10 Things I Think About Running

10 Things I Think About The Marathon Del Pavo Espera 2023

1. Kings Day

I think that the Spanish do Christmas properly. It goes right up to the sixth of January. The night before they have a big parade where all the roads are closed and the streets are covered in sweets. Then on the sixth they have a race called the Marathon Del Pavo in Espera an hour from Seville.

2. Espera

I think that Espera would be a good place to retire to when you become a grumpy old man. You could buy a nice white walled house, look at the sun, eat oranges and wander from bar to bar drinking the tiny little pints all day long. It is a very nice beautiful peaceful place up on the top of a hill.

3. Ballycotton

I think that if you miss the way road races used to be in Ireland in about 2008 you should go and do races in Andalusia. This race was like a Ballycotton 5 mile race, in the middle of nowhere in a beautiful town which could only be accessed via character building roads. The entry was €7 with a local Spanish John Walshe running around organizing everything perfectly.

4. Foreign Invaders

I think that it is always a little daunting going to races in places in rural Spain. You’d always be a little worried that they might not like Irish people and run you from the village. I was more worried than normal about this race because there was €400 for first. Fortunately Andalusia is a very friendly place and no one seemed to mind that we had turned up. We parked outside a bar, ordered some pre race coffee in order to use the facilities and jogged up the hill to the town and retrieved the dorsals which was all very efficient.

5. Onomatopoeia

I think that every race in the world would be improved by hiring Pepe Yepes. I have never seen a guy with the mic who has so much energy. He was completely mad but wonderful. He never stopped, from the start to the finish hopping up and down with excellent music blaring, wonderful wonderful stuff.

6. All Over Espera

I think that the meeting where they decided the route for this race would have been interesting. The race started out up a hill, after that I don’t know where we went, left, right, uphill, downhill, it was like the route you’d take if you were trying to run away from someone who was chasing you. As per usual in a race in Spain the race went off at a ludicrous pace, I held back in about 6th thinking there is no way they can maintain this, I was very wrong, the four in front were gone never to be seen again, €400 obviously brings out a few of the local Ryan Creechs.

7. The Red Road

I think that my favourite part of this race was the 4km section of the race on the red dirt road outside the town. By the time we hit the red dirt road I was in 5th miles behind fourth and just ahead of 6th. The weather was incredible, like the nicest summer day in Cork, nearly 20 degrees. I didn’t take the water on the way out to the amazement of the locals. “Murte” the guy shouted at me. I took it on the way back just in case he had some local knowledge about the course that I didn’t know.

8. Venga Venga

I think that it is great the way that the locals come out to support road races in these small Spanish towns. The last mile of the race ran back up through the village which was lined on either side by crowds of cheering locals, venga venga, vamos. I had no one to chase and no one behind so I could just enjoy it as it wasn’t really a course where time was something people worried about.

9. Caliente / Calor

I think that I will have to learn Spanish. I am a disgrace, I have nothing, a few words, a few of them French. When I reached the finish line back where the race started Pepe Yepes was there hopping about doling out high fives. He was delighted to see an Irishman in fifth so he interviewed me. I tried to say that it was very hot, “muy caliente” I thought having successfully ordered hot water for a cup of Barry’s tea the day before using the same word, “calor” he corrected me before returning to hopping and jumping about the 6th and 7th place finishers.

10. Two Podiums

I think that it is a better idea to do a race on a day when you don’t have to make a flight in the evening. I would have loved to have stayed around for the full podium experience, the locals were very, very friendly offering us food and places to shower but we had a flight to catch so we went back to the bar near the car for coffee before leaving. Before we left I said I’d run back up to get a photo of the results. When I got there they had just started the podium. Pepe Yepes was somehow still in full flow. He shouted out my name as winner of the Senior B category so up I hopped on the podium for my trophy, followed immediately by my first time on a women’s podium for Rhona’s trophy.