Antonio Sabugueiro, who founded the San Silvestre Vallecana and shaped it into one of Spain’s most iconic New Year’s Eve running traditions, has died at the age of 94, El Correo reported.
His death closes a chapter on a grassroots sporting initiative that began among friends in a Madrid café and grew into an international fixture drawing more than 40,000 participants. El Correo reported that the Ourense-born organizer passed away on Sunday, leaving behind a legacy recognized across the Spanish athletic community.
Sabugueiro maintained close ties to the capital’s Vallecas neighborhood after moving from Ourense, where he was born on June 26, 1932. During the 1960s, he served as a board member for Rayo Vallecano.
Café Meetings and First Races
The idea for a unique race distinct from traditional cross-country events took shape in 1964. Sabugueiro developed the project alongside friends Carlos Roa and Manolo Fernández inside the Bella Luz cafeteria, located at number 6 Monte Igueldo Street, El Correo reported.
That initial concept materialized on December 27 of that year under the banner of the Gran Premio de Vallecas. The inaugural competition covered a 2.7-kilometer course with 57 runners participating.
By the following year, the event shifted its date to December 31 to coincide with the feast of San Silvestre, adopting the name that would endure for decades.
The Race Expanded to Amateur Runners and Women
The event expanded significantly in subsequent decades. On the initiative of journalist and broadcaster Pepe Domingo Castaño, the race opened its doors to amateur runners in 1977.
Four years later, in 1981, the competition added a women’s category for the first time. What started as a modest neighborhood contest evolved into a massive international gathering featuring elite world-class athletes alongside tens of thousands of recreational runners.
Institutional honors followed the race’s growth. In 2023, Sabugueiro received the Copa Stadium as part of the National Sports Awards in recognition of his career and contribution to athletics.
Tradition Ahead of December
Sabugueiro’s passing leaves the event without its primary architect, but the tradition he built in Vallecas continues on schedule. The race is set to return on December 31, bringing thousands of runners through the streets of Madrid to close out the year under the same spirit established in 1964.
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