Traffic Disruptions and Diversions for the First Elche–Alicante Marathon: What You Need to Know

Alicante is gearing up for a morning marked by sports and traffic restrictions with the celebration of the I International Elche–Alicante Marathon this Sunday. This event will gather 4,300 runners and will pass through some of the main arteries of the city centre and the coastal front. The race will require the closure of around forty roads and squares and will alter nearly twenty bus routes, including the C6 to the airport, as well as the shuttle to Santa Bárbara Castle and the Turibús.

The first marathon runners are expected to arrive in the city after 10:30 am, entering via the N-340 and Elche Avenue at the 20-kilometre mark of the route. From there, they will cover the 42 kilometres and 195 metres of the marathon through an urban circuit that will culminate in the Volvo Zone of the Port, where the finish line will be set up. The special traffic arrangements will extend beyond 2:30 pm, and normality will not be restored until arches, signage, service stations, and structures associated with the event are removed, around three in the afternoon.

The route will paint a sporting picture along avenues such as Loring, Maisonnave, Federico Soto, and Alfonso el Sabio, as well as landmarks like Luceros, Rambla Méndez Núñez, the Explanada, the Town Hall Square, Paseíto Ramiro, and Paseo de los Mártires. The marathon runners will also pass through streets in the southern axis such as Aguilera, Lorenzo Carbonell, or Periodista Rafael González Aguilar, before heading along the seafront towards the finish.

From Friday afternoon, the Local Police will have activated parking and access restrictions on all streets and squares affected by the preparations. Urban and interurban bus lines will operate with diversions and alternative stops, especially in the area of Villajoyosa Avenue, whose services will be diverted via Dénia Avenue, Vázquez de Mella, Jaime II, San Vicente, and Spain Square, where provisional terminals will be set up.

Alicante will thus face a sporting day that, beyond the temporary closures, aims to establish a new marathon with the intention of becoming a fixture on the Valencian athletic calendar.