Chronicle of a Countdown Warm-Up: Fiestas Mayas (CABA)

 
•    Date: May 25, 2026
•    Course: Belgrano - Palermo
Just 15 minutes before the starting gun, the priority was to wake up the body. I did an express 12-minute warm-up on Figueroa Alcorta Avenue (between Basavilbaso and Sáenz Valiente, where very few people were left at that moment, as the vast majority had already headed to the starting corrals), covering a total of 1.5 km. Combined with the 700-meter walk to get there, the pre-race stimulus was enough.
Before entering the starting area, I took off my thermal shirt and prepped my gear. I ran with my hydration vest, an item I repurpose as a portable "wardrobe." Far from being a nuisance, I view it through the concept of hormesis: a positive stressor, a self-managed physical overload that adds an extra layer of difficulty to the challenge.
My personal best for this 10k race was 59 minutes (2025 edition). This year, the organizers implemented time-based starting corrals, a substantial improvement for the flow of runners. I placed myself in Corral E (for times over 55 minutes). The density of runners was such that, even within the same corral, the time gap between the front and the back was a full minute. I decided to start from the very back line.
The final minutes before crossing the starting arch had that usual mystique: the verses of the National Anthem, the giant flag unfolding over the crowd, and the official start of the race. For those at the rear, the beginning is slow, at a walking pace. As we moved forward, seeing the medals ready and listening to the Argentine Navy Band soundtracking the wait definitely raised the heart rate.
Just a few meters away from the starting arch, the real stopwatch was about to begin.

•    Wikiloc link: https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-carrera/warm-up-for-the-fiestas-mayas-race-belgrano-palermo-caba-05-25-2026-268804096