Bannouri, Ortiz win Cursa de la Merce fun run in Barcelona

Barcelona, Sep 16: Moroccan runner Mourad El Bannouri won the men's category at Sunday's 2018 Cursa de la Merce charity 10k fun run in Barcelona, while Miriam Ortiz of Spain won the women's category.

El Bannouri finished with a time of 29 minutes, 34 seconds, and was just ten seconds shy of his record-breaking winning pace from last year, reports Efe news.

Moroccan runners dominated the men's category, as El Bannouri, 38, faced stiff competition from his compatriot Zouhair Talbi, who finished second, followed by Spain's Mohamed Zarhouni in third.

Ortiz finished with a time of 35 minutes, 52 seconds, and was joined on the podium by her countrywomen Marta Castroviejo and Eva Arias in second and third, respectively.

The 40th edition of the race had 12,000 registered runners, 4,300 of them women, and about 10,000 on the starting line.

Sunday's race was held under overcast skies with cool temperature and little wind, allowing for good races in both the men's and women's categories.