> Paul Bateson is the race director of the Al Andalus Ultra Trail, a stage race, and the Ultima Frontera 160, an extreme 24 hour race in rugged terrain, two ultra events in Andalucia.

Tell us something about the race we cannot find on the homepage of the event.
It was first run as the Marathon of Spain in 2007 as a test to see if it would work and be accepted in the region. We had 7 entries and 4 finished. Al Andalus-UT is now in its 3rd edition, with increase in participants each year.

Do you have a favourite mile? Have you run the races yourself in the past?
I plan the route but although I run all the stages in the process I am too busy to run the actual race. It is difficult to choose a favourite mile but maybe the single track into the mountains on stage 2 would be in there.

Al Andalus Ultra Trail 2010 – photograph courtesy of James Goldsmith.

Apart from a pair of shoes and a smile, what would you like runners to bring to the race?
Participants should be ready to mix with all the competitors, the staff and the local community. Comments from participants always underscore the feeling of being part of a family.

How many people are involved in the organisation of the event? How many runners do you expect for the next edition? How many from abroad?
There are 4 of us full time, 10 key staff including Andrew Murray and his medical team, a further 20 volunteers plus a research team from Coventry University. We have a limit of 100 participants and of these 35% are from the UK. In total we have around 20 countries represented including runners from Kenya, Botswana, Malaya, Canada and Iceland as well as Northern Europe. The UltimaFrontera160, scheduled for October 2011 will be part of a running weekend festival and for this we can accept up to 1000 entries with a choice of 50km, 80km or 160km trail races and a category for walkers.

Al Andalus Ultra Trail 2010 – photograph courtesy of James Goldsmith.

What is your favourite race (excluding the ones your organise)?
The Jarapalos Mountain Marathon in the mountains of Malaga province, a well organized and challenging race.

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