Valencia – Adrian Matei's blog

The best proof that what I wrote last year about the Valencia Half-Marathon was true is the fact that I decided to run it again this year.

With limited race options, I have to choose carefully where to compete. The Valencia Half-Marathon makes that decision easy, it’s one of the best-organized and most enjoyable races in Europe. For returning runners, registration is even smoother: the organizers give priority to those who ran in the previous edition.

If you’re trying to run Valencia for the first time, you’ll need to enter a ballot in November. If you don’t get in, there’s still hope. Several official travel agencies offer guaranteed race entries as part of their packages.

This post isn’t about repeating what I said last year. It’s about sharing what was new. I also want to share what I learned this time around.

What Was New This Year

The Wardrobe Service

This year, I paid 6 EUR to leave my luggage at the start area wardrobe. It was absolutely worth it. Not having to run with my phone or other items made the experience much more comfortable.

Slippery Grids on the Course

After kilometer 10, the route passes along a street full of metal grids covering subway vents. When it rains (as it did this year and last), these grids can get very slippery. Tip: stay on the left side of the road, where the surface is safer.

The Energy of the Drummers

One of the things I love most about Valencia is the number of live drumming bands along the course. The beat of the drums has an incredible effect. It pushes you forward in a way that no playlist ever could.

My Race

I learned from last year’s mistakes. This time, I didn’t eat too much before the race. I made sure to finish my breakfast more than two hours before the start.

I started in wave 7 at 9:01 a.m. and took it easy at first, running the first 5 km at around 6:00 min/km. I planned to pick up the pace later. However, by kilometer 15, I realized I wasn’t going to finish under two hours. At that point, I decided not to push too hard. Whether it’s 2:02 or 2:03 doesn’t make a huge difference. I crossed the finish line in 2:04:11, an average result, but still 22 minutes faster than in Tallinn!

Our Team – “Trupa lui Fane” in Valencia

This year, five of us from Trupa lui Fane ran in Valencia. That made the whole experience even better. We shared the excitement, compared strategies, and celebrated together after the race.

Everyone had a strong performance, close to their personal bests:

🥇 Mihai – 1:24:54, our fastest runner, finishing among the first 2,000 participants
💪 Andreea – 1:34:52, the only one to set a new personal best
👟 Bogdan – 1:44:24, two minutes slower than last year
🔥 Sorin – 1:56:06, at his first SuperHalfs race, very close to his PB

Congratulations to all of them for their fantastic results!
And a big thank you to our coach, Ștefan Oprina, for helping us become better runners over time!

Valencia remains, without question, my favorite half-marathon in Europe.

Later that day in Valencia I met someone who didn’t look quite happy with his result.

Valencia 2025 reminded me once again why I love running. It’s the rhythm, the people, and the stories. These moments stay with you long after you cross the finish line.

PS.1 A Seagull and a Song

On race morning, I woke up early, opened the window, and saw a lonely seagull flying above the hotel. It reminded me of a Joe Dassin song I’ve always loved:

“Moi, de temps en temps, je me sens pareil
À cet éternel exilé
Lui, qui ne sait pas replier ses ailes
Moi, qui ne sais pas m’arrêter.”

A small, poetic moment before the adrenaline of the start line.

PS.2 Remembering the Floods of 2024

The day before the race, Valencia held a large protest. It was in memory of those who lost their lives during the 2024 floods. Last year, we left the city on Monday after the half-marathon. The next day, torrential rain caused devastating flooding that claimed 224 lives in the province. One year later, people are still unhappy with how the authorities responded.
It’s a sobering reminder that life is unpredictable. Every race, every trip, and every day, is something to be grateful for.

PS.3 Goodbye, Mihai Suba

On Sunday, October 26, the day of the race, Grandmaster Mihai Suba (1947–2025) died near Valencia in Spain. Before 1990, Romania had only three chess grandmasters — and Suba was one of them, a true original. He made significant contributions to chess, particularly in middlegame theory and the Hedgehog system. I’ve read a few of his books; Dynamic Chess Strategy was a particular favorite. He was admired worldwide for his creativity and deep understanding of the game. May he rest in peace — and may his ideas continue to inspire players for generations.

The SuperHalfs program has grown rapidly in popularity. With increasing demand and limited slots available for each race, the organizers have removed the time limit to complete all six events in the series. This move allows more runners to gradually work toward finishing the series over time.

As of May 2025, only 1,113 runners have completed the entire series. This is an impressively small number. Nearly 100,000 people have participated in at least one of the six races. Given these numbers, I thought it might be helpful to share my personal journey and offer some insights for aspiring SuperHalfs finishers.

While you can find the list of finishers on the official SuperHalfs website, gathering deeper data requires some effort. I used ChatGPT to generate code that helped me analyze the number of finishers by country. Here are the results:

Country	Number of finishers
Spain	193
Great Britain	185
Germany	136
Denmark	100
Portugal	92
Italy	74
Czechia	42
France	38
Poland	28
Netherlands	26
Brazil	22

The numbers are interesting. Not a surprise that Spain and Great Britain are on top. In Spain people run fast, they have half-marathons with 2.5 hours time limit to finish, while in the rest of Europe is 3 hours. The UK, meanwhile, has a rich running culture and offers wonderfully organized races. I highly recommend racing in the UK for an unforgettable experience. The first 5 countries from the list are also organizing races from series. Italy is the first country that has many finishers but doesn’t have a race in the program. Interesting Brazil is the only non European country that has many finishers.

Before the Berlin Half-Marathon this spring, only about 480 people had completed the series. Berlin added nearly 700 new finishers in one go, largely because it was newly included in the program just last year.

The SuperHalfs calendar includes three spring races—Lisbon, Prague, and Berlin—and three autumn races—Copenhagen, Cardiff, and Valencia. Since 2025, demand has surged, and most events now use a lottery system to allocate entries.

If you’re not lucky in the lottery, there’s an alternative: official travel agencies offer guaranteed race entries. I used one of these agencies—Germany’s Interair—for the Cardiff Half-Marathon when I joined the event late and couldn’t find an open spot. Their service was excellent.

If you are not lucky winning the lottery, you can use one official travel agency. This agency will guarantee your participation in the race. I had used a travel agency only once during my campaign for the Cardiff half-marathon. I decided to join this race too late and there were no available spots. I used the services of the German travel agency Interair and I was very happy with them.

I’ve written posts about my experiences in each of the six races. Here are a few personal impressions:

Top Picks: For me, the best races are Valencia and Berlin. Both offer outstanding organization and scenic, fast courses—ideal races to conclude your series on a high note.
Cardiff: A very well-organized race with amazing crowd support. However, the course is not flat. It is less ideal if you’re chasing a personal best.
Copenhagen: The course is flat, but I had some concerns when I ran it in 2022. The start was chaotic because there were no wave starts. The course became crowded. Pedestrians were crossing in front of runners, especially in the city center. The finish area was also quite congested. Hopefully, these issues have since improved.
Lisbon: Be mindful of the weather—it can get hot. The course begins with a downhill section, then transitions into rolling terrain before flattening out from kilometer 7 onward.
Prague: My least favorite race. The course includes cobblestone sections in the city center, which can be tough on the legs. Weather can also be unpredictable. A simple way to improve the course would be to extend the riverside sections and avoid the city center altogether. Interestingly, Prague also has the smallest field of runners among the six races.

Here are some highlights of Superhalfs races. Best finish is in Berlin. Valencia has the best atmosphere. It also has the best organization at the start. Cardiff boasts the best public. The best routes are in Valencia and Berlin.

The SuperHalfs program is a fantastic way to combine travel, fitness, and personal achievement. Running a half-marathon isn’t about proving anything to others – it’s a personal journey. And this series makes that journey unforgettable.

If you’re considering joining, act fast. As the series continues to gain traction, getting a spot will only become more challenging.

Tag: Valencia

Valencia half-marathon 2025