“I consider it a lack of respect.” The French Clémence Beretta, a podium contender in the half marathon, did not hold back at the official press conference: the debut at the European Championships in Birmingham of the new road racewalking distances will not have the most favorable setting for the athletes. A tiny urban circuit, only 1 km long, shaped like a P, through the narrow streets of downtown Birmingham – Waterloo Street and Colmore Row, next to Victoria Square, the start and finish of the race – are an invitation to chaos.
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The complaints are justified: 160 athletes from the four categories will run simultaneously (this Saturday, 8:30 am, Teledeporte), on the same course, with an uncomfortable density for overtaking and refreshment stations, so crucial in racewalking.
New measures
The international federation converted the 20 and 35 km events into half marathon (21 km) and marathon (42 km), both held at the same time
World Athletics, so insensitive to racewalking, decided at its Monaco council in December 2024 to convert the international race distances of 20 and 35 km into half marathon (21 km) and marathon (42 km), to be held simultaneously. This Birmingham European Championship is the first continental championship to implement it. And it has not been well received. “On one hand, it prevents you from lapping in both events,” laments Beretta. The race paces are also not the same. And then there is the circuit, so short (the main street is barely 450 m), on narrow roads, with some elevation and some cobbled sections.
“I’m worried because there will be many of us. I think the first laps will be a bit chaotic,” predicts María Pérez, Spain’s big hope in the half marathon, along with Catalan Paul McGrath. “The only positive is that maybe you can racewalk with some men; for the women in the half marathon, it might benefit us at some point,” by being able to follow a higher pace, Pérez noted.
“It’s crap, what do you want me to say. There will be very large groups at the refreshment stations, which means we will probably miss some,” predicts Aurélien Quinion, the main French favorite in the marathon.
Spain’s hopes
María Pérez and Paul McGrath, medal contenders
The Spanish delegation goes to Birmingham with 13 athletes for the four road racewalking categories. The main medal hopes are María Pérez and Paul McGrath, both in the half marathon. The Granadian is the reigning Olympic champion in mixed relays and silver medalist in the 20 km in Paris 2024, as well as four-time world champion (two in 20 km and two in 35 km, in 2023 and 2025) and European champion in 2018. Considered the best Spanish racewalker in history, she will return to a European Championship eight years after her title in Berlin 2018. The 24-year-old Catalan, world bronze medalist (Tokyo 2025) and European silver medalist (Rome 2024) in 20 km, is one of the most respected racewalkers of the moment.
Other hopes in the half marathon are the Galician Antía Chamosa (26), 7th in the 2025 World Championships, and Aldara Meilán (19), a debutant; and among men, the Madrilenians Diego García (current Spanish champion, European silver in 2018 and bronze in 2022) and Álvaro López.
In the marathon category stand out the Catalans Raquel González (36), silver in Munich 2022, and Laura Monje (23), current Spanish champion, and the Madrilenian Lucía Redondo (22). Among men, the great Miguel Ángel López (European gold 2022), Manuel Bermúdez (4th in the 2022 European Championships), Daniel Chamosa (6th in the 2025 Tokyo World Championships), and José Manuel Pérez (debutant).
And the human density can become unbearable with the presence of 160 athletes, judges, and coaches at the refreshment point (8 in the case of Spain). “It can be a bit chaotic,” admit coaches José Antonio Quintana and Jacinto Garzón. “Athletes will have to improvise,” and at the same time be skillful when overtaking lapped athletes.
