The town of La Herradura, part of Almuñécar, was the venue for the successful ‘VI Desafío Marae’ pair's Cross Training event. The sports competition shattered its participation figures, gathering approximately 1,000 athletes organized into 380 pairs over the days of May 23rd and 24th.
Organized with the support of the Almuñécar City Council and the Mayor's Office of La Herradura, the championship attracted around 4,000 people, including participants, companions, and spectators. This figure solidifies the Desafío Marae as one of the most significant cross-training events in Andalucía.
The Councilor for Sports, Luis Aragón, highlighted the championship's remarkable growth, calling it one of the most relevant competitions of its kind in the autonomous community. He also emphasized the event's tourism and organizational impact, projecting the image of La Herradura beyond sports into spectacle within a privileged natural setting.
The championship director, Manolo García Pozo, noted that this edition marked a significant leap forward, with nearly 400 more participants than the previous year and full occupancy of the facilities on Saturday.
The Desafío Marae attracted athletes from all over Spain, with representation from regions like Madrid and Galicia, as well as from Ceuta and Melilla. The competition also had an international presence, with pairs arriving from Sweden, demonstrating its growing reach on the national cross-training calendar.
Local representation also played a role, with about ten athletes from Almuñécar participating. Notably, Javier Martín and Paola Gutiérrez secured third place in the mixed master category.
The competitive format was expanded with a second testing area, offering five different high-intensity workouts. The courses combined the beach, Avenida Prieto Moreno, and the facilities of the Marae center, including aquatic exercises that utilized the coastal landscape. The organization updated dynamics to maintain the visual and competitive appeal.
A key aspect of this edition was its strong solidarity component. The organization dedicated the ticket revenue entirely to the cause of “Nicolás Corazón Fuerte”, an 11-year-old boy from San Pedro Alcántara battling the after-effects of a brain tumor. This initiative reinforces the event's human and family-oriented character.
The championship director expressed gratitude for the support from the City Council and the Sports Department, highlighting institutional collaboration as crucial for the continued growth of a competition that has established La Herradura as a cross-training hub in Spain.
