Couldn’t believe it was 34°F when John left for the start of the marathon. Burrr…
JP getting ready to head out for the Madrid Marathon
We next saw John at Plaza del Sol which was the 18km mark and where a great Rock and Roll band was playing:
JP found us!
Logan and I attempted to catch John again at the finish line but he ran too fast and we miscalculated. He ended up finishing the marathon with a 4:05:05. Yeah to John!
John’s observations of the Madrid Marathon are:
- Mostly the runners are from Spain with not a lot of foreign runners. More of a local marathon than a destination marathon
- Fewer women than other marathons he’s run
- Not as many people were “dressed up” ~ although we did see Nacho Libre and Minnie Mouse outfits
- They had in-line medical volunteers amongst the runners spraying “icy hot” on runner’s joints and vaseline for chafing. John only saw one “wipe-out”
- All runners including marathon (elite as well), 1/2 marathon and 10k started in the same corrals at the same time then diverted at different stages of the race. Usually runners start at different times.
- Course was a bit hilly
- Only food handed out along the course was power gel at one station
- Bottles of water and electrolytes were handed out but the large bottles were more than he needed at one stop. He prefers the smaller cups
- Lots of Porta Potties
- Lots of wonderful bands (after all it was a Rock and Roll Marathon)
- Overall, he loved the marathon and would like to run it again!
Here’s a bit of what I saw while cheering the runners:
Elite Men, Madrid Marathon
One of the Elite men, Madrid Marathon
Elite Runner, Madrid Marathon
Fun Band at the 18km, Madrid Marathon
Madrid Marathon at the 18km
Back of Two Minnies and a Mickey, Madrid Marathon 2013
Nacho Libre (?) at the end of the Madrid Marathon
Helping Mom and Dad to the Finish Line
End of the Marathon Band
John’s marathon shirt was too small for him, so lucky me, I have a new shirt to wear to my next tennis match.
Displaced Beachbums 
Hi! I’m the guy on the left, dressed up as Minnie (on the Mickey and Minnie’s photo)!
Running with a Minnie costume is really funny! We’re 5 Minnies and 2 Mickeys!
It was my 20th marathon and I can assure you that it is not as dificult as it seems. It’s all in your brain!
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Twenty marathons ~ I’m impressed! The Minnie/Mickey costumes were definitely eye-catching. One question though ~ how do you drink anything with those hands 😉
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I can’t even imagine running a marathon, let alone dress up as Minnie!!
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I agree but think Minnie would be easier than the Nacho Libre mask. That’s got to be seriously uncomfortable.
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I have nominated you for the Liebster Blog Award 🙂 http://khmazzola124.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/the-liebster-blog-award/
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Nice shots – love those Minnie runners.
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Thanks ~ Minnie was a popular costume for the race. Saw more than a few of them…
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OK, that is another way to see Madrid, I hope you had a good time! My form of pain is the Argus Cycle Tour in Cape Town every March, 110 km around Table Mountain with 35999 other mad cyclists…
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119km on a bike with 35,999 other cylists does sound like a lot of pain ~ but rewarding I’m sure. We had a great time in Madrid. Would like to go back when it’s warmer. Wanted to sit out at one of the plazas
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