Three sporting challenges and a challenge that goes beyond sport will mark the celebration of the 2021 San Silvestre in Asturias. The challenge, after last year’s break, will be faced by the race organizers who, despite the worsening of the covid-19 pandemic, are continuing so that Asturians can again say goodbye to the year running. But it will not be the same as in 2019, since of the almost forty tests then we will go to less than twenty. And, in any case, the participants will have to comply with a series of protocols and security measures.
Strictly sports, the first challenge will be the same as Moha Bakkali posed in 2018 and did not reach: to achieve victory in Gijón (17 hours) and Oviedo (18:30) in the hour and a half interval between the starts. of the San Silvestre with more participation. The second challenge will be marked by the surname Alfonso, since David Alfonso will seek to emulate his sister Irene with his victory in the Avilés race, as he did a couple of weeks ago at the Christmas Cross, in which the little one followed the steps of the athlete already retired from the competition, who will take the start as one more popular.
The third, the most interesting due to the level of the candidates, will have Gijón internationals Beatriz Álvarez and Isabel Barreiro as duelists, in the Gijón race, which both have a special fondness for and in which they have achieved triumph in previous editions .
The most difficult challenge will be the anonymous participants, who are the essence of the test, and the various organizations, linked to city councils throughout the region. They will have to follow a series of strict protocols to prevent their celebration from triggering the number of infections among participants and spectators. And all this while keeping the security measures, both at the start and at the finish line, which will be the hottest points of the race. The mask will be nothing short of essential. And the most conflictive exits will be carried out in batches to avoid crowds.
Along with the big three, a series of tests will be held at all points in the region. There will be races, among others, in Langreo, San Martín, Pola de Laviana, Mieres, Nembra, Las Regueras, Llanera, Salas, Tineo, Luarca, Castropol, Ribadesella and Llanes. The San Silvestre Moscona also runs three times ahead: race on foot, by bicycle and by canoe.
The dripping of suspensions has been constant for the last few days. It has affected classics such as Nava and Candás, with its cycling version, and some as important as Cangas del Narcea. It has also frustrated the birth of some, such as Proaza. And yesterday, when the Principality’s Emergency Plan was activated, Navia Civil Protection ruled out the celebration of the test, despite the efforts of the Club Atletismo Occidente Navia, which expected about 400 participants after the previous resignation of nearby towns, such as Tapia, Salave , Vegadeo or La Caridad.
And if thousands of Asturians will bid farewell to 2021 running, mountain racing fans will have the possibility of receiving 2022 in the same way, since Sotrondio will host the Xon Trail on Sunday 2, with two distances: 23 kilometers, 1,100 meters of unevenness, and 10 kilometers, with 500. The organization, Asturias Sport & Nature, has registrations open until today, Friday, sent an email to [email protected], indicating name and surname, ID, date of birth, size for the shirt and telephone mobile. The price for the long race is 20 euros and 10 for the short one.
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