Have you ever raced a Spaniard?

[Damien Reynolds]

Ok, I realize, in advance, that this thread is certainly not in the veign of the "spirit of the camino". But it happens.

As some of you know, I walk long days. In order to walk long days, I tend to walk fast. Now, this is not a crazy fast walking speed, but probably 10-15% faster than your average Joe.

However, twice now, due to mutual competitive juices flowing, pride in preparedness, love of country, happenstance, or whatever, I have found myself in active races. Neither have been mutually verbally agreed too, but actions certainly confirmed.

The first was with a man outside Samos. It was 2012 I guess. I was walking along, minding my own business, at my usual pace, when a heavy breathing individual actually passed me! Now, I have been passed before, and realize that there is always someone who walks farther, always someone faster, on every trip, but this guy had... a "bolsa chica".

Heck no, I am not going to let some daypack wearing native set his sights on me and pass me to prove his masculinity... So I stalked him... I walked with my poles click clicking and full pack, admittedly hurried. I made noise behind him, but never let him hear me breathe. I let him know I was just a nick behind, he turned on occasion and kept pacing forward. We were obviously both racing. At some point, I think out of convenience, he had to adjust his shoes or something, and I just went by silently. Believe me, it was a mutual race... one I would not have been interested had he not been wearing that silly pack (obviously either this was a day trip or someone else was carrying his things.)

Now, the second occasion was different. I was walking with a friend, just this last year. My iphone, using the map my run app, regularly recites my pace. My friend and I, a French woman, had grown accustomed to our walking schedule, and obviously both took pride in our conditioning. Well, outside Logrono, there is this park. It is the perfect park for the Spaniards who live there to walk and run and exercise everyday. There are lakes, and geese, and paths a plenty.

Well, just outside the city walking into the park, we were passed by a woman obviously doing her daily workout. My walking partner and I looked at one another, and both knew what had to be done. So we picked up the pace, quit the chatter, and it became a race. It was easy at first to pass her, she obviously wasn't expecting full pack wearing perigrinos to keep up with her... but then she put it in high gear.

This woman could walk.

She passed us both, without a word. And pounded ahead. We could keep up, always keeping her in sight, but keeping pace my phone was announcing 8 and 1/2 minute kms. We were flying, and she kept flying in front of us. At some point her trail turned into a loop and ours continued forward. I wondered if she raced peregrinos daily.

I realize this isn't your typical camino experience. Though, I am sure some of you will relate. Both were harmless experiences, but both are camino memories.

This is a picture of the woman who kicked our ass outside of Logrono.

 

[Dutch]

Hahahha, I can so relate and yet I can't relate at all I walk a pretty fast pace also, but have not yet been overtaken although one time an elderly (but very fit) women stayed very close to me for several hours. I'm talking light-years of age difference. I was impressed and a little annoyed at the same time.

Nothing Camino about it, but sort of fun though.

Good story Damien! That could have easily been me and i am not a competitive person at all haha
So glad I'm not the only fast walker. I get so much comments about my speed. Positive, but also a lot of negative ones.

 

[Al the optimist]

Oh that park! It goes on forever and all those people running and speed walking! Lovely bar by the lake near the end though. Just after that becomes more normal Camino including the guy giving sellos from his little arbor (can't remember his name).

 

[Devon Mike]

Oh that park! It goes on forever and all those people running and speed walking! Lovely bar by the lake near the end though. Just after that becomes more normal Camino including the guy giving sellos from his little arbor (can't remember his name).

Marcelino, one of Spain's famous peregrinos....

 

[Al the optimist]

Thanks Mike. A touch of brain freeze going on there I think. Seeing your pic reminds me of how much it changed in the last couple of years.

 

[Devon Mike]

Thanks Mike. A touch of brain freeze going on there I think. Seeing your pic reminds me of how much it changed in the last couple of years.

I took this photo in June 2014.

Several times in cafes along the Camino, I also saw press cuttings and photos of Marcelino when he walked the Camino Frances dressed as a medieval pilgrim with a donkey to carry his gear.

 

[Magwood]

I experienced this last year on the Sanabres section of the Camino Mozarabe. I also walk fairly fast, particularly on this very cold and windy day walking along a road surrounded by stunning scenery. I came up behind a guy who was walking at a similar pace, or certainly was once he realised I was in his vicinity. He must have been walking more slowly before I arrived or I wouldn't have caught up with him.

I hate walking in very close proximity to someone I don't have a connection with and it must have been equally annoying for him, but every time I sped up to pass, so too would he. It was too cold for me to want to slow down, so I put my head down and put all my effort into passing him, and although he tried hard to keep me behind, my longer legs prevailed and I strode ahead.

I guess his macho side was most put out by this and I could feel him at my heels for many kms. I have to admit, it did become a race and I was determined to stay ahead - until I came to a very steep and rough decline and I was certainly not planning to take any risks for such a silly game. He flew past me, almost running down the slope. We did manage a few words though - he was from Santiago de Compostela.

Strange behaviour for me - I am normally totally non competitive - I guess I just wasn't in the mood to be trifled with.

 

[Christian Hiriart]

Funny story Damien. Nothing wrong with a little competitiveness, keep us motivated. I have to admit that I have similar experiences in the local trail. Passing a younger guy on the trail and I can actually hear his thoughts "Did that old man just passed me? Oh well, I must step up my pace. Before you know he is passing me. I get a kick out of that. I think this is a guy thing, girls don't seem to care about that. Thanks for sharing.

 

[newfydog]

We had an unplanned race with a young Brazilian cyclist. He had a huge load of gear, and tough as he was, my 60+ year old wife passed him on a long climb. He right away sprinted passed her, then croaked. He passed again on the next descent, and we hoped he was gone, but another climb came along and our regular pace with light gear was just quicker so we went by again, trying to be nice and commenting on his load. He blew by on the next downhill even though there was not room to pass safely.

A third climb came along and he was nowhere to be seen. I spotted him, hiding in the woods, letting us get ahead rather than be passed one more time by an old lady. We saw him crawl by later while we were having a beer at a café and toasted to him.

 

[spursfan]

I had an informal race with two other pilgrims that had started with me at SJPP
The race started at Hospital de Orbigo - I got to Santiagio de Compostella one day earlier

Also I stayed at the same three albergues as a couple of cyclists (Belorado, Burgos and Castrojerez) but that was coincidental

 

[Isca-camigo]

I have done it in the early days, it was a subconscious type thing happening. Now I try my very best to let them disappear into the horizon.

 

[t2andreo]

Thank you all, fast walkers, for the generous cooling breezes as you blow past me. I am busy enjoying the scenery, and trying, with each step, to avoid injury. Santiago will be there when I arrive.

Please know that I, and legions of other sauntering pilgrims, seriously enjoy the brief but cooling breezes.

Thank you again...

 

[William Marques]

You will be thanking us cyclists next!

 

[Al the optimist]

Should you have a bell if you exceed 6kph?

 

[t2andreo]

You will be thanking us cyclists next!

Thank a cyclist, NEVER! Jamais! Nunca!

Besides, I have yet to see a cyclist moving fast enough to create a breeze. Whenever I encounter them, they are invariably walking their bicycles. I mean...what IS the point? Besides, that spandex looks SO uncomfortable...and the helmets...

I am tempted to cary a stash of bells and give them out. But I fear they will be thrown away. That is why I favor giving bells to all newly registering cyclists at the traditional staring point, like the Pilgrim Office in Saint Jean Pied de Port...

Oh well...I still appreciate the breezes, however created...

 

[Kurt5280]

Three times...first time a young Spanish woman biker that keep passing me on the uphills but did not have the weight to stay ahead of me on the downhills...but she was very competitive and on the level hiking trails she would push hard to get ahead of me and then cut right in front of me like she was racing in the Tour de France...so I would stay right behind her and just constantly keep increasing speed until she was breathing hard and pouring sweat because she was never going to let me pass her...besides it was like watching a good twerking dance from behind...second time a 70+ grandmother passed me biking on a major downhill yelling "Muy Buen Camino!"...and I am not that competitive and was passed by over 250+ Spanish and Italian bikers but everyone has their limit so I blew it out and passed her never to be seen again...third time a young Spanish woman biker broke off from her biking group to ride with me because she wanted to speak English to an American...the funny part is that her father told her in Spanish, "If you speak English to him he might take you to America." which I guess was his version of the Camino Dating Game for his daughter but she was also very competitive and always stayed just a little bit ahead of me to let me know she was a better biker.

In response to the above I live in Colorado and I hike up mountains and I bike everything else...if you are unsupported and have a 100+ pound mountain bike you will have to push your bike uphill...but passing all the hikers on the downhill made my day...and I never wore a helmet in a 1,000+ km Camino because it is only an issue if you are biking on the road...also I agree that spandex looks a lot better on the European women hiking and biking the Camino...and real offroad bikers have bear bells attached to their mountain bikes!!!

 

[Introibo]

We raced people on a couple of occasions. We'd "lift poles" so that we could sneak up on them.
Maybe about 50 yds out we'd employ the poles for that extra little kick of speed and past we went.
All fairly pointless as we'd usually end up having a coffee with them a couple of miles down the road.

On a positive note I used a couple of pilgrims who were faster than me to motivate me through some
difficult sections. In particular the dreary slog from Molinaseca to Ponferrada was achieved by keeping
two Spanish sisters in sight.

 

[Pelegrin]

In my SJPP-Roncesvalles I had two long races. One of them was with a young Spanish pilgrim from Seville and the other one with a French of my age (60) in this case the Spaniard was I The result was that the total time of the stage was 6 hours!. The following days when I saw them I talked to them but fortunately we had no competition any more.

 

[Albertagirl]

As a non-athletic woman in my mid sixties, trying to race would be rather pointless, but I did make a concerted effort to get ahead of other pilgrims a number of times when on camino. In every case, the situation was: I am walking along at a moderate (fairly slow) pace when one or more pilgrims pass me and immediately slow down close in front of me, so that I cannot keep my pace. I speed up and fast walk until I am a good distance in front of them and then adjust to a swift pace which I can keep up comfortably. Fortunately, no one has tried to race me after I have passed them. I suppose if they had they would probably try to stay a bit ahead, and that would be fine. I just cannot walk my own pace with someone close in front.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

There was one afternoon when I decided to race everybody. Peg and I had had some problems for awhile getting space in albergues ("Sorry, only one bed left") and we had to go from one to another. Well, we were going from Castrojeriz to Boadilla and stopped for lunch halfway at Itero de la Vega and got worried about the number of pilgrims walking by. I suggested to Peg that I go ahead to get us a place and she agreed. I was free! I was getting tired of being passed by everybody and now I could go at my pace. Actually I went at way past by normal pace. I kept my eyes on whoever was ahead of me and set out to let them get a chance to admire my pack. Man, that hill was tough. I kept count of pilgrims passed and reached 20. I snuck up on them as I didn't have a walking stick. There was plenty of space at the inn. I signed in, gulped 2 cokes and headed back to take Peg's pack. For the rest of the trek back to the albergue I was happy to keep her pace. And I didn't do it again.

 

[joeboybollo]

Well, I haven't laughed so much for ages.The thought of all you folks doing your little races had me in stitches,but I really get it. Sometimes you just cannot help yourself,you just have to be a winner,in the nicest kind of way,obviously. Someone comes clattering past and you think,right mate here I come!!

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Wow. I had no clue so many others have raced on occasion! I feel better now about the whole thing... I think one thing that stands out from the posts above, is the mutual understanding a race is fun and occasionally practical. Not something to be feared, but rather, an excuse to exercise our own innate human condition, and sometimes it may even result in cafe con leches afterwards! That is kind of the camino spirit.

 

[Kanga]

Very funny Damien - I can enjoy your stories as a spectator only. La Vuelta de España. Australians seem to get beaten all the time by Spaniards - even the world champion motorbike rider Casey Stoney (on poll position) got trounced by Spaniards in the one race my husband got to see in Barcelona.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Australians seem to get beaten all the time by Spaniards

Well, I think I've said it before, but Australians are always very near the top on my list for Camino compatriots! They are right alongside... the kiwis, the Dutch, the Germans, the Fins, the Italians, the Americans, the British, the Irish, the Koreans, the Puerto Ricans, the Danes, the French (female only), and the Spanish (those who bear with me on my poor Spanish speaking skills and can augment the experience with some English of their own.) For that matter, anyone of like mind walking the way who I can communicate with.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

All I do is try to have the same stride. And I do it, easily. But these people have long legs and even if mine may be faster I fall behind. Rats!

 

[Felice]

I have only 'raced' a Spanish couple once - and that was to try and get away from them! On the stage between Torres del Rio and Logrono, there is a section where the path leaves a road and heads steeeply down into a valley where there are a series of ruined square stone huts with round roofs in the corner of the fields. It had been very quiet before the road, but just before I started on the path, a minibus had disgorged a group of Spanish walkers. Most were very slow and I soon left them behind, but one couple, an older man and a younger woman, were walking at the same pace as me, just a little in front. The man was holding forth loudly and volubly, about all sorts of things, though mainly food. I nicknamed him 'Motormouth' as he just went on and on and on. It was not long before he began to irritate; I speeded up and overtook them, but either I was not fast enough to put them far enough behind or they increased their pace as well. I then saw a side track, which I thought might be a short cut to the bottom, as the main path went slightly to one side less steeply. Within a couple of minutes of walking on this path, all was peaceful. But a few minutes later, I could hear the distinct sounds of Motormouth approaching, and sure enough, the Spanish pair were going to arrive at the bottom at the same time as me. Crestfallen, I decided there was nothing for it but to sit it out and let them get a good distance ahead.

 

[Al the optimist]

Talking of racing......
Has anyone tried to empty a cervesa grande faster than an Aussie?

 

[t2andreo]

Al... NOT gonna happen! I thoroughly enjoy my Aussie fellow pilgrims along the Camino.

They enjoy their beer, not all of them, but enough to make the journey memorable. I completely enjoy their camaraderie.

 

[Al the optimist]

Just joking. I have had some good times keeping up with them. (Well national pride and all that). Mind you I tend to get quizzical comments about my habit of the first one on arrival at my destination each day being a shandy! But I do feel obliged to slake that thirst.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I tend to get quizzical comments about my habit of the first one on arrival at my destination each day being a shandy!

For me, that first Grande hits the spot, not a shandy (i had to look that up), but preferably that Estrella Galicia sort. Its like the Spanish equivalent of a Bud Light. Still hydrates (kind of).

 

[t2andreo]

At least the Aussie like their beer COLD! (for the most part)

 

[Kurt5280]

not a shandy

Beer with Citrus Soda (Ginger Ale, 7-Up, Sprite, etc.) = Clara (Spanish) = Shandy (Irish) = Radler (German) = Panache (French) = More?

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Beer with Citrus Soda (Ginger Ale, 7-Up, Sprite, etc.) = Clara (Spanish) = Shandy (Irish) = Radler (German) = Panache (French) = More?

Do we even have a word for that in "American"?

 

[Christian Hiriart]

Do we even have a word for that in "American"?

No, we either drink beer or lemonade

 

[Kurt5280]

Do we even have a word for that in "American"?

No, we either drink beer or lemonade

Mike's Hard Lemonade in America...another Spanish word for "Clara" is "Mojada" which literally translates in English to "wet" but also has a feminine connotation as if you are ordering a woman's drink...sort of like ordering an alcoholic Shirley Temple in Spain...but unfortunately in America "Mojada" is also Mexican-American slang for "wet****" or illegal immigrant...but it is interesting that "Radler" is also the German word for "cyclist" so if you are ordering a liter beer in Germany and have to ride your bike home a "Radler" would be the perfect choice...but in the Midwest America my hard drinking Irish In-laws order "Irish Shandies" which is Guinness and Citrus Soda...which is the only way I can drink dark Irish Guinness beer.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

@Kurt Huffman , it's mojada, with an O. The word maja is used to say nice, as in she's a nice person.

In Mexico you will find the Michelada. At the base it's beer, lime juice and rim of salt on your glass. Some add tomato juice, clamato, all sorts.