Pure adrenaline! This is the first thing I want to tell you. An incredible event that has also left a mark in my heart, even though I am not a runner, because even a person without a passion for running, can live this event and be enchanted by it.

Valencia is a beautiful city; it is extremely varied and rich in history, culture with lots of things to do and to see. During the days of the Marathon, it was full of people coming from different places and while walking around the streets you could hear all kinds of different languages, but most of all the Italian one, because after the Spaniards, the Italians are the most numerous participants at the Valencia Alfonso Trinidad Marathon.
This mixture of people with different languages and cultures, all reunited in the same place, with the same goal to participate in the competition, gives a very special sensation. It makes you feel part of a team, of a project that was built after a long preparation and finally, the moment of action arrives.
A strong feeling of belonging and sharing is created even if you are not running: it is truly wonderful!

For the third consecutive year, That Aviation Italia organized two ad hoc private planes for the runners and together with the partner agencies TravelMarathon, Terramia, and Born2Run, That Aviation Italia took to Valencia 400 atheltes who departed from Milan Malpensa with Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-400. The departure from Milan Malpensa occurred on the 30th of November, in order to arrive in Valencia with the due advance to allow a proper adaptation to the runners before the competition.
A very small, but nice transfer took us from the airport of Valencia to the city center in a half an hour. We spent the afternoon in a park, which is the “green lung” that crosses all through the city and we enjoyed watching some children play in a particular playground made in a form of an enormous Gulliver, with slides, ropes, stairs, etc.
The park was very clean: not even a piece of paper on the ground, nor a cigarette butt, each trash can had its ashtrays, this way the environment is protected. What can you say? It is simply marvelous!

Afterward we went to the City of Arts and Science, and for those who see it for the first time, the initial impact is overwhelming – it feels like you are being thrown into the future!

We took the participant’s number and checked the correct functioning of the chip. Done, the registration was completed and from that moment on the adrenaline started to rise while waiting for the Sunday morning competition.
Meanwhile, we understood why this city is called the “Ciudad del Running”; we were surrounded by runners of all ages who, regardless of the Marathon, were running around us. The city is also full of cyclists and people who gather together at the park for a physical exercise. It seems like here the sport and the physical activity is in the 1st place and frankly speaking we got used to it…

Our group was large and counted some 20% of Italians who participated in the Marathon and each one prepared themselves according to their own personal plan. In the evening there were meetings organized by Partner Agencies with testimonials, among which, just to mention a few, were Miguel Indurain and Valeria Straneo. Afterward we went to the historical city center for the dinner. The most loyal runners complied the suggested nutrition chart to improve their running performances, but since I do not run, I could not resist and tried the local specialties, the paella of Valencia first of all!

Saturday morning the alarm clock rang early because there was the Breakfast Run, which is a mini warm-up run of some 5 to 10 km (at a personal discretion), before breakfast. But it is also a moment to take photos: the whole group gathered for a photo that immortalizes us with the blue shirt of Italy and the Italian flag waving with pride above our heads. You could smell the adrenalin in the air: only one days left to the Marathon!
The rest of the day was free, and the members of our group went on their own, exploring the surroundings. We decided to visit the city and make a stop at the indoor market, which apart from being spectacular for the eyes and smell, it is also architectonically beautiful. Here we bought literally everything, from the famous Iberian ham and Cantabrian anchovies to Queso Manchego and Horchata for us, and our friends and families who were supporting us from Italy.
For lunch, we made a stop at the Taverna La Sénia and we would like to suggest it to you: it is located in the city center and the food is excellent!

Afterwards we had another free evening, and everyone spent their time however they pleased: with a touristic sightseeing, a detour to the sea, a muscular massage, a preparatory work out…
And finally, the Big Day arrived. The route was well defined, and the city was crossed by 22.000 participants of all ages who were supported by incitements of Valencians and supporters from each part of the world to the rhythms of “Animo, Animo”, “Los Mejores!!!”, “Los Campeones!!!”, but also with the musical bases incitements and disguises recalling the country of origin.
The arrival at the crossing path over the water at the center of the City of Art and Science was a blast and after receiving the awards, everyone took a pause, drank something and enjoyed the moment. The day was hot, and the sun was shining, it could not have been better!

We took it slow and encouraged those who still had to reach the finish line; no rush: our charter flight also guarantees the recovery time needed and would fly back the day after. But during the Marathon Day, we wanted to live at best this fantastic experience.

Therefore, when on Monday we packed our luggage and we went to the airport, we could not help but think about the next 39th edition of the Marathon: we are already organizing the flights and our Partner Agencies have already opened the registration. We will be there, and you?

Fly with us to Valencia for the next Marathon on the 1st of December 2019!

That Aviation Italia: your sports broker.

For any further information and flight price quotations please contact us.