Murcia 10k race review and experience

In February 2022 I went to Murcia, Spain, to run the “Popular 10k” race that took place alongside the Murcia Marathon and Half Marathon. If you’re thinking of signing up to next year’s edition, here’s what you need to know and my personal experience.

Murcia Marathon, Half and 10k: key information

After a Covid break, these 3 races made their comeback on the calendar in February 2022. I believe the event takes always takes place in February but the next dates have yet to be confirmed on the official website at the time of writing this post. The 2022 race was the 9th edition.

Where is the start line?

The start line is in the city centre, right by Glorieta de Espana and the Town Hall. Francisco Salzillo street (Gran Vía del Escultor Francisco Salzillo) is nearby and mostly blocked for the event, great for your warmup.

I would recommend staying close by if possible, so you don’t have to set off early. I stayed near Plaza Romea and it was perfect.

Photo below taken from the race website.

What is the start time and cut off time?

The marathon and half-marathon both start at 9am, whilst the 10k starts at 9:15am.

The cut-off times are: 6 hours for the marathon, 2:30 hours for the half and 1:30 hours for the 10k

How much does the entry cost?

The earlier you enter, the cheaper it is. For instance, a marathon entry was 42 euros if you signed up by September 30th versus 58 euros for December registrations.

I bought my 10k entry in December and I paid 20 euros (17 + 3 euros for a day license as I’m not an affiliated runner).

In my humble experience, it’s really worth the money. You get 2 t-shirts, the medal, a great race experience with entertainment and plenty of post-race refuel options (more on that further down!).

Can you get a PB at Murcia 10k?

Yes, this course definitely has strong PB potential. It is the flattest race I’ve done so far (total elevation 12m) and not very undulating. I got a new 10k PB at this race and finished in 43:58.

You can find the course map of each distance here and can check all the segments and other details on my Strava.

Where to pick up your bib

I picked up my race pack the Friday before the race at Forus La Flota (Avenidade la Marina Espanola, 10). It is not so far from the city centre where I was staying and was only a 20 min walk away.

Bib collection was possible on the Friday afternoon and Saturday all day.

Murcia 10k 2022: my race experience

Check out the race vlog, I took my camera on the course :)

I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a nice event, but I didn’t think there would be so many participants (over 4000 runners) and such a great atmosphere.

The organisation was top notch from the communications before the race to the entertainment for runners on the course and the post-race refuel station.

The atmosphere

There was music, some live bands and dancers at every km to keep you going. Absolutely amazing support from the volunteers and spectators along the course as well. Definitely one of the best atmospheres I’ve experienced during a race!

What I loved

Beautiful course, you get to see loads of palm trees along the way! Murcia may not be the most popular destination but it’s a gorgeous city and absolutely worth considering for a race abroad. If you can, stay a few extra days to explore the area.

Of course, the weather is much nicer than what we have in the UK in February! It was cloudy but went up to 14 degrees on the morning of the race which was perfect.

Finally the post-race refuel station was on point. I’ve never seen so many options: water, gatorade, coke, juice, a huge array of cakes, sweets, fruits, crisps…. It was mainly for the marathon runners but 10k runners could help themselves too.

Any negatives?

Unless you’re in the first few rows, the first 500m of a race are always congested but this 10k race was particularly tricky at the start. Because we were not called to line up based on finish times, many slower people went at the front.

The second minor negative is the photos. It’s always nice to get race photos for the memories and they were downloadable for free.

Unfortunately many runners didn’t get any photos whilst others got plenty. For instance, I’m not on any photo but my partner is on over 10 of them. Several people complained on their Facebook page. hopefully they take feedback on board for the next editions!

That being said, I had an awesome time and would definitely do it again!