6th April 2025

I think it was last July when my friend invited me to sign up to the Madrid half 2025. She had booked accommodation already so I thought why not! If anything a trip to Madrid would be worth it as I had never been before. Plus I’ve never experienced a race in another country.

We arrived in Madrid on the Friday night, attended the expo on the Saturday to claim our bibs and t-shirt and sought out some race goodies. Communication from the race organisers was good and we were staying close to the start/finish so I was feeling pretty good!

There was a well organised bag drop situation and we made our way to the start. I started in the 1:30-1:40 area, although in retrospect did not fully compensate for the hilly streets of Madrid. My training recently has been ok, however it had been hampered by a painful calf so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The weather started well, cloudy and cool. But the sun soon showed itself and by mile 4 it was heating up! The race was well supported, with bands and music playing at different spots, plenty of water stations and the overall vibes were great! The route took in the sights of Madrid and that certainly passed the time.

I finished in 1:42:15 official time, although due to the size of the course it did measure a little over. It was a huge race, just under 21,000 participants and I came 3725th! All in all a hot and hilly race but well organised and the post race beers were spot on.

Race winners were Levy Kibet Chematot in 1:00:45 and Emmy Jepkemoi Mutai in 1:09:09

Strider result