Valencia marathon stirs controversy one month after deadly floods

By Eva Manez and Corina Pons

VALENCIA/MADRID (Reuters) - Athlete Pau Gisbert decided not to run in the Valencia marathon this weekend because he couldn't focus on training amid the devastation that hit Spain's third-largest city in recent flash floods.

The decision to go ahead with the race on Dec. 1, just a month after the raging waters killed 222 people, has sparked controversy.

Critics say it is too soon, while businesses are welcoming a tourism boost that could help recovery.

"When you look around, the town you grew up in practically doesn't exist anymore," said Gisbert, from the Valencia suburb of Paiporta. "Although your instinct pushes you to run for those four hours to feel like a normal person, your mind's elsewhere."

Gisbert, 30, said he hoped those who decided to participate would take some time to visit the affected towns and empathise with victims who had lost so much.

However, Ignacio Cardona, a greengrocer from one of the flooded areas to the city's south, said training for the marathon represented a "psychological release".

"Running has been vital for me to be able to get out of this whole situation," he said.

Two weeks ago, organisers told the record 35,000 participants who registered for the 42.2-km (26.4-mile) race around the coastal city's centre that it would still take place while raising funds to help rebuild damaged sports facilities.

"Valencia runs for Valencia," read the marathon's official website, where the organisers pledged to donate 3 euros ($3.17) for every runner who makes it to the finish line.

Participants - 62% of whom come from abroad and 18% from other Spanish regions according to organisers - are also invited to donate to a joint flood recovery fund to which the race's sponsors will contribute, too.

The marathon is also an opportunity for hotel and restaurant owners to tempt tourists back to one of Spain's most popular destinations after the Oct. 29 tragedy.

Up to 60% of visitors cancelled their hotel bookings after the floods - twice the usual rate - and restaurants saw an 80% drop in sales, according to local business groups.

For the weekend of the marathon, hotel occupancy rates are nearing 80%, said Mayte Garcia, the head of regional hotel association Hosbec.

Manuel Espinar, a spokesperson for the local restaurant association, lost two businesses to the floods.

"We're all in shock ... Valencia's image has been affected, but we have to show that the city's alive," he said.

($1 = 0.9478 euros)

(Reporting by Eva Máñez in Valencia and Corina Pons in Madrid; Writing by David Latona; Editing by Aislinn Laing and Daren Butler)