The atmosphere is festive. On one side, Spider-Man adjusts his bib number. On the other, a person dressed as a priest is preparing to run 15 kilometers holding a mini-barbecue. The São Silvestre International Race is a celebration of sport, including amateur, and of the city of São Paulo itself. But it has become increasingly difficult to actually race in the event.
In its 99th edition, this Tuesday (31), the race had 37.5 thousand participants, a record. To cope with such a large flow, the new organizer promised a start in waves, spaced according to the speed planned by the participant. But, compared to last year, it was difficult to notice the difference.
In the athlete’s guide, the starting time for the entire general squad was the same, at 8:05 am, with the information that there could be a variation of ten minutes more or less. In this year’s Rio Marathon, a race with less than 10,000 finishers, the general peloton started with a difference of around half an hour.
At the exit, after the euphoria of the start, those who were in the green squad (expected to finish the race between 75 and 90 minutes) came face to face with a wall of people in the region where the stage for the Paulista New Year’s Eve party is located, before the tunnel that connects the avenue to Doutor Arnaldo. The solution was to walk and wait or take a selfie.
The feeling of pushing and shoving, with occasional stepping on the heels of those in front, continued until about halfway through the race, in the center of São Paulo. In my case, the moment of greatest freedom of movement was in Praça da República. A relief.
For the amateur runner, São Silvestre is not exactly a race of speed, of seeking to break records. It’s a party, with people dressed up, friends gathered together: a community end-of-year get-together in which one of the main attractions is the city itself and the population.
Unlike most of the races in the capital of São Paulo, in which participants are taken on long journeys through the inhospitable and empty 23 de Maio (where you can actually run), the race designed by journalist Cásper Líbero has people cheering for almost all the time.
On the always challenging climb up Avenida Brigadeiro Luís Antônio, each cry of support from complete strangers is a help that is difficult to measure. But even there, on the slope, you had to be careful with elbows before moving forward. Towards the historic 100th edition, São Silvestre could look for ways to free up traffic.
