San Silvestre Vallecana 2023 - Madrid NYE race report

[Jogger22]

This was the first time I ran this race (having planned do it in 2021 but Covid scuppered my travel plans) and it certainly didn’t disappoint. There was a real party atmosphere throughout. They had DJs and bands playing along the entirety of the course which made for an electric atmosphere. Whenever I started to tire the throng of people carried me along as well as the crowds lining the course who cheered us on with shouts of “campeones!” (champions!) and “vamos!”. Also I had family in the crowd cheering me on and running alongside me for part of the race which was a real boost (thanks to being able to track me using google’s live location feature). The race took us past famous landmarks in the centre of Madrid such as the puerta de Alcalá, plaza de Neptuno and Cibeles under their magical Christmas lights. The very first 200m of the race had a steep climb and kilometre 8 had a climb for about a kilometre so I saved a bit in the tank for then knowing this. There was another small ascent for about 50m early on but apart from that the course was either flat or had a slight decline. I managed to achieve my goal of completing in 80 minutes or less otherwise they disqualify you (74 mins and 53 secs to be precise which is a new 10k record for me and much better than I was expecting due to an ongoing achilles tendonopathy I’ve been nursing for the past few months. I was a bit nervous initially about crowd control - being so many runners ie 40,000 but they staggered us in waves of 8000 people (apart from the first wave) with pre determined start times so at no time did I feel claustrophobic or squashed. I also liked the fact that it was an inclusive race (the first wave was for handbike users). I only had to queue for 15 minutes for the portaloo before the beginning of the race(I took my own soap and used my water bottle ). I didn’t pay attention as to whether there were any portaloos at the end of the race. I believe you can go into any bar in the vicinity and use their facilities. Also even though the metro trains before and after the race were crowded with runners (all distinguishable in their official race T-shirts and wraps) I didn’t feel too overwhelmed and everyone was very orderly. I highly recommend doing this race if ever you are in Madrid for new years/ Christmas. It set me up nicely for a lovely NYE meal with my family. It’s an experience I will always treasure.

[dijep Graduate10]

Wow ... Congratulations on doing the run and you need PB.You've really captured the atmosphere, it sounds a brilliant way to end the year

[Jogger22 Graduate10 in reply to dijep]

Thanks dijep yes it was a great way to end the year! I highly recommend 😀

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

Well done on what sounds a fab race! And congratulations on your PB too. It sounds quite a challenging event but I’m sure the atmosphere was brilliant!

Are you going to post this on The Beyond 10K & Race Support forum too?

[Jogger22 Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

Thanks Irishprincess yes the atmosphere was fantastic! I didn't realise that there was a beyond 10k and race support forum so I've just posted on there now too! 😀

[Yesletsgo Administrator Graduate10]

This is just fantastic, well done on your PB!This sounds like an amazing experience 😁