The 27th edition of the race has once again turned the streets of Barcelona into a grand stage for athletics, with a participation level that further reinforces its importance in the city’s sporting calendar.
The involvement of the Barcelona Fire Brigade and the charitable side of the event once again played a prominent role on a day marked by sport and strong public participation.
The Vueling Cursa Bombers Barcelona held its 27th edition this Sunday with 16,000 registered runners, on a day that once again highlighted the race’s close ties with the city. Bakr El Asri Mohsine, with a time of 28:50, and Meritxell Soler, clocking 31:54, were the men’s and women’s winners of a race that, beyond the results, once again asserted its grassroots identity and its bond with the Barcelona Fire Brigade.
Starting and finishing on Avinguda del Marquès de l'Argentera, participants took on a 10-kilometre course that combines some of the Catalan capital's main thoroughfares with stretches particularly well suited to running at a fast pace. Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Avinguda del Paral·lel, Passeig de Sant Joan, Carrer de Casp, Via Laietana and Passeig de Colom all formed part of a route that allowed the fastest runners to chase a good time while also giving thousands of amateur runners the chance to discover Barcelona from a different perspective.
Bakr El Asri Mohsine and Meritxell Soler take the honours”
On the competitive front, Bakr El Asri Mohsine won the men's race, covering the 10 kilometres in 28 minutes and 50 seconds. The young runner from Girona, just 19 years old, clinched victory in the closing metres with a thrilling final sprint. Aleix Vives took second place on the men's podium with a time of 28:51, while Àdam Maijó crossed the finish line just three seconds behind the winner (28:53).
After the race, the winner reflected on his performance and how he felt throughout the course, explaining: "It was my first 10-kilometre road race and I felt really good from the start. It wasn't until the final part of the race, after running together with another group for much of the course, that I managed to open up a gap of a few metres."
In the women's race, victory went to Olympian Meritxell Soler, who won in 31 minutes and 54 seconds after pulling away from her closest pursuers in the final metres. Behind her came Marta Galimany, with a time of 32:20, and Jessica Martin, who crossed the finish line in exactly 33 minutes, completing the top three in the women's standings.
Galimany shared her thoughts on the race: "Winning the Cursa de Bombers makes me really happy, especially because of the time I ran. It's a very good 10K time for my first time running one, and I'm also happy to celebrate the win with my father, my brother, my teammates and my friends."
With this victory, Soler and El Asri Mohsine were also crowned Catalan champions over the distance, as this year's Vueling Cursa de Bombers 2026 served as the official Catalan 10 km Road Championship of the Catalan Athletics Federation.atalana d’Atletisme
A race that keeps growing without losing its essence
Beyond the battle for the top spots, mass participation was once again one of the cornerstones of the Vueling Cursa Bombers Barcelona. All 16,000 race bibs sold out ahead of the event, confirming the appeal of a race that, after 27 editions, still holds a privileged place among the city's most renowned sporting events.
The participation figures also reflect the race's strong local roots. Some 91% of registered runners came from the province of Barcelona, while the gender split stood at 60% men and 40% women. The growth in women's participation is one of the trends the organisers were keen to highlight this year, as the race continues working to reach an ever broader and more diverse audience.
Amb una edat mitjana de 36 anys i una presència especialment destacada de participants d'entre 30 i 39 anys, la Vueling Cursa de Bombers manté una fórmula que li ha permès créixer al llarg de més de dues dècades: reunir en un mateix recorregut atletes d'elit, corredors i corredores experimentats i persones que viuen els 10 quilòmetres com un repte personal.
This year, the organisers also introduced several improvements to enhance the participant experience. Highlights included 11 start corrals, designed to ensure a more orderly and smoother start, and, for the first time, a finisher's medal for everyone who completed the course.
Els Bombers de Barcelona, protagonistes d'una cita amb identitat pròpia
If there is one thing that sets this race apart from others on the calendar, it is its connection with the Barcelona Fire Brigade, a bond that dates back to the event's origins and remains an essential part of its character.<7p>
The participation of 500 firefighters in full gear once again highlighted this very special relationship with the city. Their presence on the course was one of the defining images of the day and an opportunity to bring the work and values of a group that is part of the race's history closer to the public.
Added to this is the charitable commitment that goes hand in hand with the Vueling Cursa Bombers Barcelona. Through its partnership with Bombers Solidaris, the event continued its support for 14 charitable projects linked to a range of social causes. These initiatives work in areas such as health, medical research, social inclusion, international cooperation and childhood, and they find in the race a platform to raise the profile of their work and boost fundraising.
In this way, the event once again showed that it is about more than just sporting competition, upholding a commitment to society that has helped shape its identity over the years.
A 27th edition that builds for the future
The day also had the support of Vueling, the event's title sponsor since 2021. The airline, which recently renewed its commitment to the race for another three years, has thus strengthened its ties with one of Barcelona's major sporting events, in the city where the company was founded more than two decades ago. In addition, more than 200 Vueling employees signed up to take part in the race this year.
With this 27th edition, the Vueling Cursa Bombers Barcelona continues to write its story alongside the runners who, year after year, make this event their own. It is a journey that combines the pursuit of new sporting challenges with a determination to preserve what has made the race so unique: its grassroots spirit, its charitable commitment and its deep connection with Barcelona and its firefighters.
