With 3,600 participants from 35 countries, the race doubles last year’s figure and consolidates Ibiza as a benchmark in the international running calendar, as more than 90% of those registered are from outside the Balearic Islands.
The Ibiza Half Marathon 2025, to be held this Saturday, April 5, has already made history before starting with 3,600 runners registered, a number that more than doubles the number of participants last year, when it broke its previous record with 1,600 athletes. The event was presented on Thursday, April 3 at Keeper Ibiza and was attended by elite athletes, organizers and authorities of the island.
This unprecedented growth consolidates the IMM as one of the major sporting events of reference in the international running calendar and positions Ibiza as a top sporting destination beyond the summer season.
With a participation that reflects an almost perfect balance between women (49%) and men (51%), the Ibiza Half Marathon also stands out for its inclusive and diverse nature, with athletes of all ages and backgrounds. Fifty-seven percent of the participants come from outside Spain, and 90% from outside the Balearic Islands, with a strong presence from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland, among others, coming from up to 35 different countries.
Elena Congost, an ambassador of values and self-improvement
One of the most inspiring figures of this edition is Elena Congost, Catalan Paralympic athlete and gold medalist at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, who has been chosen as the official ambassador of IMM 2025. After a controversial disqualification in Paris 2024 for helping her guide, Congost faces this challenge as a new stage of overcoming.
The athlete commented at the press conference that “in this event I will run with Dani Becerra, president of the Club de Atletismo de Ibiza, as a guide. He knows the course well and we have set ourselves the goal of running the race in approximately 1h43m”.
The Adidas athlete has commented that she arrived at the race in good shape but “being the first event I take it as a start of the long road to the JJPP of Los Angeles 28. In short, very happy to be back here and surprised by the amount of female participation and looking forward to enjoying the sports tourism that the island offers”. With four children, Congost combines motherhood with a demanding athletic preparation and highlights the course as “ideal to enjoy and make a mark”. Her participation highlights the values of effort, resilience and female empowerment that this edition wants to transmit.
Elite runners, ready to break records
The sporting level of this edition will be extremely high, with the presence of some of the most prominent names on the international scene. Among them are Hassan El Abbassi, from Bahrain, with a personal best of 59:27, as well as Ahmed El Jaddar, from Morocco, who clocked 1:00:40 in the Barcelona Half Marathon. Also participating will be Mohamed El Ghazouany, who stood out in the IMM 2024 with a time of 1:02:40, and Emmanuel Rotich, from Kenya, with a personal best of 1:01:50 and also his compatriot Isaac Kipkoech Langat with a personal best of 1:00:52.
In the women’s category, the Kenyan athletes Nancy Jepleting with 1:10:03 and Sumum Deborah with 1:09:24 stand out. They will face a fast and attractive course, starting in Sant Josep and finishing in Paseo de Vara de Rey, designed to favor good marks. The route and conditions of the race make it an ideal opportunity to seek performance and test the limits of the runners.
Ibiza, sports tourism destination
The Ibiza Half Marathon is an event of special tourist interest and, therefore, an engine of promotion for the island beyond the summer. The unique atmosphere, the Mediterranean landscape and the quality of the organization have made this event a must for running lovers.
This event is possible thanks to the collaboration of institutions such as the Consell d’Eivissa and the town councils of Ibiza and Sant Josep and sponsors. In this sense Salvador Losa, Conseller of the Department of Presidency, Economic Management and Sports, has commented has congratulated the organizers, in his words, “for being at a time when Ibiza has become a sports tourism destination thanks to local organizers like those of the IMM who had this vision already more than a decade ago. Since 2019 were chosen by the Consell 8 referent tests, among which is this one. In 2024 there are more than 30,000 participants and to emphasize that the work in IMM has allowed the event to grow exponentially. This is a race with a long way to go, right now we do not see the ceiling and has our full support”.
For his part, from the town hall of Ibiza, Catiana Fuster, Councillor for Education, Youth, Volunteering, Civil Protection and Sports, and from Sant Josep, Xicu Ribas, Councillor for Sports, Youth and Transparency, have seconded the words of Losa. The test director, Andoni Valencia, on behalf of the Sports Association Ibiza Half Triathlon wanted to thank the authorities for the confidence in the test as a dynamic sports tourism and all volunteers, Civil Protection local police, Civil Guard in a device that adds up to 300 people.
