Once again the Zurich Maraton de Sevilla is sold out at least one month in advance (February 21st). There will be 13,000 athletes lined up at the start line to run the flattest marathon course in Europe. The event has been awarded by the Spanish Federation to host the National Marathon Championship and will offer a direct qualification to Rio 2016 for the male and femal champions if the achieve the qualifying standard. This event got the prestigious IAAF Bronze Label status for the third year in a row and is also awarded as “5 stars” by the European Athletics Association.
Amongst the African athletes racing for the victory and to set a new course record, there will be many top Spanish marathoners lined up at the start of the Zurich Maraton de Sevilla (February 21st, 2016) to compete for the Spanish Championship and to get a direct qualification to Rio 2016. As it happened last year, many European and South American runners will come to Seville to try to achieve the Olympic Qualifying Standard for the upcoming Rio Games.
Kenyan Cosmas Kiplimo Lagat has already confirmed his participation. He run on his own and made an awesome debut on the distance in Sevilla in 2014 breaking the course record: 2h08:33. Berhanu Shiferaw from Ethiopia (2h04:48) is the main favourite, and there will be some newcomers such as Cutbert Nyansango (ZIM) or Dawit Weldeselasie (ERI) with 60’ in half marathon, or 2013 winner Moroccan Mohamed Blal, who will fight for the victory. Spanish Alemayehu Bezabeh, Jesus España (one of the last athletes who beat Mo Farah on the track), Carles Castillejo, Rafael Iglesias, Jaume Leiva, Jos3 Carlos Hernandez, Pedro Nimo del Oro, or Javier Diaz Carretero, amongst other, will be racing to become Spanish Champion and to get a place to Rio 2016. There will be more than 40 professional athletes from Europe and South America looking for their olympic qualifying standard.
In the female pro start list there will be a huge number of contenders: Kenyan Miriam Wangari (2h27:53), Ethiopian Fasika Metafriya (who did not finish the last edition when she was third at the km 40 due to a fadeaway), Brazilian Marily Dos Santos, Marta Tigabea (ETH), Maria McCambridge (IRL), Olivia Chitate (ZWE)… Last year, portuguese Filomena Costa who had a personal best of 2h31, got the victory in 2h28:00. Paula Gonzalez Berodia (Spanish favourite to win), Estela Navascues, Esther Hidalgo, Sonia Bejarano, Marisa Casanueva, Marta Silvestre or Yolanda Gutierrez,are the female “Spanish Armada”.
Seville has been awarded Spanish Marathon Championship due to its great and incredible fast course (flattest in Europe) showing all the monuments and the city centre: 10 meters elevation change from start to end. Whole course at sea level. Seville, in the well known region of Andalusia in Spain, also offers perfect weather conditions in February and it is an unique city ready for culture, fun, gastronomy and an experience for life. Zurich Maraton de Sevilla achieved the prestigious IAAF Bronze Label status on the past two editions.
13,000 athletes will be lined up at the startline in La Cartuja to face this unique and special challenge, that shows all the monuments and main picturesque streets of the city. This is one of the cheapest marathon races worldwide, and the finish line is located at the athletic track of the Olympic Stadium which hosted 1999 IAAF World Championship. This urban, flat, fast and beautiful brand new race course will drive athletes through the most beautiful monuments of the city. Zuricn Maraton de Sevilla brings the unique opportunity to brake the Best personal result over the mythical distance to all the athletes, professional or age groupers, in one of the most perfect international marathon circuits.
Last year, 712 athletes (11,500 participants) run sub 3 hours the Zurich Maraton de Sevilla, a new record in Spain at this moment. Portuguese Filomena Costa (2h28:00) and Kenyan Lawewnce Cherono (2h09:39) were the winners of the 31st Zurich Maraton de Sevilla 2015.
There will be video streaming to follow the race online on race day, live ranking and tracking, live coverage on social media and on ZurichMaratonSevilla.es
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