Vuelta al Santuario de la Esperanza 2026: winners and podiums

Miguel Ángel Pérez and Ana Fernández, both of Rajaos Runners Alcantarilla, won the Vuelta al Santuario Virgen de la Esperanza in Calasparra on Sunday 8 November. The men’s winner stopped the clock at 50:20, while the women’s winner finished in 59:37.

The 10th edition counted towards the Running Challenge and covered approximately 14 kilometres. The event also included a walking route over the same distance, starting and finishing on Avenida Primero de Mayo.

The podium places in Calasparra

Both overall winners also claimed age-category victories: Pérez was first in Masters 35 and Fernández won Masters 45. Fernández successfully defended the title she had previously won at the race.

Behind the winners, the following runners completed the overall podiums:

Men’s podium

2. Ramón Pablo Vicente, Rajaos Runners Alcantarilla: 50:35. First under-23.
3. Ángel Valero, Atletismo Alhama: 51:13. Second Masters 35.

Women’s podium

2. Araceli Cánovas, Comemillas RC: 1:03:14. First Masters.
3. Nohara Delgado, C.D. Filippedes Moratalla: 1:03:39. First Masters 40.

A route between Calasparra and the sanctuary

Club Blade Runners Calasparra organised the event with the support of Calasparra Town Council’s sports department and the Murcia Region Athletics Federation. The race and the walk shared the approximate distance and the same start and finish point.

The route links the town centre with the area around the Santuario Virgen de la Esperanza. It follows the cycle path alongside the River Segura, passing farmland and tracks near the sanctuary before returning towards the town centre. Paved sections and service roads make up most of the route.

The estimated temperature was around 18 degrees at midday. The walking route ran alongside the competition at this event on the Murcia calendar.