Sopelana Nudist Race Sets Record
SOPELANA, SPAIN - Nudist Day had recently interviewed Jesus Iglesias, organizer of the annual Sopelana nudist race. The race took place this past Sunday and set a new record with 136 runners participating.
The race is hosted on Barinatxe beach near Sopelana, in the Basque region, by the Basque Naturist Association (Euskal Naturista Elkartea). This year’s edition featured participants as young as 6 years old and as many as 65 people older than 40. Only 10 women ran in the competition. Prizes were awarded by local politicians according to age groups as well as distance. Worth noting is that the winner of the men’s competition was none other than Paxti Ros, original founder of the event!
Apart from trophies, top prizes included stays at nudist resorts in Spain. The event received press coverage from around the world.
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Sept 15: Sopelana Nudist Race
Barinatxe beach near Sopelana, Spain, in the Basque region, will again be the site of the annual nudist foot race on September 15, 2007. The race’s organizer since 2003 is Jesus Iglesias, a member of the board at the Basque Naturist Association (Euskal Naturista Elkartea).
According to Iglesias, the race was the brainchild of Patxi Ros in 1999, but the later shelved the event in 2001. Iglesias revived the race in 2003 and this year’s edition will be the fifth under his leadership. He told Nudist Day there’s usually between 90 and 130 runners competing in the all-nude race, and the ratio of women to men is about the same if not more than what you would find in a textile competition, although most female participants tend to be over 40. He couldn’t estimate the number of spectators at past events, but he did say it was composed of both nudists and non-nudists, and the turn-out hinges a lot on the weather that day.
He also points-out that the competition has to be held at low tide in order that runners have a hard sand surface to tread on.
All the participants begin the race at the same start line, but may run different lengths according to age, which can range from under 15 to well past 40, as well as gender. Most runners are local people, Iglesias says, and quite a few are athletes who aren’t normally nudists, but will get undressed in order to compete. Iglesias also points-out that there is no nudist lodging in the Basque region.
Barinatxe beach, also known as “La Salvaje” (The Savage) has a long nudist history, dating back to before public nudity was decriminalized in Spain in 1989. The municipality of Sopelana backs the race, but in an odd twist, the traditionally nudist part of the beach is in neighboring Getxo, which hasn’t been so supportive and has shown in the past that it has an anti-nudist attitude. Strangely, both municipalities are ruled by the same party.
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Photos courtesy of ENE
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Top 5 Places for Hiking Nude…Legally
Over the last year and a half, Nudist Day has brought to your attention a number of places where you can hike naked for hours in a beautiful natural surrounding, without any objections from local authorities. Here we bring them back to you as part of a special report in order that you can decide where in the world your next nude hike will take place…
South Africa: Kudumanzi Eco Park:
Undoubtedly the biggest nudist venue in the world at 95 square miles. This African bush land is filled with wild flora and fauna such as zebras and giraffes, and is the only place where you can have a nude safari!…
Read more about Kudumanzi
Spain: El Medano (Tenerife, Canary Islands):
Go to one of the world’s largest nude beaches (La Tejita), then hike through miles of reddish volcanic rock formations. You can even scramble-up a 300 foot mountain. On the north side of El Medano you’ll find another nude beach and more rock formation, but with an ochre tinged. Public nudity is legal in Spain, but this area is where you’ll find many other like-minded people and nobody will raise an eyebrow…[photo above is from this area]
Read more about El Medano
Argentina: Yatan Rumi (Cordoba):
Hike or climb through 2000 acres of a nude reserve high in the sierras near Cordoba, Argentina. Highlights include several waterfalls as well as sightings of condors and wild grey foxes…
Read more about Yatan Rumi
Australia: Twin Falls (NSW):
Hike through 100 acres of Australian rainforest where you’ll encounter wild kangaroos and koalas…
Read more about Twin Falls
USA: DeAnza Springs (California):
500 acres of spectacular desert scrub land surrounding a full-service nudist resort…
Read more about De Anza Springs
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