Night Race

A few weeks ago, I signed up for a road race mostly along the river and along the streets of Seville. Friday, it was finally time. It was my first night race and it was also one of the longest races I have ever ran, 12 kilometers. 

At 9:10 PM, Isabel was anxious about the fact that I had not left yet. I did not think this was a big deal but fifteen minutes later, when I arrived to the scene of the race, I realized why. Thousands of people were lined up at the starting line. There were huge groups of teams, all wearing matching running attire. There were people dressed up as cows, matadors, and guys dressed like girls. I had to try to get my way to the front of this pack before the gun went off. 

Unfortunately, I did not make it very far; there were simply too many people and nowhere to go so I settled for a very mediocre starting position. When the race started, I had to walk at first. This slowly progressed into a light jog until I finally had enough space to start weaving around people. I continued doing this for the first two miles of the race until I finally had enough room to run in a straight line at the proper pace. 

The Olympic stadium, where we finished the race

We ran along the river and it was the perfect time to run because everyone was out at this time on a Friday night. Fans were everywhere and it helped me stay positive. Although it was annoying starting so far back, it made it fun because I spent the entire race passing people. 

When we got toward the end of the race, there was Spanish rap music playing to pump me up. Finally, we got to the Olympic stadium, where we finished the race with a lap around the track. I finished in 44:39, which I was happy with considering all the people I had to weave around. 

Even though there was no entry fee , I still received a goodie bag that included a t-shirt, running shorts, and a medal. It was a great experience and my legs are still pretty sore.