33,000 people will run for ALS in the 44th Cursa El Corte Inglés

• Among the favourites for the podium are Xavi Tomassa, Carles Montllor and Bilal Ziadi. In the women’s category Meritxell Soler, Cristina Silva and Douae Ouboukir.
• La Cursa will be held this Sunday with the same route as last year, starting at Avinguda Diagonal and finishing at Plaça Catalunya.

This Sunday 5 May at 9 a.m., 33,000 people will run the 44th Cursa El Corte Inglés in aid of the Fundació Catalana d’ELA Miquel Valls, which focuses its research into ALS and support for those affected by the disease and their families. La Cursa confirms this event as a benchmark in terms of parity in the athletics calendar, with a female participation rate that is very similar to the male participation rate. The organisers are also very satisfied with the fact that the age groups of the participants are very diverse, a fact that exemplifies the festive, popular and vital character of the Cursa.

Among the favourites are Xavi Tomassa, runner-up in the Catalan Marathon and champion in the Masters 35 category at the Zurich Marató Barcelona 2024. Carles Montllor, Spanish 50k runner-up in 2023, also silver medallist in the 2022 European 50km team race and with the best half-marathon time of 01.05:3s and Bilal Ziadi, who got the 4th position in 2023. In the women’s category, the Catalan Meritxell Soler, winner of the Cursa de Bombers and in preparation for the Paris Olympics (marathon), together with Cristina Silva, winner of last year’s Cursa El Corte Inglés and Douae Ouboukir, Catalan Cross Country champion, are the favourites for the final victory.

The start will be at 9.00 a.m. on Avinguda Diagonal, just in front of El Corte Inglés Diagonal, passing through Francesc Macià and Plaça de Cinc d’Oros until reaching Passeig de Gràcia. It will go down Passeig de Gràcia until it turns into Carrer Aragó and will turn again into Carrer Viladomat and continue along Gran Via until it reaches Carrer Marina. This year there is a small change, it will continue along Carrer Casp until it reaches the finish line in Plaça Catalunya.

Contributing to sustainable development and improving the mobility of citizens, this year Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) is collaborating in the 44th edition of La Cursa El Corte Inglés. When they collect their bib number, participants receive a single ticket valid on the metro and bus for their journey on the day of the Cursa. Individual travel tickets have been made available to runners and will be given out while stocks last.

The American firm Under Armour is once again an official sponsor of the Cursa El Corte Inglés. Under Armour, which specialises in fashion and sports equipment, has once again produced, following last year’s success, a limited edition of technical solidarity t-shirts, the profits from which will go to the Fundació Catalana d’ELA Miquel Valls. The t-shirts, priced at €18.99, can be purchased at El Corte Inglés de Portal de l’Àngel and El Corte Inglés de la Diagonal.

La Cursa El Corte Inglés once again has more than 30,000 litres of Veri water and 20,000 litres of Aquarius Zero, which will be made available to all participants, as these brands are committed to sport and solidarity.

The organisation is made up of more than a thousand people, including El Corte Inglés, RPM Sports, Guàrdia Urbana, Institut Barcelona Esports, Federació Catalana d’Atletisme, Creu Roja and Voluntaris 2000, all of whom ensure the quality and smooth running of the Cursa. This Sunday 5th May, Barcelona connects to the Cursa!