Cartagena's Ramón Navarro and Mercedes Velasco repeat their victory on the Route of Strengths | The truth

The runner from Pozo Estrecho had not participated in the Route for a couple of years, immersed in triathlons and very demanding events throughout Spain, and this Saturday he returned through the front door to the race that made him famous in 2018. Navarro literally flew along a light, less technical and better handling route with a time of 3 hours and 46 minutes. Sources from the organization told LA VERDAD that this is probably the record time of the thirteen editions since the route exceeds 50 kilometers.

Waiting for him at the finish line was the until then current champion, Juan Antonio Zamora, absent in this edition due to injury. The Galilean also surpassed the engineer's time in 2023, which was 3.51. Navarro is a personal trainer and for years he has managed a well-known training center in the La Concepcion neighborhood. For a good part of the race he competed in an intense head-to-head with the Cartagena professor José Antonio Agüera, second and who was competing to be the great king with his third Route, after those of 2016 and 2019.

Hand in hand with Agüera

The pull between the two lived intense moments from the historic center, Fajardo and Galeras. In one of those moments, Navarro took a risk, threw everything down the mountain and distanced himself by no less than six minutes from his closest pursuer. The man from Pozo Estrecho entered euphorically, took his nephew in his arms and took a photo with his friends who were waiting for him at the EIMGAF.

Agüera stayed in second position and a while later the Galician soldier Marcos Luján entered, who had also tasted victory in 2015. During the first kilometers the race was also firmly led by Christie Hurren, an Englishman living in Murcia who arrived in great shape and finished fifth. In this edition, both Juanan Zamora and Cisco Díaz Pozo were missed, the latter an expert mountain runner who was the total duel of the extinct Cartagena Trail.

This time it was Ramón Navarro's turn to experience that 'déjà vu'. Also to Mercedes Velasco, who exactly a year ago debuted on the Ruta de las Fortalezas and starred in the 2024 poster. Euphoric, the Maristas teacher waved her arms and jumped non-stop as she repeated the victory and in a better time than 2023 (from 4.32 to 4.27). This time, Velasco practically went the last 20 kilometers alone without seeing her success jeopardized.

The Ibarras, incombustible

Some time later came, in second position, the still absolute queen of the Ruta de las Fortalezas: the matron of the Santa Lucía Hospital Inma Tonda has won the race six times and celebrated that silver with her husband, the former Efesé physio Antonio Ibarra. This marriage was a double blessing, since one of her daughters, Sara Ibarra, was the fastest girl in the youth distance. Mari Carmen Martínez completed the first three places.

Another young 19-year-old from Cartagena, Pedro Manuel Paredes, won the Promo distance of 25 kilometers just one year before being injured while savoring the youth victory (1.48.46). The boy from UCAM Atletismo Cartagena even surpassed a war veteran like Alberto González. At this time there has been no serious incident in the race. The five thousand participants have until eight in the afternoon to reach the finish line. The heat hits hard at this time and many family members wait in the shade, soda and sunscreen in hand, or with a cap.