MADRID – On Sunday, the ninth edition of the Carrera de la Mujer took place in the streets of Madrid. Thousands of women dressed in pink took part in the 7.2-kilometre race that aimed to raise awareness for breast cancer.
The organisers also wanted to emphasise the importance of women and female athletes in society with the event. Therefore, on Mother’s Day, more than 30,000 participants gathered to take part in the race. Moreover, that number was comparable to pre-pandemic numbers. The race brought together not only big names in the sport, but also politicians from Madrid, such as the Socialist candidate for Madrid City Hall, Reyes Maroto.
Controversial prizes
However, the race’s award ceremony has caused a stir. The winner received a kitchen robot from the Thermomix brand. A very unusual award, it was noted immediately after the award ceremony on social media. The kitchen robot would suggest a relationship between the Carrera de la Mujer and household chores. Such a relationship contrasts with the main goal of the race, which is to involve women en masse in sports and to fight against breast cancer.
“Sexist”
The striking prize also went down badly with the Spanish Ministry of Equality. The secretary of state of this ministry, Ángela Rodríguez, described the gifts delivered to the runners this Sunday on her Twitter account as “sexist”. Other winners were offered low-fat products. According to Rodriguez, that gave the implicit message: “If you succeed, housewife, and if not, at least lose weight”.
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View of the organisation
Meanwhile, the organisers of the race released a statement on Twitter on Monday. Herein, they defend the ‘choice’ for the gift and say they regret the reactions to it. Their statement said it was not a prize but a gift from one of the sponsors and that the organisation is committed to promoting healthy habits for all participants, regardless of gender. The organisers emphasise that Thermomix can also be very valuable for everyone because it enables people to cook healthily in a much easier and faster way.
The race was won by the Serbian Ivana Zagorac. She reached the finish in 24:07 minutes and beat her sister Sladjana in the final sprint. The first Spanish was Silvia Rey Vega who came in after 24:10 minutes.
Also read: Where in Spain is the risk of dying from cancer highest
