With the floods in Valencia is the marathon in doubt?

re. Malaga / Pisa / any of the alternatives, any thoughts on which is going to be the flattest/fastest/best alternative?

I've run Pisa. It's completely flat and very fast. The only difficulty the year I ran it (2014) was the wind during a brief section coming off the coast around 17 miles. But it's definitely cooler and less windy than Malaga.

Joachim, although I understand your sentiment and that emotions are currently riding high, this post is a bit alarmist and it's worth remembering that you (or your running club) don't speak for absolutely everyone.

Would a family-ran hotel in the city centre, a restaurant owner or others in the tourism trade working in Valencia city share the same opinion? Possibly they would, possibly-not.

Losing several hundreds or thousands of euros by having the race cancelled of course is no parallel to losing your home, your family or your life, but it is also not entirely inconsequential or insignificant for many people.

I think we as runners have to let the organisation and the municipal government decide the best course of action, and respect their wishes either way.

Yeah having the running club "vote" on it was hella cringe. RE: European races, I can also recommend Pisa.

What do you mean by saying that you voted on it? Is the Valencia marathon operated through some kind of voting system? If not, it sounds really strange to hold votes on matters that have nothing to do with the running club’s activities. Sorry, but that’s super cringe.

In defence of Joachim, I'm sure it was a relaxed 'hands raised' activity to gauge opinion. Of course he doesn't speak for everyone in Valencia but some of the responders on here need to re-read big_chungus response as an indication of how to reply without vitriol.

I for one - unless I see a significant, marked improvement in Valencia - am leaning toward involvement in this marathon being in poor taste. It seems insensitive. To remind some perhaps, they are still recovering the dead and many are without basic good/services.

It is out of respect for its citizens that Valencia ought to be given time to repair and mourn, regardless of what the organisers of the marathon want to do. There are bigger things in life than my PB goals.

Time to move over to Pisa/Malaga if I can.

I'm done here, so that poor 'Matthew' doesn't get any more unfair criticism.

I think the point is that a local club with runners who might be planning to participate didn't think it was appropriate to run it or for the event to be staged. No one is saying that this is representative, but it's a local perspective worth having in mind. No need to attack someone.

Changes the timeline but castellon on 16 Feb 2025 is also a fast course as a possible spanish Plan B. Sevilla full of course.

So we have 6 runners who are usually running this marathon and the rest of us sponsor and make a cheer station. We vote on whether we do this in 2024 and are deciding not to go, it's not appropriate to race at this time.

I said I would let my international running friends know of our decision in order to urge them to respect our vote and stay home. Next year we will see you all!

lol the marathon doesn't mean shyt

I see three options:

1. Hard cancel for a year. While on the face of it the simplest, I think this would be an absolute financial disaster for Valencia Marathon as they'd be tied into a huge number of contracts such that they'd have to pay up anyway given short notice cancellation as well as refunding all the entry fees. I can't see insurance paying up unless the Spanish government triggers something to allow them to claim i.e. emergency/government bans event etc. This is maybe therefore not as likely as people make out.

2. Reschedule to the spring. This seems more plausible and could avoid refunding tickets if they do a 'request a refund thing'. They also have a higher chance of re-negotiating contracts. It also give several months time.

3. Run it on the original date as Valencia Strong. The vibe of the event would certainly be different but I hope runners would be understanding and it could be a good event to show that Valencia still exists and not to forget it even if some things would be more muted. The logistical challenges would be immense but central government could pitch in and runners 'make-do' as a demonstration of solidarity.

Is there any precedent for a reschedule in similar circumstances?

Those of you going on about the tourism industry- they're probably busy putting up the thousands of helpers from across the country or survivors atm if they are even able to operate. Tourism will return, as will running. But in just three weeks?

There would need to be sufficient infrastructure in place for this to get a green light, that's significantly more than just having the course intact.

does anyone know what the state of the infrastructure is right now? Road across to the city? Major rail links to the city? If the latter aren’t running, I can’t really see how they can stage the event (putting aside whether it is appropriate).

Do you think what Ouigo says is true? Will trains be running again from November 13th?

Thanks. Sounds very much like things are still in emergency / essential only mode.

This is the important subtext to everything you're hearing in this thread. Spain's working class has been struggling for generations, unemployment has always been through the roof, and seeing western tourists show up and live a life in luxury while they often can't afford to eat always grinds their gears.

That's a fair point but I suspect that Spanish food poverty is lower level than UK or USA. Cost of living outside Madrid and Barcelona is much lower than UK and USA. I know this as I'm in Spain 1/4 of the year. Most visitors to Spain are themselves either middle class or working class and whilst I'm no expert I think that a big decline in tourism would at least in short term have only one effect on the unemployment rate.