Last year InvestBA wrote that BA had become A Runner’s Paradise. This year the sport has exploded with bigger races, better courses, more sponsors and, most importantly, runners. A lot more. Clarin says the “Boom de Carreras” is drawing 20% more participants than last year while female participation has grown 50% over the past decade. The sport’s beauty is its simplicity.
“You don’t need fancy gear or expertise or money,” writes Clarin’s Jimena Olazar, “so there are no excuses for not joining this new phenomenon.” Seasoned runners and would-be corredores in Buenos Aires also have a great support network from the local Club de Corredores to Runnin’ Magazine with 5,000 Facebook friends to the City of Buenos Aires herself which offers Buenos Aires Corre, free running education and training in five locations throughout Capital Federal.
Running teams, both informal and corporate-sponsored, are also growing at a phenomenal rate: 600% since 2001. And the payoff for all that training? Huge weekend races that feel more like a fiesta than a carrera. Part road race, part rock concert, part love parade with thousands donning the requisite race shirt, Buenos Aires road races are spectacular.
Nike’s annual 10K is probably the best example, and this year’s We Run Buenos Aires did not disappoint. Following a panoramic packet pick-up on the 20th floor of Madero Harbour last Friday, the streets were bathed in a sea of swooshes on Saturday, and Nike further solidified its reputation as the brand most synonymous with running in Argentina. With Nike Running Teams now stretching from Buenos Aires to Rosario to Cordoba to Mendoza, Argentina’s passion for running knows no bounds. Hence the tagline, Corre Sin Limites.
For more information about Buenos Aires events, download the latest issue of InvestBA Privada.
