September 15 Iter Ignis, the flaming torch of the Cartagineses y Romanos fiestas in Cartagena is borne by 20 runners from Mazarron

Relay runners carry the sacred flame from Mazarrón to Cartagena on a 7-hour route

The Cartagineses y Romanos fiestas in Cartagena, which take place in late September and enjoy International Tourist Interest status, officially open with the arrival of a flaming torch, Olympic Games-style, after it has been carried by runners to the encampments of the Carthaginian and Roman troops as they recreate the events which led to the Romans taking over the city in 209 BC.

In an event known as Iter Ignis (the journey of fire) it has become traditional for the journey of the torch to begin in one of Cartagena’s neighbouring municipalities, and for the 2023 edition of the games the route on September 15 is beginning in Mazarrón, the “guest municipality” of the fiestas this year. The flame will be lit at 13.30 at the Club de Regatas in Puerto de Mazarrón, and from there it will travel by boat to the fishing port. Once on land 20 runners will carry it in a series of relays through the west of the municipality of Cartagena before it reaches the Molinete hill in the centre of the city at approximately 20.30.

Leaving Puerto de Mazarrón via the Paseo Marítimo, the beach of El Alamillo and Cala Negra, the route includes the mountain pass of Valdelentisco, Tallante, Los Puertos de Santa Bárbara, Cuesta Blanca and Molinos Marfagones before it reaches Cartagena, where the opening speeches of the fiestas will be given by Tomás Roncero and Cristóbal Soria.

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