Costa Blanca

Alicante’s Half Marathon is run by thousands

The 10K Aguas de Alicante Half Marathon took place yesterday, and thousands took part. The race happened at the same time as the last stage of the 9th Women’s Cycling Week-Volta of the Valencian Community. Mayor Luis Barcala and Councillor for Sports Toni Gallego went to the start of the athletics event together. Mayor Barcala said, “Sporting events like these two events support the goal of de-seasonalizing the tourism sector.” This is supported by the fact that 80% of hotels are full this weekend in mid-February and that it has a big effect on other parts of the city’s economy, like bars and hotels.

The mayor also talked about how important it is for both events to promote Alicante: “It is very important that about 8,000 people from 43 countries or different provinces of Spain come to Alicante to compete in or watch the Half Marathon. This includes athletes and their families.” Also, that pictures of Alicante can be sent abroad now that La Volta is here, which is good for tourism.

Moroccan Youness Belyamna won the men’s division of the International Half Marathon with a time of 1h 08′ and Welsh Sioned Howells won the women’s division with a time of 1h 20′. People from Poland, Bartolomé J. Falkowski and Natalia Gasnk, were the first to cross the finish line at Pier 12 in the Port of Alicante for the 10 km race. Their times were 31 minutes and 57 seconds and 38 minutes and 55 seconds.

A singer named Mario González played the “Hymn of Alicante” before the 5,300 people who signed up for the race. Before getting to the Explanada promenade, the first few miles of the course were the same for both the Half Marathon and the 10k. People who had signed up for the 10 km race turned left at this point to go back to the finish line at Muelle 12. People who had signed up for the 21.095 km race went through different streets in the city centre until they reached Avenida de Lóring, Paseo de los Mártires de la Libertad, and then continued to the finish line.

At one of the Runner’s Fair stands near the finish line, people who wanted to could have their names and times engraved on race medals after the race. The Plaza de los Luceros pond can be seen in front of them. A few weeks ago, people who used the race organization’s social networks voted on whether to copy this famous spot in Alicante.

The Volta for Women

After that, Gallego went to the awards event for the 9th Setmana Ciclista-Volta Feminina de la Comunitat Valenciana. The council member said, “The City Council has made clear its support for cycling, and in this case, women’s cycling.” In 2024, Alicante was the site of a stage start for the same event. This year, it is being touted as the finish of La Volta. Cycling is a good way to get people to visit the city. The category of a race on the calendar of the International Cycling Union (UCI) also helps spread the word about Alicante as a tourist location at this time of year.

More than 300 local police and Civil Guard officers have been on duty to keep everyone safe on this “super sporting Sunday.” Along the coast and in the city centre, traffic had to be shut down at different times and places to make sure both events ran smoothly. More than 200 helpers have joined them. Also, more than sixty physiotherapy students from CEU San Pablo, Elche, and the European University were stationed at the finish line to touch athletes who needed it.

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Costa Blanca

Two people were detained for stealing 1,700 euro worth of gourmet food

According to a statement from the Armed Institute, the Civil Guard has detained two males in connection with a pending theft case. The suspects are accused of taking gourmet goods worth over 1,700 euros from a Calp (Alicante) store.

Agents from the Civil Guard’s Investigation Department in this municipality of Alicante conducted covert surveillance on the morning of February 26th after noticing “suspicious behaviour” by a man inside a car stopped in front of a nearby supermarket.

A few minutes later, someone else walked out of the store with a backpack full of merchandise, hastily loading everything into the car’s trunk.

The officers then stepped in, recognised the two people, and searched the car. Numerous packages containing gourmet goods, such as fine canned seafood, Iberian gammon and particular pieces of beef, were discovered inside.

The Guardia Civil officers verified with the local supermarket that the items had been stolen and had not been picked up because the accused could not provide proof that they had bought them. The officers recovered the stolen goods and made arrangements for their donation to a charity, which was thereafter in charge of distributing them.

On the morning of February 27th, the detainees—two males of Romanian nationality, ages 40 and 59—were taken before the Dénia (Alicante) on-call court. They had prior convictions for comparable offences in other provinces. After that, they were freed on bail.

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Three arrested in Elche for having uncontracted workers and selling drugs

Three people—two women and a man—were taken into custody by the National Police in Elche on charges of selling illegal drugs from a business and abusing employees without a contract.

Spanish nationals who were arrested oversaw three companies in the municipality, one of which was shut down during the inquiry for irregular operations.

The National Police Corps claims that the inquiry started when the Elche Police Station learnt of evidence suggesting that there were employees operating in two particular establishments without a contract and in an unlawful manner.

The complaint claims that some of the employees who worked weekends and nights were paid five euros per hour. They also experienced issues being paid.

The same individuals who owned the first two establishments may also be selling illegal drugs, according to information the National Police received.

None of the employees employed by the individuals under investigation had Social Security registrations.

However, 120 marijuana packages and 25 hashish packages were found in one of the searched locations. At the time of the inspection, a portion of this material was on display in the institution alongside other food and sweet items, seeming to be different kinds of candy.

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Where’s the best place to see the alignment of the seven planets tonight?

Tonight, February 28th, 2025, the night sky will provide an unparalleled astronomical experience: a planetary alignment that will bring the Solar System’s seven planets together. An astronomical phenomenon that is “unique” and won’t happen again until 2040. Five of these will be observable with the unaided eye.

From Spain, the planetary alignment will be well visible. The condition of the sky will be the only issue. Since a storm will bring cloud cover to a large portion of the map, the weather will affect how visible the phenomena is from our nation.

Where can Spain get the best views of the aligned planets? Forecasts indicate that because of the reduced cloud cover, the south and west of Galicia, as well as the coastal regions of the Basque Country, Asturias, and Cantabria, will be the ideal places to watch this phenomenon.

How can I see the planets that will be aligned?

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will all be in the lineup.
Without a telescope, the first five will be visible:

Mercury: Since it will be so low on the horizon, it will be challenging to observe.

Even in places with light pollution, Venus is the brightest planet.

Mars: Its distinctive reddish hue will make it stand out.

Jupiter: Brightness-wise, second only to Venus.

Saturn: Even though it will be the faintest, optical devices can still see it.

To view Uranus and Neptune, you’ll need a telescope or astronomical binoculars.

It is crucial to locate an area free of light pollution and give your eyes at least half an hour to adjust to the darkness in order to fully enjoy this event.

When will Spain be able to see the planetary alignment?

On Saturday March 1st, well before sunrise, between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m., is the ideal time to see the planetary alignment.

At 7:50 p.m., Saturn will vanish from the sky.
It will be 8:22 p.m. when Mercury sets.
At 8:34 p.m., Neptune will set.
Up to 9:52 p.m., Venus will be visible.
It will be 01:21 when Uranus sets.
At 02:55, Jupiter will vanish from view.
At 5:47 p.m., Mars will be the last planet to set.
It is advised to use programs like SkyMap, Stellarium, or SkySafari and to look towards the east-southeast horizon in order to locate the planets in the sky.

Sky conditions on the evening of February 28th

The peninsula and the Balearic Islands are expected to have a lot of cloud cover, according to weather forecasts, which may make it challenging to see the event in many places. However, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country’s coast, and the south and west of Galicia are predicted to have the clearest sky.

There will be periods of cloud cover on the Canary Islands, which may impair visibility.

Until 2040, a singular astronomical phenomena

It is uncommon for planets to align with so many heavenly bodies. Since a similar event won’t happen again until 2040, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness an unparalleled celestial display.

If the weather permits, the early hours of Saturday March 1st will be ideal for admiring the sky and the universe.