Madrid-Segovia, Saint Jacques Way

Hi there.

I would like to announce a new ultra (non-road) in Spain. It will connect Madrid and Segovia (yes that one with the roman aqueduct) along the ooooooold Camino de Santiago, the Saint Jacques Way, a pilgrimage trail that dates more than 1500 years back from now.

The approx 100k formula with 24h as time cutoff allows EVERYONE to jog and walk the trail. Drink and food aid stations, train connection back to start line, a very reasonable 38€ as fee and probably a unique scenario for cultural and recreational atmosphere. 2010 is Jacobean Year and that will probably boost the entries quite fast (just think that 24 h allows walkers to give it a try, and all Caminos will be packed this year).

Entry limit 1000 runners. Flights for thirty quid.... Have you planned what to do 25&26th Sep 2010?

In some weeks time we will have all race info available in our website www.madrid-segovia.com

Cheers, Luis

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Comments

  • DAMN YOU, LUIS!!!!  I wish I hadn't seen this!

    The Minkey walked the Camino last year, didn't he?  Saw some great pictures of it.  This may prove too tempting....

  • Well DIM ... that probably was the French Camino, the classic one. This is somewhat different. About 4miles getting out of the urban, then open spaces for about 20m, huge trails to halfway and then the crossing of the Sierra. We will get through the HIGHEST pass on all Caminos de Santiago, a nice alpine dirt road over 1800m altitude, to descend along beau-ti-ful woods to the outskirts of Segovia and the (hopefully we get the permissions) finish line besides the Aqueduct.

    Giving it a go or should I cross the Channel to convince you bunch o'runners?

    btw, this summer, London & Harwich holiday. image 

  • Will run it by the she-boss, Luis.  This may require flowers and chocolate!

    London? *shudder*

  • DIM, I have been in the strenuous uphills of Cheddar and Weston, driving my kids towards Norwich Castle and having a nap in the grass at Sutton Hoo saxon festival or absolutely pissed at a Cardiff pub. I guess it is getting time to bring my kids to something more... urban.
  • Yeah but..... London???  That's just child cruelty, isn't it?  (I lived there for a bit - as you can tell, I wasn't a fan...).

    Pissed in a Cardiff pub - Ah, memories..... or rather, lack thereof.

  • Huh.... I think our children are now sort of overprotected. My twins are having enough of directed activities, playgrounds, public libraries and the like. Should this be good or not, I think they must have something of urban rockers. Thus London will do them good. Same as our weekly trips to Madrid downtown (we live some 10m north, and some of my kids' classmates have never gone into tube).

    And dad is an old punk fan. image Spent about 7 years in the UK (summers and so) and 'Banned from the Pubs' was my slogan.

  • Lol - an old punk fan.  You must be so proud....

    My dad was a hippy, so can't mock. image

    The mrs seems quite keen on this, subject to getting over her injury.  Failing that, the lure of a long weekend in Madrid (with a hint of sherpa-ing) seems to be working.  Subject to doing something stupid at IMDE in July, I should be in.  Let me know as soon as more details are available please, Luis!

  • I will do. In fact this could be a tapering trot... ok, rather long, though.

    As soon as website info is available, I will post it here.

  • Cheers,

    PLEASE TAKE NOTE - date change

    Some other sport events, and the start being designed from Madrid downtown, make RACE DATE TO BE DELAYED one week. Definitive RACE DATE is 2nd- 3rd October

    We hope anyone had already booked flights or accomodation. If so, please email me and we will try to arrange something. It all has been out of our organisation hands, but such a monster city has some difficulties as traffic, police, etc.

    Cheers,

    Luis Arribas 

    (Race Internet & PR)

  • Nothing to say, just bumping the spam
  • Entries already open.

     I'd say British runners should give it a try. Not a torrid period of the year. And .... extremely cheap travelling options to Madrid Airport.

    All detailed info will be posted here as soon as I get Race Regulations into translation.image

    Book your fall ultra event!!!

    Luis

    Race Foreign PR and Internet

  • *Bookmarks for next year*
  • Hum... a group of italians (with their ugly football) has shown interest and could send a 20-ish runners pack.

    image

  • I know some of you are waiting the GBP to get still stronger against the Euro and then book some flights. In the meantime, I want to announce that a member of our race board is already helping some foreign runners to book accomodation with a reasonable discount.

    If you are interested, place a message.

    I trained last week along 20k of the course and I must say it has pretty and rough parts! I trailed between km 45 and 60 of the race course (it was my way back from a longer mountain trail) and it is amazing how beautiful can be at just 30 min drive from the city.

    Give it a go!

  • We have just been granted as qualifying race for the Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc, so if someone of you does not knw where to get TWO very easy points ....image

    I promise that our English regulations will be uploaded to our website in some hours. I just finished the translation

  • Depending how I feel after Challenge Roth next month I could be up for this.Keep me informed.
  • Morning,

     Our 2nd hundred entries accomplished. And we have already started with some guided jogs along the course. English info available at www.madrid.segovia.com > Reglamento

    Cheers

    Luis

  • Um, I'm pretty sure that url should be madrid-segovia.com (dash, not dot).

    Cool looking run. For me, it bangs into the Loch Ness marathon, but maybe next year.

  • Slow DuckSlow Duck ✭✭✭
    Can't make it this year - but will pencil in to my diary for 2011...
  • One forumite told me she had entered thanks to this thread. Happy to welcome her at our event.

    It finally was a success with over 800 starters and 350+ finishers at the roman acqueduct in Segovia.

    You can check some pictures and the results at www.ultrafondo.com (sorry, in Spanish).

  • Luis is there any qualifying criteria for the 2011 event? When do entries open for 2011?
  • No qualyfying criteria, S Smith. Will give 2011 race dates as soon as we get them.

    We will try to keep the UTMB qualyfing race standard as well.

    Best, Luis

  • Hi Luis, it was good to meet you at the run, albeit briefly and thank you for the welcome! And, thank you for posting this event in the first place.

    For anyone thinking of doing this next year, I would highly recommend it. Its one of the best events I've done, amazingly organised, friendly, supportive, very generous and organised and regular checkpoints, the coffee etc etc at 2nd from last, I think? was just what was needed! there was even hot food like pasta along the way!. Route markings couldn't be faulted (in the night time there were some lumi zumi thingies tied to branches which you could see from quite far away), so although we were given maps, you didnt actually need them at all. All the crew and organisers, especially Anna, were amazing. I ran with a group of lovely Italian runners and we were lucky enough to catch a bit of a kip in the gym hall afterwards , after devine hot showers! and then in the morning we watched the final guys and gals coming in at the finish on the Plaza. Crew were stll there in full force after having been up all night. Cut off times were very generous so very feasable to walk the whole route, or if someone were worried about time pressure. Views were amazing. Most of the tracks were pretty wide, with a few sort of more downhill narrowy windy sort of trails a bit further on, which were actually great fun to bound down. Goes through a few lovely villages too. most of the bit through the moutains we did at night with head torches,  which was absolutely beautiful and atmospheric. We had a lovely clear night, so lots of stars to be seen, a real treat. Its obviously quite hilly, compared to a lot of England, but not too much, and I like hills anyway and the hills are what make the views! The registration the day before was also a pretty cool set up and a nice introduction to the event. So, in ending, it was a great great event in my view (just dont fly Easy Jet though - even though that has nothing to do with the event)

  • Sounds like a fantastic event but why the low rate of finishers? 800 starters and only 350 finishers is unusual for an event that could, as you say, be walked within the cut off times
  • Hi, Luis is probably better qualified to comment, but from what I could gather, there was an option to stop at  certain points along the way (its described more as a challenge than a race, so a little bit like the LDWA approach) so I guess some people just did sections of it. They also had a bag drop system which meant you could stop at point x and pick up warm gear, if you wished.. and/or carry less during the day time (eg torch, jacket etc).. Luis may have more enlightening info.
  • Thanks Gijima, really looks like one I'll be interested in next year depending on the dates but the drop out rate is something I'd be concerned with
  • Hi Gijima/Lirish,

    Not much left to be said after your race report. Lovely day to run albeit a high drop out rate, indeed. Besides the stages scheme that Gijima mentions, the question was we conquered a public institution as a major sponsor. This allowed us being a free-entry race. It no doubt convinced short-distance walkers too. We had it in mind, it wasn't simply possible that, for a first edition, we had a 1000 entry sold-out!

    I'd wait for few changes for next edition. We are thinking on the date (unusal warm day) and conditions (more a trail race than a walk challenge). I promise to keep you infomed.

    In some time you will also be able to download your race certificate from our web. Cheers,Luis

  • "We have received about 300 entries already so we are quite happy", words from the race board.
    But few foreigners and that is a point they quite don't get. A city with a major airport and loads of cheap companies flying, two historical spots traversed and an easy way to gather running friends for life. I would again recommend this relaaaxed ultra as a running weekend to you.

    What if I promise sangría at the finish line? Should I? image
  • Slow DuckSlow Duck ✭✭✭
    Luis - do you know if there is an alternative way to pay (e.g online?) The bank transfer stuff is not the easiest (or cheapest) thing to arrange from the UK...
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