For many competitors it’s 26 miles 385 yards of pure pain.  But for those who finish a marathon, the euphoria is usually indescribable.

At least 5,000 runners are expected to take part in Guadalajara’s annual marathon, which gets underway at the early hour of 7 a.m. on Sunday, November 5.

The start and finish line will be at the Glorieta Minerva. The runners will race twice across the Jesus Matute suspension bridge, along sections of avenidas Lazaro Cardenas, Mariano Otero, Chapalita, Las Rosas, Mexico and Terranova, and a long stretch of Lopez Mateos, past Plaza del Sol to Las Fuentes and back.

Street closures will start from around midday on Saturday. Personnel employed along the marathon route will include 800 police and traffic officers, firefighters and paramedics.

As in previous years, Kenyan athletes are expected to set the pace in the men’s event, which offers attractive cash prizes for the top positions.  The winner is expected to cross the finish line at around 9:25-9:30 a.m.