February 09

MARATÓN ALPINO MADRILEÑO 2022 (11-12JUN): A MOUNTAIN MARATHON IN THE HEART OF MADRID.

Posted by Héctor Rubio on February 9, 2022 in calendar 2022, trail running spain, trailrunning madrid | 1 Comment

MARATÓN ALPINO MADRILEÑO 2022 (11-12JUN): A MOUNTAIN MARATHON IN THE HEART OF MADRID. Our MOUNTAIN RACING CALENDAR 2022 celebrates the return of one of the most mountain marathons in Spain: the Maratón Alpino Madrileño or best known as MAM.

On February 15th registrations for the 26° Edition will open of one of the most famous and hard mountain marathons in Spain. Many people know Madrid as the capital city of Spain and its museums, but what not many people outside of Spain now is that we also have mountains which even arrive to almost 2500 meters, and the MAM passes through the top of Madrid, Pico Peñalara 2428 meters.

MARATÓN ALPINO MADRILEÑO 2022 (11-12JUN):
A MOUNTAIN MARATHON IN THE HEART OF MADRID.

The MAM returns with renewed vigor for 2022. The event will celebrate its XXVI edition on June 11 and 12. Registration for its two modalities, the MAM and the Corss del telégrafo, will open on February 15 with 400 bib numbers for each race. Good news that we see now in more detail.

MARATÓN ALPINO MADRILEÑO 2022: RACES & NEWS

The route of both, the MAM and the Corss del Telégrafo avoids protected bird nesting areas. In addition, it travels through officially marked trails.

The restrictive management of the Guadarrama National Park related to sports has found an answer in the mountain races organizations that put all the means to achieve a great impact in the environmental education of the people of Madrid and in the promotion of the value of these lands, while generate zero impact on the natural environment.

Long story short: in the Madrid mountains is almost everything forbiden, except those activities related to politics, for example the ski in the Navacerrada resort, which should also be restricted according to the National Park rules, however as there are political interest in between is allowed, but not running. Running in the Madrid mountains is ONLY allowed under very specific circunstances, like maximum number of bibs, during certain periods of time and for a maximun number of hours, which is not happening in any other protected area in Spain.

Navacerrada ski resort, one of the passes of the MAM. Photo: @hekruca

MAM 2022 | 44 KM | 2200M+

The great work and enthusiasm has led the organization of the Guadarrama event to make further changes to the layout of their queen event.

The 2022 modifications will bring the route closer to the mythical marathon distance. The MAM 2022 will be held on a track of 44 kilometers and more of 2,200 meters of positive elevation and a cumulative that will exceed 4,400 meters. As always in this event, the Sierra de Guadarrama will be the main actor. Starting and finishing in the town of Cercedilla, the participants of the second longest-running marathon in Spain will ascend to some of the most mythical peaks in Madrid, like Peñalara and its 2428m.

The image below shows the profile of teh 2021 edition, due to the governmental restrictions the actual track for 2022 cannot be yet confirmed.

CROSS DEL TELÉGRAFO 2022 |

The weekend will be completed by the Cross del Telégrafo, another great classic in its own right. The little sister of the Madrid Alpine Marathon will take place on Saturday, June 11, without major changes.

The race that goes up and down the Seven Peaks this year celebrates its 21st anniversary and maintains its demanding route of 19 kilometers with 1,960 meters of accumulated difference in altitude.

Once again from Cercedilla, the runners will go through the area of Siete Picos, one of the most beautiful and technical in the Guadarrama, and the Puerto de Navacerrada. As occurs in the marathon distance, for environmental reasons the organization limits registrations to only 400 runners and they will be covered in strict order of registration.

MARATÓN ALPINO MADRILEÑO: LONG HISTORY, SHORT FUTURE, A REFLEXION BY MAYAYO

The MAMn is one of the longest running events in Spain: It was created in 1997 by Juanma Agejas for the Tierra Trágame Club. Since 2019 the management changed and now it is supported in the organization by the Agrupación Deportiva Marathon club.

Since its creation, this popular Madrid race has welcomed some of the best national and international mountain runners. In addition, it has been on several occasions the SpanishMountain Running Championship

But above all, it has been the great school for mountain runners from the entire Central area.

However, the Guadarrama mountain races face some particularly strict limitations both in the reduced number of race numbers and in a rigid environmental protocol. A striking difference compared to other National Parks that support and promote mountain races as a tool for environmental education and sustainable development. This is how they see it in the Caldera de Taburiente and Transvulcania; the French Aiguilles Rouges and Marathon Mont Blanc or the Italian Dolomiti Park and Lavaredo Ultra Trail, among others.

THERE IS NO FUTURE FOR THE GUADARRAMA MOUNTAIN RACES.

No, since the park expressly says so. Tests that already existed before the Park are tolerated, but new tests will not be authorized. So, for every date that dies there will be no alternative.

In the long term, they will disappear. The future of our sport in Guadarrama, as long as a management model more in line with those of parks such as those mentioned above is not adopted, is therefore non-existent, by preventing not only a qualitative and quantitative growth of the races, but also their simple replacement. if one stops being celebrated.

For example, a By UTMB test could never be held in the Guadarrama, since they cannot be authorized. Some tests that, however, will run this 2022 enchanted by thousands of bibs in each of the disputed ones along the wonderfully preserved trails of Chamonix, Val d’Aran, La Palma, Andorra, Dolomites, Salzburg Alps or the Eiger itself in Switzerland.

As a tool for the sustainable development of these Guadarrama towns, the current Guadarrama environmental management model regarding sports events generates significant losses in the environmental education of the population and in the sustainability of its towns. At the same time, it opens up opportunities that have been splendidly used by other mountain towns in Catalonia, the Canary Islands, Andorra, the Basque Country or the Valencian Community, among other places