The 6th edition of the Santa Eulària Ibiza Marathon will be held on the 1st of April: a three-distance race that is the perfect way to kick off the running season. As opposed to a fast 22K and 12K, the marathon has a demanding circuit that requires runners to give their best from the start, in the Port of Ibiza, to the finish line in Santa Eulària des Riu.
The challenge of the course does not lie in the accumulated elevation gain, but rather in the continuous undulations of the terrain that keep the athlete’s attention throughout the 42,195 metres of a circuit approved by the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation.
Due to the characteristics of the route, the runners who travel to the magic island in search of victory are specialists in long-distance races marked by hardness, altitude or unevenness… This is the case of four elite Kenyan athletes who are currently training in Iten (Kenya) with specific plans to develop strength and endurance, both physical and mental.
William Cheboi Rutto will arrive in Ibiza after winning the Gran Canaria Marathon in 2021 and achieving a 5th place in the demanding Iten Marathon in December 2022 (2:13:20).
Mónica Cheruto will be on the starting line of the Santa Eulària Ibiza Marathon with achievements such as 2nd place in the Rio de Janeiro Marathon in 2019 or winning the Volksbank Münster Marathon (Germany) in September 2021 (2:35:17).
Alongside them, two young runners with very promising performances will take on the Ibizan challenge: Theophilus Kipsang Yator and Lilian Cherono.
Dani Mateo: Willing to repeat his victory
In the 22K, the olympic athlete Dani Mateo, who holds the hour record, returns with the firm objective of repeating his victory. The athlete from Soria already knows the circuit and its characteristics, so he will try to lower the time achieved in 2022: 1:11:10.
In front of him, chile’s Carlos Martín Díaz del Río. With countless Chilean records to his credit in 1500 m, 3000 m, 10 km and 21 km, he set the national marathon record in Seville in February with a time of 2:10:26. Now, he will travel to Ibiza to face Dani Mateo in the 22K.
In the 12K, Fedra Luna will be put to the test, who will change her record and fly to Ibiza in search of victory. After beating the South American record in the 1500m sprint, a mark that has not been bettered in 30 years, the argentinian does not want to miss the opportunity to run the shortest distance of the Santa Eulària Ibiza Marathon.
Also in the short distance, the winner of the 2022 edition, Adrián Guirado, returns ready to set the best time on a flat and fast course. The local athlete repeats once again in the Santa Eulària Ibiza Marathon.