We went to Ciudad Real to run its marathon as completists, ticking off one of the few remaining races still missing from our record. It usually fell on the same weekend as the Bilbao Night Run Marathon, and we tended to choose the latter due to proximity. With that race now gone—at least in its marathon format, after the 2024 edition—and with Miguel Ángel Muñoz also at the helm of the Ciudad Real marathon, there seemed to be no excuse not to run it.
Besides, we didn’t know the city either, so despite the four-hour drive, we headed over to once again combine tourism and sport. We arrive in the afternoon, with plenty of time to pick up my race number—just a five-minute walk from our accommodation—and collect the more than generous goodie bag. A race that truly puts the runner first, also offering half marathon and 10K distances.
Then we then have time to explore the city centre, the more touristy part, before going to rest. It’s a small, quiet town, and it ultimately hosts the only officially certified marathon in Castilla-La Mancha.
In the morning of the race, and with good weather, I make it to the start zone just in time, surrounded by many familiar faces—several of them acting as pacers, like Txema for the 4-hour group and Mario for the 4:30 group.
I set out hoping to break four hours once again. Being realistic after my disappointing result in Logroño two weeks earlier, I decide to stay close to the 4-hour pace group. It’s a group I often avoid, put off by the attitudes of certain pacers whose eagerness for the spotlight drains me. Every runner has to find their own comfort zone.
In those early kilometres, I end up alongside Carlos Barranquero, someone I’ve crossed paths with in many marathons before. Another of those runners you bump into at almost every race across the country nowadays. At a good pace, without really intending to, we gradually edge ahead of the 4-hour group. By kilometre 16, I feel with less energy than him and drop back slightly.
It is time for introspection and running solo. I still pass the halfway mark with a buffer ahead of the 4-hour group, heading into the second lap. The next few kilometres go without much incident, taking us through residential areas with few spectators. By kilometre 30, Txema’s 4-hour group catch up with me. I manage somehow to stay with them until kilometre 33, but once again I cant hold their pace. A kilometre later, I pass Carlos, who is not having his best day either.
Running at around 6 minutes per kilometre, I keep adding time into my account. Though the streets are still fairly quiet, the volunteers keep up their energy, cheering on all the participants even after hours at their posts. A truly commendable effort. At this point, all I want is to finish as close to four hours as possible—a barrier that once again proves unreachable: I end with a net time of 4:07:10, placing 147th out of 209 finishers.
A very well-organized race, with a standout goodie bag and excellent treatment of runners—including services like changing rooms, showers, and medical care—along with great work from volunteers and police to keep everything under control.
