Spanish athletes aim to debut on the winner’s list of the 21K Ciudad de Huelva and to set new personal bests this Sunday, November 1, after three inaugural editions won by international victors. Two marathon runners with experience in the Spanish national team start as favorites to take the title: Jorge González and Fátima Ouhaddou.
Spanish athletes aim to debut on the winner’s list of the 21K Ciudad de Huelva and to set new personal bests this Sunday, November 1, after three inaugural editions won by international victors. Two marathon runners with experience in the Spanish national team start as favorites to take the title: Jorge González and Fátima Ouhaddou.
González, 31, has in mind the 1h03:05 that Kenyan Meshack Kipkurgat Kirwa achieved last year, a mark he has lowered six times in the last three years. His best time is 1h01:55 at the Rome 2024 European Championships, when he won the team bronze with Spain in the distance. You can also consult the guide to the 2025 Road European Championship.
The Extremaduran athlete will make his debut in the 21K Ciudad de Huelva, although he already ran in the Onubense city at the 2023 Spanish 10K Championship. “I remember it was a super-flat and very fast circuit, so I’d like to start at 3 minutes per kilometer and see how I feel to try to beat the race record,” explains Jorge González, who has completed another intense week of mileage in his preparation for the Valencia Marathon.
That effort did not prevent him from smashing the Bilbao Night Running Fest 10K record with 28:33 a couple of weeks ago. It was also his personal best at the distance, which confirms the excellent form with which he arrives at the Onubense meeting.
Jorge González arrives in Huelva after posting a personal best of 28:33 in the 10 kilometers and will seek to attack the race record, set at 1h03:05.
His main rival will be the Huelva native Zakaria Boufaljat, residing in El Rompido, who is making his debut at the distance at the age of 29 after a career focused on track and cross country. The local athlete improved this year his personal best in road 10 kilometers to 28:29.
In the women’s category, the standout name to follow is Fátima Ouhaddou, 33, gold medalist at the 2025 European Road Championship in Brussels. In addition to that triumph, she holds two Spanish half-marathon titles and has a best time of 1h09:09, so she is poised to break the race record, which last year was set by Burundian Odile Nintije at 1h14:42.
The Córdoba native is also preparing for the Valencia Marathon, where she will try to lower her time of 2h24:05. Ouhaddou finished 15th in the Birmingham European Championships marathon in August and arrives at the Onubense half marathon ready to find a good rhythm and secure a victory that will strengthen her preparation. You can learn more about her career in this feature on the European champion.
Fátima Ouhaddou, European road running champion and two-time Spanish half-marathon champion, will seek to improve the women’s race record (1h14:42).
The 21K Ciudad de Huelva, which suspended its Runner’s Fair as a sign of respect for the Urda train accident, will set its start and finish on Constitution Square, next to the City Hall. The event expects to bring together around 2,000 runners and is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Sunday.
