Cursa de Bombers
Encyclopedia
The Cursa de Bombers 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.
as a way of protesting against the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona (Barcelona City Council) for their refusal to respond to the firefighter
s' demands for improved working conditions. 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. A record of 18,014 people participated in the 2010 race – the year that it was given IAAF Bronze Label Road Race status.
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
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. 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.
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
race over 10 km which takes place in April in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The race holds IAAF Bronze Label Road Race status.
History and course
The race was created in 1999 as a joint venture between the Bombers de Barcelona (Firemen of Barcelona) and NikeNike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
as a way of protesting against the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona (Barcelona City Council) for their refusal to respond to the firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s' demands for improved working conditions. The race has since grown significantly as both an elite and popular race, with major Spanish runners such as Marta Domínguez
Marta Domínguez
Marta Domínguez Azpeleta is a Spanish runner. She was accused of drug dealing and but later acquitted .Dominguez currently competes mainly in 3000 m steeplechase, a distance in which she was the 2009 world champion...
taking part and over 13,000 athletes running the course by the 2007 edition of the event. A record of 18,014 people participated in the 2010 race – the year that it was given IAAF Bronze Label Road Race status.
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
Parc de la Ciutadella
The Parc de la Ciutadella is a park in Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Spain. After its establishment during the mid 19 century, it was for decades the only green area in the city, and hitherto of the most popular...
, the race heads west toward Passeig de Colom
Passeig de Colom, Barcelona
Passeig de Colom is the name of a wide avenue lined with palm trees in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain in the Ciutat Vella district.-History:...
before going northwards along Avinguda del Paral·lel
Avinguda del Paral·lel
Avinguda del Paral·lel is one of the main streets of the city of Barcelona, dividing Ciutat Vella, Eixample and Sants-Montjuïc districts. It receives this name because it is parallel to the Equator...
. 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
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
Nuria Fernández
Nuria Fernández Domínguez is a Spanish middle distance runner. She specializes in the 1500 metres and is the Spanish record holder in the mile run and the 1500 m indoors....
, and Carles Castillejo
Carles Castillejo
Carles Castillejo is an Spanish long distance runner.-Achievements:-References:...
, who have reached one of the top three spots. 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.
Past winners
Key:| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13th | 2011 | 30:02 | 35:25 | ||
| 12th | 2010 | 27:04 | 32:08 | ||
| 11th | 2009 | 27:32 | 32:39 | ||
| 10th | 2008 | 27:57 | 31:37 | ||
| 9th | 2007 | 27:57 | 31:49 | ||
| 8th | 2006 | 27:29 | 31:55 | ||
| 7th | 2005 | 28:35 | 31:25 | ||
| 6th | 2004 | 28:32 | 32:18 | ||
| 5th | 2003 | 28:32 | 34:06 | ||
| 4th | 2002 | 28:29 | 33:10 | ||
| 3rd | 2001 | 28:24 | 32:33 | ||
| 2nd | 2000 | 28:39 | 33:02 | ||
| 1st | 1999 | 28:24 | 36:04 |
Winners by country
| Country | Men's race | Women's race | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 6 | 16 | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 |
Multiple winners
| Athlete | Country | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josphat Kiprono Menjo | 3 | 2008, 2009, 2010 | |
| David Tuwei | 2 | 2001, 2003 | |
| Irene Kwambai Kipchumba | 2 | 2004, 2005 | |
| Peter Kamais Peter Kamais Peter Kamais is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running events.He was the winner at the Oeiras International Cross Country and Almond Blossom Cross Country races in 2006, but it was at the Cursa de Bombers 10K where he established himself, taking consecutive wins in 2006 and... |
2 | 2006, 2007 | |
| Eunice Jepkorir Eunice Jepkorir Eunice Jepkorir is a Kenyan long-distance runner and a 2008 Olympic silver-medalist.She is from Eldama Ravine. Her parents are farmers and she has eight siblings . She started serious running at the age of 15 while at high school... |
2 | 2007, 2008 | |