Over 14,000 runners take to wet Barcelona streets for revamped 10K La Mercè race

Over 14,000 runners gathered on Sunday morning in Barcelona for yet another edition of the La Mercè race, one of the events usually marking the beginning of the Mercè local celebrations in the Catalan capital. Around 13,000 were registered for the main 10-kilometer event, with over a thousand participating in the inclusive race and the family run.

The race was due to start at 8.30am, and participants training before the event faced a shower falling on Barcelona's downtown just after 8.00am. The rain stopped just before the sound of the starting gun, but runners faced stifling heat and wet tarmac throughout the rrace course.

The 47th edition of the race brought a remarkable change: a new route. After more than two decades starting and finishing in Avinguda Maria Cristina, on the foot of Montjuïc mountain by the Magic Fountain, organizers set the starting line at the crossing between Carrer Aragó and Pau Claris, at the heart of the Eixample district, not far from La Pedrera, one of Antoni Gaudí's most famous architectural gems.

The 10-kilometer route

The route passed through iconic Barcelona streets, from the start at Carrer Aragó to the finish at Plaça de Catalunya. Runners headed down Carrer València, Passeig de Sant Joan, past the Arc de Triomf, along Passeig de Lluís Companys and Passeig Picasso, before reaching the seafront going southbound.

After passing by Christopher Columbus statue, they turned to Avinguda Paral·lel at Plaça de les Drassanes to face the most challenging part: two kilometers slightly uphill after having already run most of the race course.

Carrer Entença, Carrer Floridablanca, and Ronda Sant Antoni were the next streets that runners visited, before the final stretch starting at Plaça Universitat, and finishing at Plaça de Catalunya.

While the route until this year used to finish uphill at Avinguda Paral·lel, the finishing kilometer was lighter this year, with participants given an opportunity for improving their personal records.

Winners

Most of the runners were amateur like every year, but some semiprofessional athletes also took part in the event, with Douae Ouboukir winning the female event stopping the watch at 33:39, and Jimmy Whelan getting the top spot in the men's rankings, with 29:07, all-time record for the race.

Inclusive event

Alongside the 10K event, a inclusive 2K race was also scheduled – for participants with intellectual disabilities or reduced mobility who are not physically able to run 10 kilometers – and a non-competitive one-mile Family Run.

All proceeds from race registration went to a charitable organization, which this year is Alzheimer Catalunya.