established for these obligatory tasks are Friday the 12th of February from 11 AM to 8 PM, and Saturday the 13th from 10 AM to 8 PM. The designated location for this step is the Poliesportiu Municipal de l’Estació del Nord.

For more information, click here.

Nearly 3000 Registered for the Asics Half Marathon

19/01/10

There are less and less days to go until Barcelona’s first long distance race of the year. The Asics Half Marathon promises to put to the test the resistance of thousands of passionate runners who dare to take on the 21.097 kilometre distance.

To date more than 2,900 people have signed up for the race, more than a thousand more than the number registered for last year’s event by this time.

Registration for the race will close on February 8th, or when the total number of registered runners reaches 5,000. For those who wish to sign up in person, registration will open on January 27th.

Over 1500 Registered in the ASICS Half Marathon

07/01/10

After the Cursa dels Nassos - Ibercaja Gran Prix, the final race of 2009 on the last day of the year, everything is set for Barcelona’s first long distance race of 2010, the ASICS Barcelona Half Marathon.

The emblematic race over 21.097 kilometres will take place on February 14, 2010, with the start at 9 in the morning. The starting line is on the Passeig Lluís Companys.

To date some 1,700 people have registered for the race, well above the number of registered runners for the same race this time last year, when just under a thousand had already signed up.

Registration for the ASICS Half Marathon can be done either online until February 8 at 8 PM, or in person up to 3 PM on the same day.

Keep in mind, however, that registration for the race, which is open to everyone over the age of 16, could be closed before the deadline if the number of runners signed up reaches the set maximum of 5,000 participants, as established by the race organization, before February 8.

In last year’s edition, 4,551 athletes from all over the world came to experience the thrill and emotion of the race, which winds its way through the main streets and boulevards of Barcelona along a route specifically designed for fast times.

For those runners not yet ready or willing to take on the half marathon distance, the race organization gives anyone interested the possibility of getting a 10 km. time and classification, with the goal of encouraging the participation of athletes used to shorter, more popular runs.

Registration Opens!

17/11/09

All runners interested in participating in Barcelona’s first long distance race of 2010 can now reserve a spot by registering online.

The 21.097 kilometre race will take place on February 14, 2010, at 9 AM. The starting line will be at the habitual location on Passeig Lluís Companys.

Everything you need to know about this athletic event can be found on this website.