It will be held on the usual circuit along Vía Universitas, in the Delicias district, over a distance of 1,609 meters. The course is completely flat, running between the intersections with Barcelona and Bardají streets, where professional athletes reach extremely fast paces. "It is part of the heritage of the city of Zaragoza and the Delicias neighborhood. Anyone who does not know the Mile should not miss it," Zaragoza City Council Sports Councillor Félix Brocate stressed during the race's presentation.
The competition will begin at 9:00 p.m. with the men's and women's popular mile. This will be followed at 9:15 p.m. by the cadet-youth mile; at 9:30 p.m., the regional and veterans' mile; and at 9:45 and 10:00 p.m., the two national races, women's and men's respectively. The trophy ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. "We want it to grow every year and for more Aragonese, Spanish and foreign athletes to want to come," said race director Víctor Aured.
The event was presented this Wednesday at Ibercaja's facilities. Photo: A.D.
The race, organized by Stadium Casablanca's athletics section in collaboration with Zaragoza City Council and sponsored by Ibercaja, will feature Andorran athlete Pol Moya Betriu, the leading favorite for victory in the men's category, and Lorena Martín, the main contender in the women's event.
AN ESSENTIAL EVENT
Since the Catalan Fernando Díaz and Aragonese athlete Montse Abello won the first edition in 1984, the Delicias Urban Mile Ibercaja Zaragoza City has become a traditional fixture on the calendar and Spain's oldest race over the Anglo-Saxon distance of 1,609 meters. Since then, it has been won by the biggest stars of Spanish middle-distance running. In the men's event, Zaragoza's Toni Abadía stands out with five victories, while Roberto García has four and Seville's Manuel Olmedo has three.
Abel Antón, Carlos García, Juan Carlos Higuero and Arturo Casado have also won the race, although Fermín Cacho's 1988 victory will always be remembered. Four years later, the athlete from Soria achieved a historic triumph for Spanish sport by winning the 1,500-meter gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games.
Among the women, the record books highlight three-time winners Zulema Fuentes Pila of Cantabria, Belgium's Anya Bugse and Zaragoza's Isabel Macías. The Aragonese Montse Abello, Solange Pereira, Jaqueline Martín and Kambouchia Soud each won twice. Other victorious stars included Palencia's Marta Domínguez, Esther Guerrero, Maite Zúñiga and athletes from Huesca Elian Periz and Cristina Espejo.
