The El Corte Inglés Race celebrates its 44th edition on May 5 and will run through the most charming streets of Barcelona. With the motto Connecta't amb la race, a union with solidarity and sport is sought while enjoying the atmosphere of the city.
El Corte Inglés has linked sport with solidarity since the 80s. On this occasion, the Fundació Catalana d'ELA Miquel Valls will be the entity associated with this edition. Esther Sellès, president of the foundation, appreciates the support for this disease and this opportunity will help them give visibility and be able to achieve legislative improvements. Esther Sellès assures that "they are a very vulnerable and invisible group" with many needs that are not covered by institutions. "Only 20% of the budget comes from public funds," says the president of the foundation.
The course will have a new design by RPM Sports that modifies the starting point and finish line of the race. Mauro Llorens, director of RPM Sports, explains that one of the novelties involves sizing the race, where there will be five staggered starts and in addition, in the final stretch an additional lane will be added so that runners can appreciate the last meters with the best comfort. . "Small changes improve the running of the race, especially so that runners can enjoy it from within," highlights Mauro Llorens.
Another novelty of the edition is that runners will be able to customize the design of their number until April 12. The organization of the race aims to offer the best service to the runner and, based on last year's participation with 26,000 runners, an increase of 20% is expected.
Josep Marc, member of the General Secretariat of Sports of the Province of Barcelona, reaffirms that sport is a tool of social cohesion, "giving visibility to the solidarity part is very important." Furthermore, he emphasizes that it is an activity that can be enjoyed as a family, "a family and solidarity race has all the qualities to succeed," highlights Josep Marc.
Susana Closa, manager of the Barcelona Sports Institute, emphasizes that in all editions there are more than two million participants and comments that Barcelona is a city that breathes sport.
Êllâ Bestué, member of the Catalan Athletics Federation, states that these activities promote athletics in Catalan territory. "Bringing professional athletes to these races is very important, since it helps to learn about a sport that is sometimes not seen," confesses the athlete.
The Under Armor brand renews as official sponsor of the Cursa El Corte Inglés thanks to the great acceptance in the last edition, where the Maragall Foundation raised more than 20,000 euros in the sale of t-shirts. The solidarity t-shirt can be purchased at the Corte Inglés on Diagonal or Portal de l'Àngel and through the website while supplies last.
The Veri water brand will distribute more than 30,000 liters of water that will be distributed at kilometer 5.2 and at the finish line. On the other hand, at the end of the journey, Aquarius Zero will distribute 20,000 liters of isotonic drink.
To contribute to the environment and sustainable mobility, Transport Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) will offer all runners a single ticket for the metro or bus to travel on the day of the race.
