Christmas has come early to the streets of the Spanish capital in the form of thousands of Santa Clauses. But these Saint Nicks were unusually athletic — and weren't out and about delivering presents.
Image: Reuters/P. Hanna
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Madrid's Santa Claus race draws thousands
Christmas has come early to the streets of the Spanish capital in the form of thousands of Santa Clauses. But these Saint Nicks were unusually athletic — and weren't out delivering presents.
Image: Reuters/P. Hanna
Five years running
Madrid has held the Santa Claus Race for the past five years. For this year's edition, runners gathered at the Paseo de la Castellana avenue, a major artery that cuts through the western part of the city, near the iconic Parque del Buen Retiro.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/B. Akbulut
Dressed for the occasion
Runners heeded the call to impersonate Santa, with most wearing some iteration of the famous Christmas costume. It likely helped them keep warm, with morning temperatures in Madrid on Sunday under 5 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit).
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Morenatti
Santa's little helpers
Children were welcome to attend and participate in the race. Some 2,500 kids came out, with many dressed as elves. The top three finishers in the children's race each received a prize: tickets to a Circlassica, an entertainment show that pays homage to the circus tradition, featuring acrobats and jugglers.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Morenatti
World's largest Santa race
Organizers have described the race as the largest of its kind in the world, the Reuters news agency said. Aside from bragging rights, the top three adult finishers of the Santa Race this year received a one-year subscription to Spanish magazine Hola!, a weekly publication that covers celebrity and fashion news.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/B. Akbulut
Running for a good cause
Participants in the race were also supporting cancer research. A portion of their entry fee went to the nonprofit organization Fundacion Intheos, which supports projects in the field of advanced cancer care and research.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Morenatti
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More than 7,000 Santa Clauses ran through central Madrid on Sunday in an annual charity race held to raise money for a cancer-care charity.
A number of children dressed as green elves also participated in the event, which took place over a 5-kilometer (3-mile) course along the Paseo de la Castellana avenue.
Organizers describe the race as the largest of its kind in the world, the Reuters news agency said.
A portion of the entry fee paid by each runner will go to the nonprofit organization Fundacion Intheos, which supports projects in the field of advanced cancer care and research.
