Race Date Sunday 5th October 2025
BE RUDE NOT TO…
CARRERA URBANA FERIA DE NERJA 10k
Whilst many running events have a distinctive character and some (the London Marathon, GNR, RSR, Percy Pud etc.) have earned iconic status, the Nerja 10k achieves something arguably more special. Not only is it iconic and the longest running in Andalucia, Spain, it signals the start of a full week of celebration for the town – the “Feria de Nerja”.
This was the 68th running, organised by the Club Nerja Atletismo (Nerja’s impressive equivalent to Striders, with its own HQ!). It is slickly organised, draws in the whole community and generates a magnificent atmosphere. A sort of Percy Paella – with better weather.
The engagement of the community is illustrated by the range of challenges on offer. The signature 10k and 5k runs start together at 10.00. They are followed by an equally ferociously contested 5k senior walking race and an amazing variety of shorter walking races for competitors as young as five! By the time the trophy presentations have finished, it’s definitely time for a siesta.
I, and about 230 others, opted for the 10k, which was two laps of the 5k course, starting and finishing on the spectacular Balcon de Europa in the centre of Nerja.
The race was gun-time only so I was pleasantly surprised that there was very little jostling for a good starting position amongst the combined field of around 420 5k and 10k runners. Yes, there was some shouldering and elbowing as the mass start immediately funnelled into a narrow street, but I’ve experienced much worse boarding Northern’s Hope Valley Service at Sheffield station.
The first 2km through the town took us down to and along a stretch of seafront then up a modest climb to a (usually) calm riverside park. By now I’d settled into a comfortable rhythm so, as we moved onto a short stretch of quiet country road, it was possible to take in the spectacular views of the Sierra Almijara mountains while still making progress through the field. Soon it was back to “civilisation” along a coned-off kilometre or so of the N-340 past queues of frustrated drivers – waiting to be allowed round a roundabout – and back into town. A final downhill kilometre led to the end of lap one, marked by cheers from massed spectators and the boom of the PA system around the finish area.
So, it was “let’s do it all again” time. I’d run a relatively cautious first lap with the aim of achieving a negative split. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the heat took its toll and the extra effort I’d planned for the last two or three kilometres was needed just to match the time of my first lap. This was still enough to achieve my sub-55-minute target time. Yes, it would have been great to get closer to my medium-term aim of a 50-minute 10k but there’s still Doncaster and Percy Pud before the end of the year!
My gun time of 54:11 was good enough to land first place in my Age Group and a trophy to go with the finisher’s medal. Not the souvenirs I had planned to bring back, so the straw donkey will have to wait till next year. That said, when you book a “relaxing” autumn break but then discover there’s the chance to run a 10k, it would be rude not to – wouldn’t it?!
All this cost just 15 Euros (12 Euros if I’d got in sooner) including a commemorative technical polo shirt, a run hat and a donation to a local Leukaemia Charity. A real bargain – plus the great feeling of being part of a truly local event.
Highly recommend Nerja, both for a holiday and its 10k.
The male winner was Javier Martinez Fernandez in 31.45. The female results were not included in the file I received
Striders results:
