La Perimetral is a sporting event directed at any nature lover that is in adequate physical form and has sufficient knowledge of the mountain environment. The aim is to create a prestigious sporting event to show off the richness and diversity of the local natural environment of the municipalities through which the race passes.

We continually assist with the ongoing increase in sporting activities that are in one way or another related to the natural environment, and the so called inland tourism or rural tourism, a type of tourism that seeks knowledge of rural areas, especially through their natural, cultural and scenic values, together with the practice of mountain sports. An alternative to the so called “sun and sand” style of tourism.

Origins

La Perimetral was conceived with several clear objectives in mind, primarily:
The Promotion of Sport and it’s values among the local residents.
The Knowledge and conservation of our natural areas.
The Heritage Development of our municipality through sport, both cultural and natural.

Concept

The ongoing increase that exists with regard to nature-orientated and mountain sports, and mountain races in particular, led us to think that the design, organization and values of one of these mountain races would undoubtedly be one of the best and most successful forms of spreading knowledge about our towns and their rich and varied natural environments to a public that is increasingly demanding this style of sporting event.

It was precisely these circumstances that motivated La Perimetral to be born with both power and ambition: 65 Km in length with approximately 3,500 m. positive height difference. It’s a sporting event of great proportions, with an epic component that motivates and arouses great interest among athletes of this specialty. We are confident that nobody will remain indifferent.

The difficulty in preparing and organizing a race of this caliber makes them very few and far between, except for those that are organized, through great tradition, by the Catalan and Basque Communities, which are held around the country throughout the year.

And so, La Perimetral was created, with the clear goal of becoming a permanent fixture in the annual calendar of mountain races that are organized regionally.

Hike / Race

The choice of name for this race is no coincidence. In the world of mountain sports, we understand as hike an organized walking tour through marked mountain paths, that under no circumstances rewards the walker if one takes less time to complete it, and that are open to everyone with a certain level of fitness and knowledge of the mountaineering environment. In this scenario we are talking about an endurance hike in which the participants enjoy forming part of the natural environment and being in good company, as well as each exploring their own physical limits.

On the other hand, the “Mountain Runners” and, in this case, “ultra-runners”, are athletes of a mountaineering background with high levels of preparation and specialization. Their motivations, although overlapping in some cases with those of the hikers, are concrete: Competing against the clock and exceeding their own limits. They are, in some cases, elite athletes.

The choice of opening the race to both hikers and runners is motivated by the high demand for participating in this type of event for both modalities. This has lead us to increase the time limit within which the walkers and runners must pass through each checkpoint, meaning that both the athletes and their companions can extend their stay in our villages.

La Perimetral was created with the clear intention of becoming a permanent fixture in the annual calendar of mountain races, and with the goal of becoming a future PR or GR approved trail.

Miguel Angel Soliveres Fullana
President of the Club de Muntanya Margalló