What is the Mirador Challenge?
The Mirador Challenge is a medium-distance endurance walk of approximately 29 kilometres which links a network of 15 designated viewpoints located along the wonderful coastline of Jávea. It is aimed at teams of five walkers who begin in the early morning at the Granadella mirador and then pass along the coast in a northward direction to arrive at the last viewpoint of 'Els Molins', the iconic windmills which sit above the town of Jávea and afford stunning views all the way back to the start-point.

The idea behind the development of the Mirador Challenge was primarily to open up this official network of "miradors" to many more people who would be otherwise unaware of their existence. The secondary aim was to create a timed endurance walk covering many different types of terrain that would complement Jávea's excellent sporting and leisure calendar.

There are two disciplines for taking part in the Mirador Challenge:

Sports
The 'Sports' option is for those who want to test themselves by covering the entire length of the challenge in the fastest time possible and in 2012 a team from the Costa Blanca Mountain Walkers completed the course in 4 hours and 22 minutes. In 2013 the winning team THE ORIGINALS set a time of 5 hours and 10 minutes to recover the title won in 2010, the first Mirador Challenge event. This time was smashed by TEAM EXTRANJEROS in 2014, who crossed the finish line just 4 hours and 16 minutes after having left the start at Mirador La Granadella.

Note: Due to a route modification for safety purposes, a new record will be up for grabs for 2015!

Leisure
The 'Leisure' option is for those who want to take in the stunning views from each of the miradors spending a pre-determined minimum amount of time (five minutes; no more than 10) at the mandatory checkpoints of Ambolo (C), Cap de la Nau (E), La Falzia (G), Creu del Portitxol (I), Séquia de la Nória (L) and Cap de San Antoni (N) to complete an additional task of completing a short quiz about them and about Jávea in general. They can choose whether to stop or not at the remaining viewpoints but must not stop for more than 10 minutes. Their final time is adjusted to remove the time spent at the miradores as well as add any time for wrong answers to the multiple-choice questions; one minute is added for every one that is incorrect. In 2013 the LOS SHERPAS DE JÁVEA completed the course in 6 hours and 4 minutes to take the inaugural trophy for this discipline and the following year a team that was essentialy the same group smashed that record to finish with an adjusted time of 4 hours and 44 minutes. In this section, there is a time limit of eight hours to complete the course; any team that is deemed unlikely to complete the whole course within this time-frame will be disqualified and finish their experience at the next available mirador.

Who can take part in the Mirador Challenge?
Anyone over the age of 16 with the drive and determination to get themselves along the 29 kilometres route from the forest of La Granadella in the south to the windmills of Els Molins in the north can take part in the Mirador Challenge. You don't have to be mega-fit to take part but we do recommend a few training sessions in the weeks leading up to the event and if you live in the area if would be advantageous to spend a couple of hours each week walking through several sections of the route to get accustomed to it. Look out for the special orientation sessions in February and March in which we will be offering guided walks of the whole route - in sections - to indicate the recommended route of the Mirador Challenge.

When is the next Mirador Challenge?
The next edition of the Mirador Challenge is scheduled for Sunday 12th April 2015 (to be confirmed). The registration period opens on Saturday 31st January 2015 and will close at 6.00pm on Friday 11th April 2015. The event is limited to 25 teams of five walkers. Space permitting, smaller teams can take part as "Invitation Teams" but they will not be eligible for prizes nor will their timings be eligible for oficial record-keeping; full teams will be given priority in registration. There will be a pre-event social meeting for representatives from each team taking part on Friday 11th April 2015 during which a draw will take place to determine the order of start from Mirador La Granadella with those wishing to take part in the 'Leisure' discipline setting off first, followed by the faster teams competing in the 'Sports' section. The first team will set off from Mirador La Granadella at 08:00 followed by the rest of the teams at three or four minute intervals, depending on the number of teams taking part in the challenge.

To keep up to date with news and information about the forthcoming Challenge, you can join our Facebook group: The Mirador Challenge.

I don't fancy the walk but I'd like to be involved. What can I do?
The Mirador Challenge wouldn't be possible without the superb network of checkpoint supervisor volunteers who rouse themselves from their Sunday morning slumber without so much as a hint of complaint to sit patiently checking teams through each checkpoint. Aside from the walkers, more than 30 people were involved in the Mirador Challenge in 2013, many of them spending just a couple of hours at one of Jávea's beautiful viewpoints, enjoying the scenery as well as the wonderful camaraderie of the teams, whilst others assisted with team transport and general running around to ensure that the events ran as smoothly as possible. If you fancy being part of the Mirador Challenge, please drop us a line to the email given at the bottom of this page. We are also always on the look-out for sponsors whose invaluable financial support helps us to provide the sort of event we want to deliver.