Pol Espinosa and Sandra Sancho win in a crowded El Corte Inglés Race

BarcelonaThousands of people have filled the streets from the upper part of the city to Plaza Catalunya to participate in another edition of the now traditional Carrera de El Corte Inglés. This year, more than 50,000 people were registered for an edition that finally avoided the rain that fell on Saturday. With a sun that was gradually warming the city, the runners completed the 10 km route approved by the Catalan Athletics Federation.

The 46th edition of the Carrera de El Corte Inglés has teamed up this year with the Johan Cruyff Foundation, which promotes sports projects for young people with disabilities, in order to raise funds. In fact, a team from the Foundation participated with their yellow shirts in the race, with two young people in wheelchairs who were able to do so with the support of young volunteers.

It has been a success in participation that confirms the upward trend in registrations for a race born in 1979, with 17,184 registered at the time. During these almost five decades, the Carrera de El Corte Inglés has seen more than two million people register, especially in those 90s when it began to become fashionable to play sports after the Olympic Games. In 1994, in fact, the race brought together 109,457 athletes, a figure that then constituted the Guinness World Record for the popular event with the most participants.

The race start has been made on Diagonal Avenue 617, in front of El Corte Inglés Diagonal. It has been the same route as in recent years, going down towards Plaza Catalunya via Balmes, Rosselló, Paseo de Gracia, Aragón, Calabria, Gran Vía de las Cortes Catalanas, Paseo de San Juan, and Ronda de San Pedro streets. Halfway through the route there was a refreshment point and entertainment during a good part of the journey of a race held with a festive atmosphere, with many young people, as confirmed by the organizers.

Pol Espinosa, on a roll

The Catalan athlete Pol Espinosa has lived up to expectations and won in the men's category with a time of 29 minutes and 44 seconds, far from the race record, set in 2022 by Dmitrijs Serjogins with a time of exactly 29 minutes. Espinosa, an athlete from Club Natació Banyoles, had already won the Catalan 10km championship at the end of 2025 and other races such as the DIR one, proving to be one of the great specialists in these distances. Mourad Mounim finished in second place with a time of 29.47 and Marc Fernández was third with a mark of 29.52h.

In the women's category, Sandra Sancho has won, with a time of 35 minutes and 28 seconds. Raquel Yecora has come in second place with a time of 36 minutes and 6 seconds. Brisa McGrath has arrived third just after with a time of 36 minutes and 9 seconds. Sancho had been achieving podiums in different races of similar distances but today she has surprised runners who were coming with better marks. She finished but far from the race record set last year by Douae Ouboukir with a time of 31'48.