Races and stuff.

[Bierzo Baggie]

There are rumours of a 10k for this Friday. I saw it mentioned ever so briefly in a local newspaper.
“10k for runners and walkers. Friday 20th July. La Placa.

The report goes on to explain how the event is part of a campaign by the Ponferrada Town Hall to encourage healthy sporting habits in peripheral neighbourhoods (“barrios”). La Placa is one such barrio and it’s just up the road from where I live. In fact I run through La Placa a couple of times a week. I think of it as “the lost city”. There’s one road in and one road out. It feels a bit like a ghost town and is connected to Ponferrada via “the gypsy way” or “the donkey way” depending on which weather-beaten old-timer you’re talking to at the time. I prefer to call it the gypsy way because I see infinitely more gypos than burros. Anyway, after a five minute stroll up the gypsy road you’ll eventually come to the central plaza of the lost city, the peripheral barrio of Ponferrada where Friday’s 10k will be staged.

Seem to remember that they tried the 10k thing about this time last year. We stumbled across it by accident whilst out for an early afternoon stroll. Some bright spark had decided that at 5 o’clock on a July afternoon, with the temperatures inevitably in the high 30s, it was a good time to start a 10k. The result was a mere 5 or 6 participants, hardcore heat-seeking athletes, trotting around the plaza watched by a handful of bewildered locals from the terrace of a bar.
“What’s going on?” asked a neighbour.
“Some sort of race… I think,” somebody replied.

So much for “sport for all” then. Now I don’t want to sound overly negative but the road to La Placa is paved with good intentions. For one delirious moment it had even crossed my mind that I could push Lara around the course in her buggy. I even asked at the finishing line if there was much shade en route. At this point the Minister of Sport and full time bright spark, Mr Villanueva, suddenly came over all enthusiastic and gave me a pen and 2 caps. Mrs BB however, refused permission to expose our baby to an early dose of heatstroke and Mr Villanueva promptly snatched the caps back. I’ve still got the pen… ha ha.

They obviously learnt from last year’s experience as this year there’s a 9:30pm start. It’s also billed as “non-competitive,” whatever that means…
I’ll find out on Friday.