Zurich Maraton de Sevilla 2024: The strongest edition in its history

The Zurich Maraton de Sevilla 2024, flattest marathon course in Europe, will be held this Sunday, 18 February from 8.30am (CET) and has presented the international line-up of more than 250 elite athletes who will make up the strongest start list in its history, with the men's winners of the past two editions leading the African armada that will fight to break the race records and the best Europeans and American athletes fighting for the Olympic passport to Paris 2024. It will be the Spanish Championships, and Great Britain’s and Turkey’s trials.

On Sunday before the start all the participants will pay tribute to Kelvin Kiptum, world record holder, and his coach, who died in a traffic accident in Kenya. We will observe 42 seconds of silence, as many as kms of the race, in his memory.

Zurich Maraton de Sevilla 2024 has unveiled the strong starting list of international athletes already confirmed who will fight for the victory, to achieve the qualifying standards for the Olympic Games and to break the record of the race in both male and female categories. The names of the majority of the more than 250 elite runners have been announced, among them, in the men's category, the last two winners and best times in history in Seville, the Ethiopians Asrar Hiyrden, winner in 2022 and current course record with 2h04:43, and Gadisa Birhanu Shumie, winner last year with 2h04:59:43, and Gadisa Birhanu Shumie, last year's winner with 2h04:59, the Eritrean Okubay Tsegay (2h05:20 in Berlin in 2023), or the national record holders from France, Morhad Amdouni (2h05:22) or the Israeli Ayale (2h05:33), who achieved the national record precisely in Seville in the last edition. The young Ethiopian Deresa Geleta Ulfata and the best Italian long-distance runner in history, Crippa (Italian record holder in the 5000m, 10000m and half marathon) are other big names who will try to beat the clock in the Andalusian capital. Up to 10 men have already run under 2h06, and 20 under 2h08, to which the best Spanish runners will have to be added for the Spanish Champ. Ayad Lamdassem, who achieved in Seville in 2022 the Spanish record (2h06:25) leads the “Spanish Armada”. Ibrahim Chakir, Iraitz Arrospide, Jorge Blanco, Juan Antonio Pérez are amongst the main local contenders.

As for the women’s start list, Namibia's Helalia Johannes will start the race in Avenida de Las Delicias with the best personal best of the more than 70 professionals who will compete for the victory with 2h19:52. Ethiopia's Azmera Gebru (2h20:48) and Kenya's Magdalyne Masai (2h22:16) are aiming to beat the best time achieved in Andalusia over this distance, and the group of British runners, led by Calli Thakcery (2h22:17), are at their best level ever and will be competing for places at the Olympic Games in Paris in what will be the official trials of this federation. Fatima Azzaharaa Ouhaddou, Meritxell Soler (first Spanish athlete at the finish line in 2023), Maria Jose Perez, Clara Simal and Ester Navarrete are the main favourites for the Spanish Champ.

In terms of runner density, this will be the highest level edition in the history of the Zurich Maraton de Sevilla. The objective, in addition to the circuit records, will be to once again facilitate the achievement of qualifying standards for the Olympic Games (up to 25 were achieved here in 2023) and to continue adding national records, such as the 15 that have been broken in the last two editions.

Sevilla, the ‘special one’. Flattest marathon course in Europe

Thanks to its statistics, the extraordinary density of elite runners and the fact that it has the flattest course in Europe, the Zurich Seville Marathon is already one of the most important marathons in the world and one of the most desired by popular runners looking to achieve their personal bests.

It is an economical marathon, accommodation is cheap, and travelling to Seville is a lifetime experience. The weather is perfect for running in February, and the course is unbeatable for completing it very quickly with only 10 metres difference between the highest and the lowest point. These are the ingredients of a recipe for success. When it is winter in Europe, it is almost spring in Seville (between 7º and 18ºC in February).

Ideal for the elite to achieve the qualifying standard for international championships (World Championships, Olympic Games...) as it is in February and there is usually a 6-month margin to train for the official championships in summer.

Chosen by the Spanish Athletics Federation to be the Spanish Championships, and will give to the champions the direct qualification for the next Olympic Games in Paris 2024, if they have the standard (2h08:10 for men and 2h26:50 for women, while those of the RFEA are 2h09:40 and 2h28:00).

FINISHERS MEDAL IN HONOUR OF ABEL ANTÓN

The best Spanish marathon runner in history, Abel Antón, will receive a tribute from the organisers for the 25th anniversary of his heroic deed in this city, when he was proclaimed world champion over the distance at the Seville '99 World Championships. The medal that the finishers of the Zurich Seville Marathon will receive contains the iconic image of the athlete from Soria crossing the finish line in the La Cartuja stadium. "For me, returning to Seville is always very special, it is my home, where I achieved sporting glory, and receiving this tribute a quarter of a century later fills me with emotion, because I am tremendously grateful to this city, to all the Sevillians who continue to stop me in the street to take photos with me and who still remember that", said Abel Antón.

The Zurich Maraton de Sevilla is organised by Ayuntamiento de Sevilla with the collaboration of Sport Life Iberica and the sponsorship of Asics and TotalEnergies.