Well, for yet another year—making it three—we took a break from our holidays to run Gabriel’s marathon in Bascones de Ojeda. Judging by the number of entrants, which nearly doubled from the previous edition, it seems there was a call effect, perhaps due to the extra publicity from Verdeliss last year.
Just like on the other two occasions, we leave in the morning from Valladolid, with Gorriti behind the wheel, arriving half an hour early. For this marathon, that’s more than enough time to greet acquaintances, get changed, pick up the race number, and get ready for the saxophone piece that marks the start. In the purest style of Lazarus Lake at the Barkley Marathons.
This occasion was hard to miss. Enrique Benito, or Quique, as he’s known to most, had marked it on his calendar long ago as the place to celebrate his 100th marathon. It is also his tenth time running his favorite marathon (possibly tied with the one in Géres), which would make him, if the math is right, the third youngest marathoner to cross that threshold. We couldn’t miss it.
Swept up by his influence, a large number of runners from Atletas Populares also have traveled from Valladolid to join him on this occasion. Some also ventured the full 42k, like Johanna, with pacing duties, or José Antonio, among others. The more conservative ones are only going to accompany him on his final kilometers. Or they simply come to offer encouragement.
We start on time, and even though I find it hard to run in a group, I quickly find myself in the small pack accompanying Quique, which at times is going at a faster pace than what my legs are used theoretically to handle.
After the first short lap, thinking that Jesús Devesa has the same goal as the group, I find myself a few meters ahead. I let myself fall back and rejoin the disciplined pack, where I stay for several kilometers. Feeling well, I join Mario, who is pulling away slightly. His goal is to try a sub-4 hours and see if, by his calculations, he makes a podium in his category. Knowing about my decay in the final kilometers, I see it as an option to build a buffer, and get a chance to join Quique and his group at the last moment, since their goal is to finish in around 4 hours.
In the end, Mario falls back, and I am left on my own. Nearing the final half-lap, I se that I still have some distance on Quique’s group, which is coming on strong with 3 other Popular runners and passes me. I don’t have the energy to go after them, even though Bascones is already in sight.
Finally I cross the finish line with a time of 4:03:40, in 61st position out of 88 finishers according to the official results, because, I failed to start my watch (though I had the backup of Strava on my phone). In the end, I spent most of the race running alone only to finish just a couple of minutes behind Quique (sorry). That time improves my 4h27m from 2024, but not my 3h54m from 2023.
After the race, it is time for trophies, diplomas, pastries, and Quique’s speech. Then we move on to the traditional paella, a time to socialize with the residents of this welcoming village that, for a couple of days every August, sees how a few crazy people make time in their holidays to run on its dusty paths, defying the heat, in search of personal glory besides social fame.