The thirtieth edition of the Malaga Half Marathon, which will be held on Sunday, 7 November, will have a staggered start and return to the old route, starting and finishing in the surroundings of the Martín Carpena stadium, to reduce crowds and comply with coronavirus pandemic measures.

The event has not been held since 23 March, 2019 when 7,500 runners participated in the race with Cristóbal Ortigosa (1h.05:24) being the first man to cross the winning line and Janine Lima (1h.21:50) leading the women’s field.

For the 2021 event, there will be a staggered, rolling start from five starting boxes, and runners will carry a chip that is activated on crossing the start line so that race timings for each participant are accurate and not affected by the coronavirus compliance measure.

The head of Malaga Sport (the organiser of the Half Marathon), Manolo Sarria, said that with the starting boxes, it will be possible to guarantee that the regulation of one and a half metres between athletes can be respected, and and the organisers will ensure compliance.

Athletes must also wear a mask in the boxes at the start of the race and at the finish line.

The organisers of the Half Marathon plan to have 7,500 runners again, and the route will follow that of 2018.

It is hoped that the November date will become regular fixture on the calendar, instead of spring, as it was before. In this way, it can serve as preparation for the Malaga Marathon, which is staged in the first half of December.