CAMILO SANTIAGO, From amateur footballer to professional athlete

The case of Camilo Santiago is one of the most extraordinary events in Spanish sport. He was an amateur football player and he became a professional athlete really quickly.
Camilo was born on December 22, 1982 in Murcia, but when he was almost 9 years old, his family moved to La Rioja. From a young age, his passion had been football. Thanks to his competitive spirit and outstanding quality, he managed to play in the Third Division. In fact, he got several offers to play in higher categories. However, he felt very comfortable playing in his local club and turned them down.

Camilo Santiago playing football 

His first experience with running was in 2011, when a friend gave him the opportunity to run the Behobia - San Sebastián race. Finishing that race gave him such an amazing feeling happiness, that he decided to give running a try. Some time later, he decided to give up football and take up running. He started to compete in popular races and every time he did, he beat his personal best.

Camilo in his first race ever (left) and with the national team (right)

He very quickly managed to achieve such a high level that he was able to run at a professional level, although that decision meant leaving his job. However, all this could not have happened had it not been for his wife´s help, who managed to provide economic support. Therefore, his dream came true.

His improvement was great and since that day, he has managed to compete against the best national athletes, such as Javi Guerra or Jesus España.

Camilo with the national team

These are some of his achievements:

• 7th in the Spanish Marathon Championship

• 2nd in the Spanish Half Marathon Championship.

• 3rd in the 10k Spanish Championship.

• 5,000m -> 14:08

• 10k -> 29:07

• HM -> 1:02:40

• Marathon -> 2:13:55

I guess you will be surprised by Camilo's achievement, I am at least!

See you soon! ;)

SAN SILVESTRE VALLECANA

Welcome back, guys!

Today, I´m going to write about the greatest running event in Spain. It is called "San Silvestre Vallecana" and it takes place in Madrid, on 31st of December. This event consists of two races, which you can choose according to your category. Both of them are 10km long. First, there is the popular race, which anyone can join without restrictions. Most people tend to join it just for fun instead of competing. In addition, most of them wear a disguise, so enjoyment is guaranteed!!

On the other hand, you can decide to join the second race, where the level is much higher. It is called "San Silvestre Vallecana Internacional" and professional athletes, among experienced ones can take part. However, there are some restrictions, which puts many people off participating. Men must ensure that they can run 10km in less than 39 minutes. While for women the time is 45 minutes.

One of the most interesting aspects of the international race is that professional athletes from very different disciplines meet in one particular race. For example, you can see Fernando Carro, who is the European champion in 3000 metres hurdles, and Camilo Raul Santiago, who is an athlete specialized in mid-long distances, competing in the same race. You can even race with them, so it is amazing!

In my personal case, I have decided to take part in the international one, as I ran in less than 38 minutes in the Gret Scottish Run. The plan is go to Madrid a couple of days before the race and train on the real course.

If you are willing to join, hurry up because there is a limit of runners!
Hope to see you there ;)

CROSS INTERNACIONAL JUAN MUGUERZA

Hi guys!

Juan Muguerza

In this post, I will write about one of the most important cross races all over the world. The "Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza" is an annual cross country running competition which takes place each January in Elgoibar, Basque Country, Spain. It is named after the local runner Juan Muguerza, who won multiple national championships in distances like 1,500 and 5,000 metres during 1920´s. However, his rising career ended soon as he was killed in 1937 at the age of 37 in the Spanish Civil War during the bombing of Mungia.

Regarding the competition, it was first held in 1943. Only national male runners took part. Nevertheless, this was changed on the 20th anniversary of the race in 1963, when the race became international. So, in this international era, people from other countries came to Elgoibar and mainly British showed their power. For instance, the scottish Lachlan Stewart and the english Roy Fowler were some of the few athletes that could win this race multiple times, which was a real challenge. Anyway, the Ethiopian runner Mamo Wolde was an outstanding runner, who won several races those years, becoming one of the best cross country runners ever. He became so popular that a monument in his memorial was built near the course.

Mamo Wolde during the race in Elgoibar

It wasn´t until 1971 that the Spanish runners won again. This victory was held by Mariano Haro, who was an extraordinary athlete able to run at the same level as those elite runners. During 1970´s and 1980´s all winners were Europeans (mainly British and Spanish), but all this changed when Africans started to participate again in 1987. Therefore, the level of the race increased significantly and winning became much more difficult.

Typically, the men´s race has been contested over distances varying from 9km to 11km. However, the current race is 10.8km long. In the women´s case, it wasn´t really fixed until 1972, when it was a 2km course. This distance gradually increased to the current distance of 6.6km.

Race route

Nowadays, the race is part of IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) races and so, its reputation has grown and it´s well-known worldwide. That´s why, runners the world over are willing to come to Elgoibar.

For any further information, here is the official webpage and I also add a map to let you know where the race takes place.

I really encourage you to come and enjoy watching the best athletes in the flesh.

Hope to see you there ;) 

GREAT SCOTTISH RUN 2018 10Km

Hello everyone!

Have you ever heard of the Great Scottish Run before? If not, you should... Anyway, it is one of the most popular races in Scotland, which takes place in Glasgow in September. If you want to join, you can choose between two distance races. For those willing to run a shorter race, 10km would be the an appropriate choice. If you think that that distance is not long enough, you can opt for the Half Marathon. Personally speaking, I chose the former.

Regarding this year´s race, 30,000 people took part. Due to that fact, the main roads were closed in the city centre.

But, how could the organisation cope with such a huge number of people? Well, runners were divided into different groups according to their level. These groups were called "waves" and they distinguished three types. The fastest runners started the race first. Ten minutes later, the second wave took off (I was part of this group), and to finish with, the rest of the runners.

The day of the race arrived and I was thrilled. The weather was just about perfect. Rainy, but not windy, which is the best condition for running (in my opinion). So, after having breakfast, I went to the city centre. I got my number and warmed up. Nothing could go wrong. My goal was to finish in less than 40 minutes, so I had to run quite fast.

I must say that the race was incredible. There were lots of people cheering you up throughout the way and this gave us strength. That´s why, my goal was achieved. I could run the 10km in 37:24 minutes, so I was very satisfied with the result.

Once I arrived home, I made myself a delicious hot coffee and had a rest. Trust me, I needed it. xD

For those who want further information about the race or about the pace, I just include it below.

Feel free to make any comments! ;)

Brief introduction

Welcome to all those people who, for one reason or another, are reading this blog. Let me introduce myself. My name is Mikel and I am a business student. Currently, I am studying at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow as an exchange student.

And you may be wondering why I am writing this blog. Well, on the one hand, it is a task entrusted to us at university (yes, very original...). And the other hand, I wanted to write something about running.

Why running? It's a good question. In my case, I've always loved running. My uncle Iñigo and my cousin Alberto are athletes who have been training and competing for a while (they are not professionals, but yet, they have a very good level). In addition, my father used to participate in popular races when he was younger. 

Till recently, I used to be a footballer in the local team (C.D Elgoibar). Why did I give it up it? Well, I have not really given it up completely, but temporarily (at least in theory). Basically, I have done it due to the international program, which would mean returning to the playgrounds in January. Therefore, taking advantage of the free time without football trainings, I have decided to give athletics a try.

Having said so, I would like to end up saying that, what you will find in this blog are reflections on the popular races that I have taken part in and also other tips on athletes or important news that I find interesting. I hope you will enjoy reading it!

Thanks in advance. ;)