The activity at the Aragón stand at FITUR, the world’s most important tourism fair, which opened this morning in Madrid, began with the presentation of the CanfrancPirineos World Championship, which will take place from September 25 to 28 this year. The presentation was attended by the mayor of Canfranc, Fernando Sánchez, the president of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation, Raúl Chapado, the General Director of Sports of the Government of Aragón, Cristina García, and the director of the World Championship, Alex Varela.
“It is a great opportunity for a small rural town to show that it is capable of organizing a major international event.” This is how the mayor of Canfranc, Fernando Sánchez, summed up the spirit behind the organization of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championship, which will be held in this town in the Aragón Pyrenees from September 25 to 28. Over 1,300 athletes from 70 countries are expected to attend.
The scale of the challenge, Canfranc’s experience in organizing mountain races, the enthusiasm of the local habitants, and the involvement of institutions at national, regional, provincial, municipal, and local levels have been the focus of the speeches delivered this morning at the FITUR tourism fair. Specifically, the General Director of Sports of the Government of Aragón, Cristina García, highlighted the importance of sports “as a cross-cutting axis that should also serve to promote the region as a tourist destination and showcase all the potential our region has. Sports are health, physical activity, but also a platform for the tourist development of our Autonomous Community.”
Raúl Chapado, president of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation, emphasized the same point, stating that the Canfranc World Championship will be “a turning point in terms of sports, tourism, and economic impact.” Chapado, one of the four vice-presidents of World Athletics, the organization that governs world athletics, reminded that “Trail running is growing almost 21% in participation worldwide. Spain is a powerhouse both in terms of organization and sports. World Athletics is very pleased to have entrusted Spain and Canfranc with the organization of this World Championship, and our challenge now is to offer a fantastic experience to all the countries that will be represented.”
For his part, the director of the World Championship, Alex Varela, acknowledged that this championship is the pinnacle of what a trail sports organization can aspire to. “Canfranc will be at the center of the world for this discipline, and they will discover a wonderful setting that I’m sure they will love,” he said. With eight months remaining until the World Championship, Varela is confident in Canfranc’s ability: “There are aspects we can’t control, like the weather, but in those areas where we do have full responsibility, and which always represent a challenge in any sporting event, such as transportation or logistics, we are working diligently to ensure everything works smoothly when the more than 1,300 athletes and accredited delegates arrive in Canfranc in September.”
The CanfrancPirineos 2025 Mountain and Trail Running World Championship will be the most important sporting event held in Aragón during 2025. More than 1,300 athletes from 70 countries will participate. In the mountains of Canfranc, the world’s best runners will compete in a championship organized under the umbrella of World Athletics, the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), the International Trail Running Association (ITRA), the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU), and the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA). A total of five categories will be contested: ‘Uphill’, ‘Classic’, and ‘U20’ in mountain running, and ‘ShortTrail’ and ‘LongTrail’ in trail running.