The Great Mediterranean Race will start on Sunday with a tribute to the DANA victims

The Great Mediterranean Race celebrates its sixth edition, marked by mourning for the tragedy caused by the DANA in the province of Valencia and other parts of Spain. The event will gather more than three thousand running and paddle surfing enthusiasts next Sunday, November 10.

Organized with the support of the Diputación, the Montemar Athletic Club, and the Parres Sports Club, both events will pay tribute to the victims of the catastrophe, as announced by the Sports Deputy, Bernabé Cano. The runners will observe a minute of silence before the start at the gates of the Provincial Palace, while the paddle surfers, who will wear a black armband, will pay tribute to the deceased with a floral offering at sea at the end of the event.

The distribution of bibs for the half marathon and the collection of the 'runner's bag' will begin on Friday, November 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the tent located in the gardens of the Provincial Palace. The area, which will display black ribbons as a sign of mourning, will also be open on Saturday, the 9th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m., and on Sunday, from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. Additionally, on the same Sunday, the organization will provide a mobile cloakroom service to transport the personal belongings of all participants, as well as more than twenty buses to take them back to Alicante once the event is over.

"The participants in the race will once again travel by land and sea the section between the municipalities of Alicante, Elche, and Santa Pola, an exceptional route not found in any other race in Spain," said the Sports Deputy, who reiterated the provincial institution's commitment to these types of events that stand out not only for their importance at a sporting level but also "for their great impact from a tourist, media, and economic perspective."

The Great Mediterranean Race 21K, in which more than 3,000 runners will participate, will start at 9 a.m. from the city of Alicante, with the start at the gates of the Provincial Palace, and will run parallel to the coast through places such as El Palmeral Park, the beaches of Urbanova, Arenales del Sol, and Carabassí, or the Santa Pola Lighthouse. In total, 21.0975 kilometers that will culminate at Varadero Beach in Santa Pola.

At the same time, around 9 a.m., the Alicante coast will also be filled with color with more than 200 paddle surfers who will meet at the VI Great Mediterranean Sup Race to parallelly travel the coast from Urbanova beach in Alicante, passing through the coast of Elche and reaching Varadero beach in Santa Pola.