Sports and outdoor activities - The Rough Guide to Barcelona - page 357

Races and festivals There's a half-marathon (Mitja Marató de Barcelona) held in the city
every February or March, while the full Barcelona Marathon (Marató Barcelona; application
forms and details on zurichmaratobarcelona.com ) takes place in March. There are more
road races during the September Mercè festival, while La Cursa ( cursaelcorteingles.com ;
April), the annual eleven-kilometre run organized by El Corte Inglés department store, at-
tracts over 50,000 fun-runners onto the streets. It's one of the longest-established city runs,
held since 1979, and the 1994 event, attracting 110,000 runners, still holds the Guinness
world record for number of participants.
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SPORTS CENTRES
Every city neighbourhood has a sports centre, most with swimming pools but also offering
a variety of other sports, games and activities. Schedules and prices vary, so it's best to con-
tact the centres directly for any sport you might be interested in. Most have a general daily
admission fee (€15-20) if all you want is a swim and use of the gym. A couple of the more
useful centres are listed here, but for a full rundown call 010 or consult the sports section
database on bcn.cat .
CEM Marítim Pg. Marítim 33, Vila Olímpica 932 240 440, claror.cat ; Ciutadella-
Vila Olímpica; map . Large complex by the Port Olímpic with a pool, gym and sauna, plus a
wide range of organized activities, games and treatments, from aerobics, dance and yoga to
indoor biking, beach tennis and hydrotherapy. Mon-Fri 7am-midnight, Sat 8am-9pm, Sun
8am-4pm.
CEMFrontóColom Ramblas18,BarriGòtic 933023295, frontocolom.com ; Drass-
anes; map . Centrally situated sports centre with pool and gym, where you can see tradition-
al Spanish frontón (handball) or Basque jai alai , reputedly the fastest sport in the world.
Mon-Fri 7.30am-10.30pm, Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 9am-2.30pm.
FOLLOW THAT CAR
Catalunya's motor racing circuit, the Circuit de Catalunya ( circuitcat.com ), hosts the
annual Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix in April/May, as well as a whole series of other
Spanish and Catalan bike and motor races throughout the year, from truck-racing to endur-
ance rallies. The track, which you can tour (€10, pre-purchase tickets online) is out near
Granollers, north of the city (trains from Sants/Pg. de Gràcia), a twenty-minute walk from
Montmeló station, but during the Grand Prix there are also shuttle-bus services and direct
buses from Barcelona. For Formula 1, you need to sort out tickets well in advance (they
go on sale the previous Aug; check the website), while sports travel companies can offer
special race packages.