The afternoon sun caresses the runners’ arms, legs and backs just before the departure line. Sant Josep de Sa Talaia parking lot, where the boxes has been installed, is heaving with athletes warming up and down from one side to the other, stretching their muscles, applying sunscreen, resetting their chronometers, programming pulsimeters, adjusting their socks, and lacing their trainers. Almost two thousand legs about to start running Ibiza’s Half Marathon.

Most of the participants knew they had to follow the unreachable trail of the Kenyan runners who had landed on the island the day before with the aim to establish new records in one of the most spectacular tests on the national calendar.

The elite runners we have brought this year, after considering several options, responded with huge interest. The challenge was to break the male record because women’s record had already been broken the year before. However, Maurine Jemutai put in tremendous efforts and reduced the 2021 record by one minute,” explains Andoni Valencia, a couple of weeks after the the race that took place last 22nd of April

It is also worth mentioning Jemutai’s performance at the Ibiza’s Half Marathon. The Kenyan arrived at the old port of Ibiza town after 1 hour, 10 minutes and 51 seconds of great effort. An imperial ride that put the cherry on top to an afternoon that her fellow countryman Josphet Mutisya Mutula had already reached nine minutes before

The male winner had to sprint the last few meters to improve the male record by a few seconds, setting it at 1 hour, 1 minute and 48 seconds. The applause from those gathered in the last kilometer of this half marathon lifted him and drove him to the endline where his effort ended. “Celebrating the race on a Saturday afternoon and placing the end line on the port of Ibiza Town allured a big crowd to the finish line. Ending this athletic competition with Dalt Vila as the backdrop created a spectacular sight,” says Valencia. Other highlights were the outstanding performances by the also Kenyan Peter Karuki (second only by twenty seconds from the winner) or the Ibicenco Daniel Planells (sixth and first local runner in reaching the finish line), the organization was delighted to prove that the Ibiza Half Marathon is well rooted into the popular athletics.

After the pandemic, welcoming around thousand participants has been a great achievement. Many athletes have come from outside Ibiza, around 90%, half of them Spanish and the other half from overseas. There has been a great response from Italy and United Kingdom,” reflects Valencia, knowing that having over 30 nationalities at the departure line is a great asset for this event that has been organized by the AD Ibiza Half Triathlon since 2013.

Diversity was noticeable, especially during the number pick up or during the talk given by the Colombian coach Andrés Ramírez at Recinto Ferial de Ibiza, as part of the Touribisport programming. There were groups of up to 30 people who travelled to the island to run this race that runs along the ocean for several kilometers, one of the main defining features of this unparalleled competition.

We are carefully checking the race agenda before setting a new date for 2024.

We are already thinking of how to promote the Ibiza Half Marathon during the next few months, also we are currently working on the Ibiza Half Triathlon that we also organize every October,” says Andoni Valencia. There is no question that ‘run & fun’ will continue being the slogan that perfectly describes the spirit of a race able to conjure the presence of renownedlong-distance runners together with aficionados for whom popular races is a source of health and fun. This blend is one of the great attractions that make the Ibiza Half Marathon a great appeal for the sportspeople who visit the island during the spring months