San Silvestre Vallecana 2026: 42,000 places, prices and start times

Plan your race pace

The San Silvestre Vallecana 2026 admits up to 42,000 runners in its popular race, which celebrates its 49th edition on Thursday 31 December, and limits the international race, now in its 62nd edition, to 2,000 athletes. Both events are 10 km and start from the Concha Espina area heading towards Vallecas, but they share neither the final stretch nor the finish line. That difference matters both for participants and for anyone coming to watch them.

Entry to the popular race costs 27 euros for the first 10,000 bibs, 29 euros for bibs 10,001 to 20,000 and 31 euros for bibs 20,001 to 42,000, plus a booking fee of 0.80 euros per entry. Registration stays open until 23:00 on 23 December, unless places sell out before then.

The event has an unusual identity: a mass-participation race with a festive atmosphere followed by a high-level competition. The same setting brings together runners who want to end the year with friends and athletes looking for a demanding performance. Confusing the two races can lead to misreading the entry requirements, the assigned start time or the place where the race finishes.

The popular race is the most open and recognisable side of the celebration. Fancy dress is part of its atmosphere, although there are also runners focused on the clock. The international race, by contrast, has entry subject to qualifying times and a more selective field. It is not simply a matter of choosing a later start within the same race: they are separate competitions, with their own conditions and different endings on the way into Vallecas.

For the international race, the organisers require times under 39 minutes for men and 45 minutes for women over 10 km, achieved in valid races that they recognise. These are entry thresholds, not times that every participant has to run on 31 December, and the 2026 quota is set at 2,000 athletes.

The distinction between under and equal to matters. A time of 39:00 is not under 39 minutes; nor is 45:00 under the women’s limit mentioned. As a reference for effort, those times correspond to 3:54 and 4:30 per kilometre respectively. Converting them to pace helps gauge the level of performance required, but it does not replace the organisers’ acceptance of the time.

The same caution applies to bib collection and the T-shirt. The sources mention the presentation of the 2026 shirt, but give insufficient information on its design, sizing or how it will be handed out. Nor do dates, times and location for collection appear. They should not be inferred from the start location or from usual practice in previous years.

On the sporting side, the first practical detail is the separation of start times. The popular race starts in waves: the first groups go at 16:50 and the following ones at 17:00, 17:15, 17:35, 17:55 and 18:20, allocated according to accredited times. The international race starts at 19:55. The existence of a first start does not mean that all runners cross the line at the same time: in a race this large, each runner’s start time must match the allocation they have received.

That gap in time helps explain why companions and runners should not treat the afternoon as a single block. Someone who finishes the popular race may want to watch the international competition afterwards, but transport, access points and the chosen vantage point will determine whether that plan is workable without rushing or unnecessary journeys.

Both races start at Concha Espina, next to the Plaza de los Sagrados Corazones. From there, the certified course links the north of the city with central Madrid and continues south-east. It is not a loop that returns to the start. This point-to-point layout has an immediate consequence: the place where you leave a bag, arrange a meeting or begin the journey home is not automatically close to the finish.

In the popular race, the finish is on Calle Candilejas, close to the Estadio de Vallecas. This nuance avoids one of the most significant misunderstandings about the event: taking part in the popular race does not mean entering the stadium to cross the finish line.

The international race finishes inside the Estadio de Vallecas. Although the two races share much of the route and the distance, their final stretch cannot be treated as interchangeable.

For companions, this fork changes the afternoon. Waiting for a popular-race runner inside the stadium means choosing a finish that is not theirs. It can also be impractical to try to follow the same person at several points without considering road closures and crowd density. A meeting point away from the flow of finishers, agreed precisely, reduces uncertainty when tiredness, noise and the concentration of participants make it hard to find each other.

A favourable profile makes it easier to gain speed, but it also tempts you to start above a sustainable effort. The first kilometre can feel comfortable while the legs take on a heavier load than your breathing suggests. In a 10K, your starting pace weighs on the whole second half: chasing every gap, braking and speeding up again is usually less efficient than moving steadily, especially in a mass-participation race.

Organising by times aims to manage this mix of different paces. A runner chasing a time and another running in fancy dress can share the celebration without necessarily occupying the same space at the start. Your assigned wave is not a decorative detail: it affects how smoothly the start flows and how safely you can overtake.

To set goals without confusing them with requirements, completing 10 kilometres in 40 minutes requires an average of 4:00 per kilometre; doing it in 50 minutes corresponds to 5:00, and finishing in an hour, to 6:00. These pace equivalences serve as a mathematical guide, not a forecast. The final time depends on preparation, sustained effort and course conditions; a reputation for being fast does not grant a time in advance.

The festive character does not remove the physical demands either. Many participants run in fancy dress or with friends and family and use the race to start their New Year’s Eve celebrations, from those who want to improve their time to those happy to complete the course before the midnight chimes. Ten kilometres is still a distance that requires preparation suited to each runner’s condition. A bulky costume can restrict your stride, limit your peripheral vision or trap heat during the effort.

The timing adds another dimension. The international race is run at night and the popular race takes place on a winter afternoon that is gradually losing light. That makes it impossible to predict the temperature, wind or rain on 31 December, which are still unknown. It does make the wait before running relevant: clothing suited to standing still can be too much once you start running, and after the finish the body cools down again.

In that context, usual training kit and a dry layer for afterwards are a more sensible reference than trying out new gear because of the importance of the occasion. The same goes for food and hydration: the schedule should fit habits you already tolerate, without turning the afternoon into an experiment. A familiar routine reduces avoidable variables, although it does not replace medical attention when symptoms or problems appear that advise against taking part.

For those travelling from Valencia, Alicante, Castellón or elsewhere in Spain, the main added challenge is logistical. The start and finish are in different places, and the race coincides with a day of celebrations and crowds in Madrid. The return journey after the race should be planned in advance.

A transport booking that is too tight can turn the end into a different kind of race: leaving the finish area, retrieving belongings, changing and reaching a station takes time. The logistics between start and finish deserve the same care as your planned pace, especially if you travel alone or intend to return to the Valencian Community that same night.

The youngest runners have their own event with the San Silvestre Vallecana Mini, which is held separately on 23 December.

Recent results: Kamworor and Marta García, 2025 winners

The 2025 edition, the 61st, brought together 42,000 runners according to the organisers. In the men’s international race, Geoffrey Kamworor won in 27:40, ahead of Jesús Ramos (27:56) and Aarón Las Heras (28:00).

In the women’s category, Marta García retained her 2024 title and lowered her own time with 31:11, a new national record for the race. Diane Van Es (31:18) and Carla Gallardo (31:25) completed the podium. In the popular race, Mohamed Massat Bouzahar (29:28) and María Moreno Jorge (34:11) won.

The women’s race also retains the record set by Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei in 2018 with 29:53, according to the organisers. That same year, Jacob Kiplimo, aged 18, ran 26:39, according to the organisers.

From 57 runners in 1964 to an international fixture

The San Silvestre Vallecana was founded in 1964 by Antonio Sabugueiro with 57 participants in the first edition. The organisers state on their website that around 40,000 runners take to the streets of Madrid every 31 December. The race T-shirt bib arrived in 2002 and Nationale-Nederlanden has been the main sponsor since 2016.

In 2006, Eliud Kipchoge crossed the line in 26:54, the best world time for 10 kilometres on the road, which could not be ratified because of the difference in altitude between start and finish. In 2019, World Athletics, then the IAAF, awarded the race the Gold Race Running Label. And in 2021 Mohamed Katir won, the first Spanish winner in almost 20 years.