Fitness fanatics with a sense of adventure and love of a challenge can head to Spain's La Manga Club next month to take part in a 51km mountain race, with a two-night stay including entry for runners on offer from €135 per person.

Taking place on Saturday April 20, the challenging La Ruta de las Fortalezas route visits the different fortresses surrounding the historic Roman city of Cartagena and boasts a total ascent of more than 1,800m.

Anyone aged 18 or over is eligible to compete, with the race split into three age groups for men and women. Runners can choose to compete as an individual or in teams of five, but all participants must complete the route on foot in less than 12 hours.

More than 3,200 people are set to take part and, as well as their entry fee, competitors staying at the five-star La Manga Club resort will receive two nights' accommodation in the Las Lomas Village apartments, special runner's breakfast and transport to and from the race.

In addition, guests can recuperate after the race with free access to the fitness centre, indoor pool, saunas and steam rooms at Spa La Manga Club, while people seeking added luxury can enjoy a two-night stay in the resort's five-star hotel with the same privileges from €174 per person. All prices are based on two people sharing a room.

La Manga Club has attracted a galaxy of stars from the world of sport and showbusiness since opening in 1972 and continues to set the benchmark for sports and leisure destinations across Europe and beyond.

The resort is the official overseas training base of the Lawn Tennis Association until 2016 while, among other awards, it was voted 'Best Golf Resort in Spain' by readers of Today's Golfer magazine for the second year running in January.

La Manga Club boasts unrivalled facilities as a sport and leisure venue including three 18-hole championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and a 2,000sqm spa and fitness centre. It also offers the choice of a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses, more than 20 bars and restaurants and is great fun for children.

For more details about La Ruta de las Fortalezas, go to www.lamangaclub.com/rutadelasfortelezas. For further information about La Manga Club and to book a stay, call + 34 968 17 5577, email reserve@lamangaclub.com or visit www.lamangaclub.com.

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For more information on La Manga Club or images contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com 

La Manga Club - www.lamangaclub.com - is an unrivalled sports and leisure paradise which sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea, just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante.  

Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it enjoys a mild year-round Mediterranean climate and offers visitors a prestigious five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and extensive sports facilities, including three championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and eight grass sports pitches. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2,000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars. 

As well as hosting both Davis and Fed Cup tennis matches, La Manga Club has signed a long-term deal to be the overseas training resort of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) until 2016. It has also staged the Spanish Open golf championship and hosted the 2013 Spanish International Amateur Golf Championship,  and regularly attracts professional and international football teams to the first-class year-round training facilities which are also used by rugby and cricket sides.

As a result of almost 40 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain's flagship resort and as one of the finest sports and lifestyle destinations in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous awards.

La Manga Club was the region of Murcia's candidate to bring the 2015 Solheim Cup to Spain. The resort has long been a staunch supporter of women's golf, being the official overseas resort partner of the English Women's Golf Association for three years as well as hosting the Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School from 2009-12. La Manga Club is also the venue for the Ladies Murcia Open, an LET Access Series event, and regularly hosts top women's amateur events and teams.