- Cursa de Bombers
-
Cursa de Bombers 
The race passes through the Passeig de ColomDate April Location Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain Event type Road Distance 10 km Established 1999 Official site Cursa Bombers The Cursa de Bombers (English: Fireman's Race) is an annual road running race over 10 km which takes place in April in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The race holds IAAF Bronze Label Road Race status.[1]
Contents
History and course
The race was created in 1999 as a joint venture between the Bombers de Barcelona (Firemen of Barcelona) and Nike as a way of protesting against the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona (Barcelona City Council) for their refusal to respond to the firefighters' demands for improved working conditions.[2] The race has since grown significantly as both an elite and popular race, with major Spanish runners such as Marta Domínguez taking part and over 13,000 athletes running the course by the 2007 edition of the event.[3] A record of 18,014 people participated in the 2010 race – the year that it was given IAAF Bronze Label Road Race status.[1]
A view of Via Laietana near the end of the course
The course of the race is uphill for the first 4 km (2 mi) and has a downhill incline over the remaining 6 km (4 mi). The race has a looped circuit which is clockwise in direction and goes through a number of major roads in the city. Beginning on Avenida Marques de Argentera, near the Parc de la Ciutadella, the race heads west toward Passeig de Colom before going northwards along Avinguda del Paral·lel. The route turns eastwards at Calle Floridablanca and follows a straight path along Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes. The race begins to loop back to the start at this point, passing through Passeig de Sant Joan, Ronda de Sant Pere and finally onto Via Laietana[4]
The elite race has been dominated by Kenya runners, with all but two editions of the men's race having a Kenyan victor and half of the past women's race winners coming from the country. In spite of this, the race remains popular among the top domestic runners, such as Chema Martínez, Nuria Fernández, and Carles Castillejo, who have reached one of the top three spots.[1] The 2011 elite race was reduced to a sub-national level race as only those who were registered with the Catalan Athletics Federation were allowed to compete. With little competition, and hot weather to contend with, the winning times were among the slowest ever for the race.[5]
Past winners
The 2002 men's winner was Yonas Kifle.Key: Course record
Edition Year Men's winner Time (m:s) Women's winner Time (m:s) 13th 2011 
Ayad Lamdassem (ESP)30:02 Natalia Rodríguez (ESP)35:25 12th 2010 
Josphat Kiprono Menjo (KEN)27:04 
Jéssica Augusto (POR)32:08 11th 2009 Josphat Kiprono Menjo (KEN)27:32 
Makda Harun (ETH)32:39 10th 2008 Josphat Kiprono Menjo (KEN)27:57 Eunice Jepkorir (KEN)31:37 9th 2007 Peter Kamais (KEN)27:57 Eunice Jepkorir (KEN)31:49 8th 2006 Peter Kamais (KEN)27:29 Beylanesh Fekadu (ETH)31:55 7th 2005 Sahle Warga (ETH)28:35 Irene Kwambai Kipchumba (KEN)31:25 6th 2004 Edwin Cheruiyot Soi (KEN)28:32 Irene Kwambai Kipchumba (KEN)32:18 5th 2003 David Tuwei (KEN)28:32 Marta Domínguez (ESP)34:06 4th 2002 
Yonas Kifle (ERI)28:29 Filomena Chepchirchir (KEN)33:10 3rd 2001 David Tuwei (KEN)28:24 
Taussi Juma (TAN)32:33 2nd 2000 John Thuo Itati (KEN)28:39 Leah Kiprono (KEN)33:02 1st 1999 Cheren Simatwa (KEN)28:24 Meritxell Martos (ESP)36:04 Statistics
Winners by country
Country Men's race Women's race Total Kenya10 6 16 Ethiopia1 2 3 Spain1 3 4 Eritrea1 0 1 Portugal0 1 1 Tanzania0 1 1 Multiple winners
Athlete Country Wins Years Josphat Kiprono Menjo Kenya3 2008, 2009, 2010 David Tuwei Kenya2 2001, 2003 Irene Kwambai Kipchumba Kenya2 2004, 2005 Peter Kamais Kenya2 2006, 2007 Eunice Jepkorir Kenya2 2007, 2008 See also
References
- ^ a b c Valiente, Emeterio (2010-04-19). Menjo blazes 27:04 10Km in Barcelona. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-23.
- ^ La Carrera de los Bomberos recaudará fondos para la lucha contra el SIDA (Spanish). ADN.es (2010-03-03). Retrieved on 2010-04-29.
- ^ La 'Cursa Bombers' de Barcelona bate su récord de participación este domingo con 13.000 participantes (Spanish). EuropaPress (2007-03-30). Retrieved on 2010-04-29.
- ^ Informaté (Spanish). Cursa Bombers. Retrieved on 2010-04-29.
- ^ Justribó, Joan (2011-04-11). La Bombers se abona al récord. Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved on 2011-04-16.
External links
- Official website (Catalan)
IAAF Bronze Label Road Races International Marathon Alexander the Great • Mangyongdae Prize Marathon • Great Ireland Run • Düsseldorf Marathon • Corrida de Langueux • Semi-Marathon International Auray-Vannes • Singelloop Utrecht • 20 Kilomètres de Paris • Reims Half Marathon • Zevenheuvelenloop • Semi-Marathon de Boulogne-Billancourt • Beirut Marathon • Florence Marathon • Marathon de La Rochelle
Categories:- 10K races
- Athletics competitions in Catalonia
- Athletics competitions in Spain
- Sport in Barcelona
- Recurring sporting events established in 1999
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
