The 10th Edition of X Cross Popular Abel Anton 10k race took place on Sunday 1st of October starting at the Commercial Centre in Gran Alacant.
The race is held every year and is named after Abel Anton, the Spanish long distance runner who won gold medals in the marathon in 1997 and 1999 World Athletics Championships. He was also the first Spanish runner to win the London Marathon in 1998.
For Riders Bike Shop lead the race and while the runners where on the course, the Gran Alacant Life Dance Academy kept the crowd enthralled!
… and they are off! The 10th event of the Abel Anton Cross Popular gets underway at the Commercial Center in Gran Alacant.
I have entered this race a few times but it’s the first time I’ve been placed and I’m really happy about it. I usually run regularly all year but this summer due to one thing and another I haven’t been able to do as much training as I would have liked so I definitely wasn’t expecting the result that I achieved which was almost three minutes faster than last year which is great.
It helped me a lot that it was cloudy as the weather has a big impact but I really wanted to run the race whatever the result so I was super happy to get second place in the Ladies Veteran B class!
I really enjoyed the race and although at about 7km I was tired
I got second wind and pushed through. The course was hilly but I’m used to that as I run them during my day to day training.
I’d encourage you to take part in this and any other race that you can … the atmosphere is phenomenal, the energy it gives you is amazing. Even if you don’t race competitively, just taking part, sharing the atmosphere and enjoying running makes us feel alive!
Gabriela Auzobberia Calvo, Pilates Gran Alacant
Do you dare to take on your own challenge?
by Iván Canzio
My name is Iván Canzio, I’m 24, and, since I was the first local runner who finished the XII Cross Popular Abel Antón, Lou encouraged me to write a little bit about running and myself.
I started running about one year ago, while I was having a bad moment in my life and I thought that doing some exercise could help me keep focused on a goal and stay in good shape. The main trigger for this decision was a book called Eat & Run, written by Scott Jurek, one of the best ultra-marathoners that had ever existed. His story really inspired me, so I decided that I had to run a Half Marathon in less than one hour and 30 minutes (I had run one about three years ago in one hour and 40 minutes, my personal best at that moment). I knew that it was not going to be easy and that I would need some discipline, so I started running long distances between three to four times a week. After two months of self-training, my friend Quique, who is a personal trainer (http://www.egpersonaltrainer.com/) asked me to follow his advices and his training plans.
Almost immediately I started noticing a big improvement in my performance and, just six weeks after I joined Quique’s planning, I could accomplish my goal, finishing the Santa Pola Half Marathon in 1 hour and 22 minutes. The sensation of fulfilmen was amazing and only in few months, I had lost almost eight kilograms of fat, (I had been overweight all my life), increased my vitality and self-esteem and, of course, made a lot of new friends who were training with Quique, like me.
I was happy and proud about reaching my goal, but, I realised that I had to make even bigger effort if I wanted to improve my time and to be able to train harder. By that time, I had been a vegetarian for two years (but being vegetarian doen’t necessarily mean eating healthy). However, after reading Scott Jurek’s Eat & Run I felt encouraged to go vegan. Of course, I knew that giving up meat, fish, dairy and eggs (all kind of animal products) would avoid the death of many innocent animals and was much more sustainable, but I never thought it could be advisable for an athlete (though, the best ultra-runner of all times could not be wrong). Before taking such step, I decided to read more about nutrition, went to the official sources (the World Health Organisation approved the vegan diet, in fact they recommend it) and I focused on sports-nutrition. After gathering a lot of information, I gave up all animal products and started a plant-based diet. The benefits were quickly noticed, in my digestion, big reduction in stiffness, a faster recovery and more fat loss (when you are vegan, you can easily avoid most of the high-processed food and fatty products). All these changes and discipline have allowed me to follow the demanding plans of Quique, and following his demanding plans have helped me to reach my own goals.
Some people may think that the only way to feel the joy of running is to win a cup or a prize, or to beat as many runners as possible. This is a terrible mistake because there will be always someone who can run faster and longer, so you would get easily frustrated. After all, the best about running is that you set your own goals, you are your only rival and your chronometer is your greatest enemy. Goals must always be set according to our capacity and it is necessary to have the patience to improve little by little, have some rest when necessary and reward yourself when you accomplish a goal.
Turning off the TV and starting to run is an uncomfortable commitment with ourselves that, will quickly become a need, and then a joy. It is commonly believed that running is all about suffering (and it is if you want to reach a certain goal), but you do not need to feel pain at all to enjoy an easy jogging. You have the chance to run along the Mediterranean, watching the moon and its reflection on the calm water, while the soft breeze seems to take all your worries away while it fills your lungs with pure air from the sea. On the opposite, if you want to feel the adrenaline, you have the moment of the race, a chance to give it all surrounded of people who will encourage you to make your best, an atmosphere invaded by a collective feeling of accomplishment, struggle, satisfaction and brotherhood, with more than ten thousand people involved in the same activity (not just runners, but volunteers, police, doctors and public too), working to help you reach your goals. As Scott Jurek says, “every single one of us possesses the strength to attempt something he isn’t sure he can accomplish. It can be running a mile, or a 10K race, or 100 miles. It can be changing a career, losing 5 pounds, or telling someone you love her (or him)”. Fortunately, we have the Santa Pola Half Marathon the 21st of January.
Do you dare to take on your own challenge?
