Members of the Sports Council representing the Municipal Councils of Alicante and Elche, Toni Gallego and José Navarro, met to address technical, organizational, and promotional tasks for the inaugural Alicante-Elche marathon. The event is planned for February 2025 and was recently announced by both cities during the International Tourism Fair (FITUR).
The project lead also attended the planning session at Elche City Hall. The organizing director of the sports events, José Manuel Albentosa, a former Olympian and owner of Club Atlético Montemar, oversees the record of the Elche half marathon, one of the oldest in the world.
Among the immediate actions discussed is a coordination meeting with the Local Police and the Civil Guard to identify security considerations for both cities and to define the final route. The marathon will cover a 42-kilometer course between Elche and Alicante.
Alicante and Elche to host the first cross-city marathon in February 2025
The organizers highlighted that the next step is obtaining approval from the Spanish Athletics Federation for a sports event that has already drawn interest from international athletes.
Cooperation between Alicante and the Provincial Council of Alicante will continue to address technical, organizational, and promotional aspects. The tourism departments will work on crafting travel packages and designing promotional activities to maximize the event’s impact on both cities.
“One of the fastest routes in Spain”
The marathon director, José Manuel Albentosa, stated that the course will be extremely fast, potentially the quickest in Spain and among the fastest in Europe. The route features a favorable profile for personal bests, appealing to competitive runners.
The event is slated to finish at the Port of Alicante in February, chosen to avoid peak heat and provide optimal running conditions.
Both councils share a vision of broad dissemination of the sporting event and coordination with local clubs from the two municipalities. The plan includes activation activities surrounding the marathon and hosting a runners’ fair in Elche, which will serve as the starting point for the joint race.