Born on February 1, 1920 at the initiative of a group of athletics-loving journalists, the Allianz Jean Bouin celebrates a very special edition this year, the centenary, and for this reason the direction of the race has prepared some new things to celebrate the very special birthday in style, preserving the essence of a race that over the years has became a national and international benchmark. competition, it is not for nothing that it is the oldest track and field athletic event in Spain and the oldest track and field competition, apart from official championship of Catalonia and Spain of track and cross.
La Jean Bouin was created by a group of sports journalists such as Josep Antoni Trabal, Lluís Meléndez and Rossend Calvet, who wanted to organize an urban race in Barcelona similar to the then famous one Paris Lemmonier Grand Prix. And they baptized him in the name of jean buin in honor of a French long-distance runner born in 1888 on Marseilles and that in 1914 he died in front of First World War after being Olympic runner-up in the 5,000 meters in Stockholm Games in 1912 and broke several world records of 3,000 and 10,000 meters and of time.
The first edition was held on a 10 km route in between Esplugues de Llobregat –municipality very close to the city of Barcelona– and the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona with the participation of 48 athletes. 45 of them reached the finish line, where more than 5,000 people gathered to see how one of their ideologues won, Rossend Calvet, who is also an athlete FC Barcelona. Until 1947 women were not incorporated. The first time there was a female participation in Bouin was that year, in a 500-meter race won by the Barcelona athlete from RCD Espanyol María Víctor, although from 1954 to 1962, however, women were forbidden to practice athletics due to imposition. of the female section of the Falange.
Since the romantic beginnings, the MD Athletic Classic It has become a benchmark for athletics enthusiasts, as the only race that offers a program of 15 races in one morning, including professionals, students, federated, and the two 5K and 10K Open races for popular runners from 09:00 am Last year, the Allianz Jean Bouin it had the participation of more than 10,000 participants and the achievements of professional athletes Ilias FIFA and Meritxell Soler in male and female categories.
In the future this year, again a luxurious registration at a professional level and a large presence of amateur athletes are expected. They will all fill the streets of Barcelona in an edition of the quiz that will go down in history.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
