The city of Valencia woke up this Thursday with a new mark on its streets. After the disappearance of the orange track of the Half Marathon, the asphalt of the capital of the Turia now sports a continuous blue line of 42,195 meters, the unmistakable sign that the great athletics event in the city, the Trinidad Alfonso Zurich Valencia Marathon, is imminent.
The signage, which has appeared throughout the morning after an intense day of night work, will serve as a guide for the thousands of elite and popular runners who will take the start this coming Sunday, December 7 from the Ciutat de les Arts.
This initiative, already consolidated as a tradition in the run-up to the race, has been carried out in collaboration with the Valencian company Pinturas Isaval.
The line marks the ideal route for the race.
The line is not merely decorative: its technical function is to mark the “ideal route” approved by World Athletics, to allow athletes to follow the shortest possible path to complete the regulatory distance without taking extra meters in the turns.
As it is twice the distance of the Half Marathon held in October, it is estimated that about 1,600 liters of paint were used to cover the entire circuit.
The organizers clarify that the material used is designed to be ephemeral: it will withstand the passage of the runners on Sunday, but will gradually disappear with the traffic and inclement weather in the weeks following the event.