---
title: "Clásica La Candelaria: course analysis"
published: 2016-02-11
updated: 2026-08-04
source: "https://dev-abp.massivoai.com/en/articles/clasica-la-candelaria-analisis-del-recorrido"
---

# Clásica La Candelaria: course analysis

**The worst mistake you can make at La Candelaria is thinking it's an easy race. The route is favorable, yes, mostly downhill and the weather is usually cool and pleasant for running, but that doesn't mean it's easy.**

Starting with the start line. There are 5,000 people pushing to get under the starting arch. Taking a good position and starting at the pace you'd like is not an easy task. The obvious advice is to arrive early (at least an hour before) and try to position yourself in an appropriate spot within the pack based on your expected finish time. If you think you'll finish in more than an hour, the front sections won't help you since you'll run a higher risk of falling or getting hit. If you're under 45 minutes you should position yourself in the front third of the pack.

Then comes the hardest part: controlling your pace in the first kilometers. The most common mistake athletes make is starting too fast in races. And at Candelaria, which starts on a wide highway, straight and slightly downhill, it's too easy for emotions to betray you and end up running much faster than you should. If you fail at this, no matter how flat the race is, you'll suffer the consequences starting at kilometer three and you'll have to slow down.

**— RELATED: **[**THE ART OF RUNNING AT THE RIGHT PACE**](https://www.abuenpaso.cr/New/detail/13/el-arte-de-cazar)

The first 3.5 kilometers are very flat. The most favorable section with the greatest descent is between kilometers 3.5 and 6.5. In these 3k you drop almost 80 vertical meters and it's a good time to get more aggressive and let the downhill help you maintain a better pace (in case you ran the first kilometers smartly). Then comes the only relevant climb of the entire course: 900 meters of slight-to-moderate uphill from kilometer 7.1 to 8. Your pace could break here but then comes the last 2k downhill to the finish, barely interrupted by a short hill right as you enter the center of Paraíso.

![Alt candelaria](https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xla1/t31.0-8/s2048x2048/12710905_1042588875798437_6392607341893993373_o.jpg "Alt candelaria")

A factor you should take into account is the wind. At Candelaria most of the time you'll be running against the wind and, depending on how strong it is that day, it can be very significant (negatively). If the wind is blowing very hard, a good strategy is to "draft," or in this case, "draft off other runners" and position yourself close to other runners to block some of the wind. This strategy has been scientifically proven and can save you valuable seconds.

Don't forget to arrive with plenty of time and coordinate logistics well in case you're driving or if a friend or family member is taking you. The number of cars heading to Paraíso on a Sunday at 7 a.m. is not much, but the number of cars heading to Paraíso on La Candelaria Sunday is overwhelming. Hundreds or perhaps thousands of cars look for a way to Paraíso after dropping off athletes at the start and a massive traffic jam usually forms around kilometer 5 of the race. The only solution in this case, to avoid the jam, is to arrive earlier and thus avoid more cars during rush hour.

La Candelaria is a great race to run a good time. If that's your goal, don't forget to control your pace very well in the first kilometers so you can push hard later. If your goal is just to finish it, go out and enjoy pleasant weather and the company of thousands of fellow runners.

You can see the detailed map and elevation profile of La Candelaria[**HERE**](https://www.abuenpaso.cr/Race/detail/76/candelaria).

A Buen Paso uses [Massivo](https://massivoai.com), the event-registration platform that powers this article.