Barcelona runs with the Cursa El Corte Inglés

The El Corte Inglés Race has once again turned Barcelona into a large running track. This Sunday, the 46th edition of the event brought together 50,000 participants —10,000 more than last year—, confirming the great moment that urban running is experiencing and consolidating the race as one of the great popular events of Barcelona's spring.

Beyond the chronometers and the winners —Pol Espinosa, with a time of 29'44", and Sandra Sancho, with 35'33"—, the day once again highlighted the city's capacity to turn popular sport into a transversal, intergenerational and massive phenomenon. From early morning, thousands of runners filled Diagonal, Passeig de Gràcia, Aragó, Gran Via or Passeig de Sant Joan in an edition marked both by the record participation and the festive atmosphere.

The image well summarizes the evolution of an event that was born in 1979, when running through the streets was still a minority practice and running was not even talked about. Four decades later, the El Corte Inglés Race continues to function as a privileged thermometer of Barcelona's sporting and social transformation. If a few years ago registrations hovered around 40,000 bibs, this 2026 the demand forced the organization to expand the offer to 50,000 participants after exhausting the initial places before Easter.

"The edition has been held in favor of the Cruyff Foundation, which works to guarantee access to sport for children and young people with special needs"

An important part of the success continues to be explained by the open and inclusive nature of the event. At the same starting line, experienced runners, amateur athletes, entire families, debutants and participants who completed the route walking coexisted. The gratuity of the race continues to be one of the great differentiating factors of an event that maintains its popular vocation and its ability to attract new runners every year.

The 10-kilometer route maintained the layout premiered in 2022, with departure on Diagonal avenue and arrival at Plaça Catalunya, incorporating again the final section along Passeig de Sant Joan to Arc de Triomf to facilitate the fluidity of the participants. A fast circuit, but also designed to enjoy the experience of running through some of the city's main urban axes.

The solidarity dimension also once again played a prominent role. This edition was held in favor of the Cruyff Foundation, which works to guarantee access to sport for children and young people with special needs. The profits from the sale of the Under Armour solidarity t-shirt will be entirely donated to the entity, which also participated in the race with a group of runners led by the foundation's president, Susila Cruyff.

With more than two million accumulated participants since its creation and with the still vivid memory of the 1994 Guinness record, when the race exceeded 109,000 runners, the Cursa El Corte Inglés continues to demonstrate that it is part of the collective memory of several generations of Barcelona residents. And this Sunday it once again confirmed that Barcelona, more than ever, is a city that runs.