The race has included top-level athletes such as Adrià Ceballos, from ADA Calvià and Argentinian Gianfranco Presti, winner of the 7.5 km race
The event included a non-competitive race with the same route and a children’s race. All attendees received a clay medal
Andreu Massot, organizer: “Our goal was to run a race through the town and our culture, the mud and the siurels, and we wanted it to pass through all of them”
The 1st Mud Race, held yesterday, Saturday 20 July in Pòrtol, brought 450 runners to the streets of the land of potters and potters as part of the local festivities of the Virgin of Carmel in Pòrtol.
Among the participants of this first edition, there was the local athlete Adrià Ceballos, Spanish runner-up in the 10,000 meters in the under 23 category and athlete of the ADA Calvià, who took part in the 7.5 km competition. Argentinian Gianfranco Presti won the test, with a time of 23 minutes 14 seconds, with Adrià Ceballos and Jaume Garcías completing the podium. Leonor Font was the female winner, reaching the finish line in 28 min 35 seconds, followed by Amelia Álvarez and Maria Antònia Femenías.
All the participants received an exclusive medal and the winners a siurell crossing the finish line, made by Ca Madò Bet, with the aim of promoting the sense of community in Marratxí and for the participants to get to know the siurells, the clay pots and the environment
In addition, the event included a popular non-competitive race of 3 kilometers, without a podium, for those who wanted to start in the world of running or go at their own pace, because it was also possible to do it on foot, in a more playful way. Previously, children’s races have been held for children up to 12 years of age, with different distances, free of charge.
The competition, organized by Cuc Fitness with the collaboration of the Marratxí Town Council, has left the Plaça de Can Flor at 7pm. Andreu Massot, the organizer of the event, was surprised by the good reception in this first edition: “We still can’t believe the participation it has had. We hope that when the satisfaction of the runners is equal or better, we hope that you liked it a lot. From CUC Fitness we have tried to make an attractive race, with many prizes for children and adults. We are very happy because there were more than 200 participants in the seven and a half kilometer race, more than a hundred in the walk, as well as in the children’s races, which we passed the hundred, with around 450 participants in all categories.”
This race was not only a fun and healthy way to celebrate the Feasts of Carmel, but also an opportunity to highlight the work of artisans and the beauty of their products. According to Massot, “our objective was to run a race through the town and our culture, the mud and the siurels, and we wanted it to go through all of them, that even though the siurell race exists, this one did not follow the same route, passing through all the pottery. All the trophies are made by the artisans and it is a way for people outside to learn about our tradition.”
The Councilor for Sports, Juan Antonio Estarellas, has assessed the initiative very positively, and with prospects for continuity: “The organization has been surprised by the success and the great reception of this first race and this gives us perspectives that we believe that it will be consolidated over time and will be a reference race in the sports calendar of Marratxí”.
In addition, the event had a gesture of solidarity with Casal Solidari Gent del Món, which had a tent in the central square of the event so that participants could donate household cleaning and personal hygiene products to help all those people who need it most.
