El Derbi de las Aficiones Madrid race review

I took part in El Derbi de las Aficiones, a unique downhill 10k race in Madrid that is inspired by a football rivalry. Here’s everything you need to know about this event and my honest experience.

A unique running derby, taking rivalry from the pitch to the streets

El Derbi de las Aficiones is an annual 10k race taking place in November in Madrid. The concept of this running event originates from the football rivalry between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

It’s basically a derby but on the street instead of the football pitch and the team with the fastest average time wins the year’s derby.

Check out this Reel for a quick overview of the event.

When you register for this race, you need to decide whether you want to run as a Merengue (Real) or Colchonero (Atletico).

On race day, you’ll need to start and finish on your team’s side but everyone runs on the same course.

What else makes this race unique?

The downhill course profile makes it a very fast and fun course! There’s around 140m elevation loss and it’s mostly downhill.

The start is slightly uphill with a few tight turns but afterwards it’s mostly straight downhill until the final km where you’ll tackle another short incline before the sprint finish.

I ran a 37:20 10k on this course, this was 1 minute faster than my official PB at the time on a legit course. I’m not counting my result at this race as a new PB because it would be cheating in my eyes.

Check out my Strava activity for the course profile.

Key information

Keep on eye on the event website to check when entries open. The race usually takes place in November.

It starts at 9am on Calle Padre Damián, easily accessible via metro. The race finishes on Paseo de los Melancolicos.

If you wish to drop a bag at the start, you can do so by paying 3 euros upon registering. Your bag will be carried in a van from the start to the finish.

Your race bib will need to be collected on the week of the race at the PLAZA RÍO 2 shopping mall. You’ll need to show your entry confirmation email and bring your ID just in case. It’s not possible to collect your number on race day.

Alongside your number, you’ll also get your team T-shirt as well as some goodies. In 2024 they gave some fruit juice, discount vouchers for the shopping centre and muscle balm samples.

What do you get after the race?

There’s no medal, but at the finish you get water, a protein drink, a couple snack bars and fruit.

El Derbi de las Aficiones honest review

You can check out this race vlog to see what the event is like:

What I loved about this event:

The race entry was reasonably priced, I paid 15,80€ which was the early bird fee.
Logistics wise, it was straighforward. The start line was easy to access from the centre of Madrid, just a quick tube journey. The finish line isn’t too far from the centre. It was 2.5km away from where I was staying so it was just a short cool down run back.
The course itself is a lot of fun. It’s amazing to feel like you’re running a whole lot faster than usual, just because gravity does some of the work.
The atmosphere at the start was great and it was a friendly rivalry between the teams.
In my case it was worth buying the full photo pack. I had over 20 photos for only 9.90€.

What I didn’t enjoy so much:

Collecting your bib is a bit of an effort, the shopping mall isn’t right in the city centre so it can easily take up to 2 hours of your day depending where you’re staying. It would be more convenient if runners who are not based in Madrid could collect their bibs on race day.
The first km was hectic. There’s a few sharp turns right at the start, where natural congestion occurs which is a recipe for disaster. The streets were not wide enough and many runners had to run on the pavement, very close to the walls. I nearly got pushed into a bin. The wider, downhill road couldn’t come soon enough!
There wasn’t a whole lot of support and spectators for most of the race. A little bit of entertainment here and there, but really most of the crowds were gathered at the finish line.

Final words

As someone who’s not from Madrid and not into football, I’m not passionate about this football rivalry. but I loved the concept of a running derby.

Plus, I was keen for a fun 10k race and a weekend in Madrid! I won’t make this race a recurring event in my running diary but I’m really glad to have experienced it, ticked it off my bucket list and who knows, I might do it again in a few years!