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A Pilgrim race


From 18-24th June of this year there is going to be a 'race' along the Camino Frances with 10 teams of 10 walking the nearly 800 kilometres from Roncesvalles to Santiago in six stages: Logrono, Burgos, Leon, Ponferrada, Sarria and Santiago.

 Image result for CARRERA DEL PEREGRINO
http://lacarreradelperegrino.com/en/

This 'race' is being sponsored by the Spainish Olympic Committee and, according to their President Alejandro Blanco, "The spirituality and the epic of the Camino de Santiago join the values ​​that Sport and Olympism brings in a unique journey In the world in which everybody can face themselves inwardly." They also say that this race involves sport, culture, respect for the environment and the principles of the Olympics so each stage will have some sort of cultural programme at the end.

It sounds as though each stage is divided between the participants (called 'corregrinos' or 'pilgrunner') into a relay race arrangement with sections between 6 and 21 km and each partici[pant will have to announce 'Ultreia' to pass the race on to the next member of their team

 This report from http://www.mundicamino.com/noticias/8904/el-camino-de-santiago-acoger-en-junio-la-primera-carrera-del-peregrino/ gives a bit more information:


'March 27, 2017 / lavanguardia.com

The Olympic spirit and the Camino de Santiago will come together for the first race of Pilgrim in June 2017, sponsored by the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE).

Relay test will kick off on June 18 in Roncesvalles to end the day 24 in Santiago de Compostela, said the COE in a statement.

In this first edition will involve up to 10 teams of 10 participants who will travel the 785 kilometers from Roncesvalles to Santiago in six stages that will end in Logroño, Burgos, León, Ponferrada, Sarria and the capital of Galicia.

The scallop shell and yellow arrow will guide the runners in the French Way, in the shortest span is 6 kilometres in the rise of O Cebreiro and the longest is around 21 kilometres on land of Castile.

Each participant will perform during this challenge an average of 12 kilometres a day.

Race Pilgrim is presented as a challenge in which participants explore their limits and test values such as friendship, solidarity and teamwork, show organizers.

"Ultreia" is the word you have to give participants the delivery of each relay, a term that was used by pilgrims when they were to greet and cheer along the road and that can be translated as "Go!".'
There is also an official website at http://lacarreradelperegrino.com/en/
I  doubt that I'm the only Pilgrim who doesn't like the sound of this - The Way is a Pilgrimage where the journey is more important than the destination and I feel more than a little upset for any fellow Pilgrims who are on the Frances at the same time that this is happening - true they will only encounter ten runners at most but there will also be a team that accompanies them. This will disrupt the Camino experience for many people.
What are your thought about this?

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