Carrera Solidaria Virgen del Pilar Guardia Civil Cáceres

The Carrera Solidaria Virgen del Pilar is a community race organised every autumn in Cáceres by the Civil Guard's provincial command, the Comandancia de la Guardia Civil, to mark the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, patron saint of the force. It is held on a Sunday in early November and runs entirely for the benefit of ASPAINCA, the Cáceres parents' association for inclusion, which supports people with intellectual disabilities or developmental disorders and their families: every euro of entry fees goes to the charity. Technical management and timing are handled by Chipserena.

The start and finish are in the parade ground of the Comandancia on Avenida de la Universidad, close to the university campus. The course follows a loop of about 5 km on a mix of tarmac and dirt track, closed to traffic and marshalled by the local police and the Civil Guard. The 10 km race is two laps and open to participants aged 16 and over; the 5 km is a single lap, open from age 14. Both races start together at around 11:00, although the time may shift depending on when the earlier events finish. The time limit is 1 hr 30 min for the 10 km and one hour for the 5 km.

Above all, the day is a charity celebration. An assisted chair category lets people with disabilities take part in an adapted chair or buggy, pushed by volunteers or not. A 5 km untimed walk, open to all ages, sets off at 10:45 on the same loop. Children have their own races, from 100 to 600 m depending on age, earlier in the morning. Awards go to the top three men and women over each distance, to a separate Civil Guard ranking, and to the oldest male and female finishers.

With no technical difficulty, the course suits beginners as well as runners looking for an end-of-season time, and the lap format means spectators see participants go by more than once. Every entrant receives a technical T-shirt and a bag decorated by people supported by ASPAINCA. After the race, a stroll around the old town of Cáceres, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, makes a fine way to round off the morning.

Chip bibs are collected from a tent in the start and finish area until 10:30, with photo ID; minors entered in the adult distances need a signed parental consent form. Entries are online only and close a week before the race, with 300 places guaranteed. Water and fruit await runners at the finish, a bag drop operates from 10:00 to 13:00 and a DYA first-aid team is stationed at the start. Those who cannot run can still support the cause by buying the charity T-shirt.