- It was decided to return to the old 8.1 kilometre route that avoided the steep and tough leg-breaking climb of Camí Abiar and returned along the road from Teulada
Last Sunday morning, El Poble Nou de Benitatxell became the setting for a great sporting event with the VIII Volta a Peu of the municipality, in which around 1,000 athletes took part, including adults, boys and girls.
The overall winner was Toni Soler, from C.E. Llebeig Xàbia, who reached the finish line in 27’28 minutes. In the female category, Andrea Abad, from Club Atletismo Publidom, won the race, crossing the finish line in 30’41 minutes. They were followed on the podium by Robert Martin Harrison and Juan Antonio Fernández in the men’s category and María Isabel Ferrer and Irina Lumanova in the women’s category.
The victory was also celebrated by Club Multiesport Benitatxell, organisers of the race in the municipality. In the local classification, Victoria Noguera, Durby Pascual, Vanessa Yuste, Mari Loli Valle and Vicen Pastor took the women’s podium, and in the men’s Javi Femenia, Ángel Blasco, Manolo Segarra, Vicente José Pastor and Juanvi Fornés. The trophies were presented by the Mayor, Miguel Ángel García, the Sports Councillor, Javi Cabrera, the Sports Coordinator, Celso Alcázar, and the representatives of Club Multiesport.
The start was spectacular. To the rhythm of the local hymn ‘Jo soc mitjafava’, by Toni Català, confetti was fired from an air cannon which dyed the start of the route in blue and yellow (the colours of the local club). There was also music (batucada, Colla La Llebetjà and the Bandeta of the Music School) at different points along the track to cheer on the athletes.
It was decided to return to the old 8.1 kilometre route, which avoided the steep, leg-breaking climb of Camí Abiar and returned along the road from Teulada. The first metres ran through the streets of the beautiful old town centre, where the finish line was also located, to continue through the landscapes of terraced fields and vineyards.
The organisation of Club Multiesport was excellent. And the role of the security forces, including Local Police, Civil Protection volunteers and DYA València ambulance, was crucial to ensure that everything went smoothly. Fortunately there were no incidents to report.
The children were also the stars of this edition. They brought along a large number of family members who came to cheer on their youngest children and enjoy this sporting event. Some 200 young athletes competed with enthusiasm. The podiums of the young athletes from El Poble Nou were remarkable. Bianka Nagy conquered the first place of the female podium in the youth category, Martí Llobell obtained the third position in the male prebenjamín category and Maya Blasco took the second place in the female barrufets category.
It was a great morning. The public took to the streets to cheer on the runners in a tough reference race that has already been baptised as the ‘Tourmalet’ of La Marina due to its demanding nature. And the bar with brunch service of the festeros 2025 put the cherry on top of the day with an unbeatable atmosphere and delicious sandwiches of a variety of charcuterie.
