At the start there will be more than 60 elite runners fighting for victory and to break the course records.

Adel Mechaal is out due to a sprain and added to the start list is the former European 10km road record holder Etienne Daguinos. The Spaniards Ester Navarrete and Meritxell Soler are among the favorites for the win.

The thirtieth edition of the Seville Half Marathon takes place this Sunday from 9 a.m. with start and finish on Avenida de Las Delicias and 17,000 registered runners. Today Friday and tomorrow Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. without interruption, participants will pass through the Expo at the San Pablo pavilion to pick up their bibs. In sporting terms, on Sunday there will be more than 60 elite runners fighting for victory on the flattest 21.097-meter course in Europe, among whom stand out in the men's category the Frenchman Etienne Daguinos, continental record holder in 10k until a few days ago and who has a 59:46 PB in the distance, or the Italian Eyob Faniel (winner in 2022), and in the women's field the German Domenika Mayer (1:09:46). Adel Mechaal is a last-minute withdrawal due to an ankle sprain, while Ester Navarrete (current Spanish champion and first national athlete at the 2024 Zurich Seville Marathon) and Meritxell Soler, Olympian and winner of the Seville Half Marathon in 2022, are among the top contenders for the podium.

The 2025 Seville Half Marathon will break its historical participation record this Sunday with 17,000 runners who today and tomorrow are already picking up their bibs at the Expo being held at the San Pablo pavilion, which was officially opened this morning by Silvia Pozo, Sports Delegate of the Seville City Council. The event was also attended by Ricardo Villena, General Coordinator of the Sports and Health Promotion Department of the Seville City Council; Berta Pascual, Regional Director of Communication and Marketing at Quironsalud; Francisco Javier González, Marketing Manager at HOKA Iberia; José Alberto Casas and José Antonio González, from Sprinter; Manuel Riquelme, Managing Director of Hyundai dealerships in Seville; Julio Montes, President of the San Pablo Athletics Club; and Mateo Navajas, from Create Deportes.

The Seville Half Marathon has also been included this year in the World Athletics international road race calendar (receiving the World Athletics Label), the highest international athletics authority, and will be one of the first major half marathons of the year worldwide.

In sporting terms, expectations are very high thanks to the extremely strong start list of more than 60 elite athletes who will aim for top performances on a course perfect for running very fast. Despite the last-minute withdrawal of Adel Mechaal due to an ankle sprain, the new addition in the men's category, the Frenchman Etienne Deguinos (59:46), stands out. He held the European 10km road record until a few days ago (27:04), and the Ethiopian and Kenyan debutants will also try to fight for the win and aim for the course record. The runner from Segovia, Javi Guerra, is the Spaniard with the best time on the start line and the one with the best chance of challenging the African contingent and the rest of the Europeans, among whom is the Italian Eyob Faniel, winner in 2022, who wants to improve his best time in the distance in Seville and reclaim the crown.

In the women’s field, the Spaniards Ester Navarrete and Meritxell Soler are among the runners with the best chances for the podium. The German Domenika Meyer is another top favorite, and the debutants are also an unknown, although they have options to reach the podium in Seville. The level among the women is very high.

There will be a large number of European athletes coming to the event this Sunday to try to achieve their personal bests and get a first feel for the Andalusian capital ahead of the marathon one month later. Also noteworthy are the Frenchmen Valentin Gondouin (1h00:59), Abderrazak Charik and Donovan Christien, or the Briton Adam Clarke (1h01:54). The group of Africans, which will soon include new additions, is made up of the Kenyans Antipas Kibet Kandie and Vinicent Nyamongo Nyageo, with 1h01 as their best marks, and Jackson Kipleting and Brian Kipkoech Limo.

In the women’s category, the Spaniards Ester Navarrete and Mertixell Soler will battle for victory alongside a large group of European distance runners led by the German Domenika Mayer (1h09:46), the Frenchwoman Fadouwa Ledhem (1h09:59), the Italian Lonedo and the Polish Paszkiewicz, both with 1h10:13. Navarrete is the current Spanish champion and was the top Spanish finisher at the last Zurich Seville Marathon, and after her participation in the Olympic Games she returns to Seville to try to beat her personal best (1h09:58) and achieve a prestigious victory on Andalusian asphalt. The Catalan runner Meritxell Soler (1h10:21) already knows what it feels like to win this race in 2022 and also achieved her best marathon time in Seville in 2024 (2h24:57).

There are many other athletes with chances to fight for the win, such as the Italian Giovanna Epis, the Ugandans Annet Chemengich Chelangat and Rebecca Chelangat, the Mexican Citlali Cristian Moscote or the Bolivian Jhoselyn Camargo. The Seville Half Marathon will experience a record-breaking day on January 26 after confirming the highest participation in its history with 16,000 recreational runners registered, with almost 30% women on the start line and more than 3,000 foreigners.

It is the flattest half marathon in Europe with only 5 meters of elevation difference between its lowest and highest points, making it a course highly suited for achieving great times in the distance.

The Seville Half Marathon is organized by the San Pablo Athletics Club and Create Eventos y Deporte, with the collaboration of the Municipal Sports Institute of the Seville City Council, Quirónsalud, Hoka as technical sponsor, and the sponsorship of Sprinter; Plátano de Canarias (the race is part of the Plátano de Canarias National Running Circuit); Hyundai is the official car; Renfe is the official transport; and it has the collaboration of LifePro, CitySightseeing Sevilla, Aquadeus and Powerade, as well as the official media Soy Corredor, Sport Life and ABC de Sevilla.