Races

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONBR / RACE GUIDE

São Silvestre International Race

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

São Paulo
BR

Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil · CC BY 3.0 brCarlos Varela · CC BY 2.0Mark Hillary · CC BY 2.0Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil · CC BY 3.0 brCarlos Varela · CC BY 2.0Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil · CC BY 3.0 br

Race date in 53 days: Dec 31, 2026 Thu
City · Distance: São Paulo · 15km
Entry fee: R$335.90Varies by event and entry period
Status: ClosedSee how to enter ↗

2026Date Dec 31, 2026 · Entry Sep 28, 2026 ~ Nov 27, 2026

2025

2025Date Dec 31, 2025

Official website ↗Marathon · Maratona Internacional de São Paulo

Instagram YouTube

D-day as of Nov 8, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

The São Silvestre is a 15 km New Year's Eve race that has started on Avenida Paulista in São Paulo on the morning of 31 December every year since 1925.

The 2026 race is the 101st edition, with a field of 55,000.

The course loops past downtown landmarks and climbs Avenida Brigadeiro just before the finish,

and runners come from across Brazil and abroad to close out the year with a race to remember.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 2

Priscila Martins OrtizRan in 2025

“Running 15 km in the sun, the heat and the crowds is a test of fitness.”

A runner's report from their first São Silvestre, the 100th edition. The hardest moment came on the Brigadeiro climb, when the runner's heart was pounding and their legs were begging to stop. The runner wrote that the heat was manageable thanks to a strategy of taking on water and electrolytes before the start and drinking a little at a time during the race.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

Correr 15 km em meio ao sol, calor e à multidão é um teste físico

Read the original on Go! Running (blog)

Alessandra AlvesRan in 2007 · Finish time 1:23:15

“It climbs a lot, but you've already climbed quite a bit before that.”

A report from a runner doing the race for the second time, comparing it with the year before. From the start it was so crowded that it was hard to find their own pace, and unlike the previous year, when it rained, the blazing sun made the stretch near the overpass (Minhocão) especially tough. The runner saw Brigadeiro as a section that feels heavier mentally because of all the climbing that comes before it.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

Sobe, sobe bem, mas antes disso já se subiu muito também

Read the original on Alessandra Alves (blogspot)

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

100ª Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre - Prova Completa (31/12/25)
Gazeta Esportiva
View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

First come, first served entry has closed

It ran Sep 28, 2026–Nov 27, 2026.
Check separately whether other entry routes are open and spots remain.

Registration history · The 2026 race opened entry on Mon, September 28, 2026

First come, first served

Entry cost R$335.90

You go from the official website to the entry platform and sign up on a first-come, first-served basis.

This year general entry opened on 30 September and is now showing as closed.

Aged 18 or over;

choose your expected pace and T-shirt size at entry (cannot be changed later)

Organizer's page

Transfer

Entry cost R$100

Entry transfers are possible only at the Expo on bib pickup days, and a fee applies.

R$100 fee;

bring a photo of the original entrant's ID;

kit type, pace and size stay the same

Organizer's page

Travel agencies

Entry cost TBD

The organiser's official travel agencies may be allocated a separate, limited number of places, which can only be sold as part of a travel package.

Buy a package from an official travel agency

Organizer's page

Eligibility

Entry cost TBD

Elite groups A and B enter with proof of an official race time or by invitation from the organiser.

Proof of a qualifying time or an invitation;

foreign athletes must be registered on the CBAt list of foreign athletes.

Apply at faleconosco@saosilvestre.com.br

Organizer's page

Registration platform Ticket Sports by Ingresse

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 15km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

From the 2025 edition

Runners start · local timeFrom 7:25

Time limit3 hours

3 hours — counted from 9:50 (last wave at 9:30 + 20 minutes), all runners must finish by 12:50; the start gate closes at 9:50

Event	Gather	Start	Time limit	Entry fee	Field size	Bib pickup
101ª Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre 15 km15km	07:23	08:08	3h (12:50)	R$335.90	55,000	2026-12-30 18:00

START

Avenida Paulista, between Rua Frei Caneca and Rua Augusta

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

In front of the Cásper Líbero building at Avenida Paulista 900 (Avenida Paulista, 900

Edifício Cásper Líbero)

Finish · Google Maps

Cutoff
1km 10:04 · 2km 10:16 · 3km 10:28 · 4km 10:40 · 5km 10:52 · 6km 11:04 · 7km 11:16 · 8km 11:28 · 9km 11:40 · 10km 11:52 · 11km 12:04 · 12km 12:16 · 13km 12:28 · 14km 12:40 · 15km 12:50

Runners start · local time — Wheelchair 7:25 · Elite women 7:40 · Elite men 8:05 · Other para categories 8:06 · Premium 8:07 · General from 8:08, in waves by pace

The São Silvestre was founded by Cásper Líbero, the journalist who started the newspaper Gazeta Esportiva.

In 1924 he saw a torch-lit night race through the streets in France, and on the last day of the following year he staged the first edition.

That first race had 60 entrants, of whom 48 actually started.

It opened to South American athletes in 1945 and to the rest of the world in 1947, growing into an international race,

and the distance was fixed at 15 km in 1991 and has not changed since.

Apart from 2020, when it was cancelled because of the pandemic, it has been held every year, and it reached its 100th edition in 2025.

The course starts on Avenida Paulista, drops down into the city centre through Pacaembu,

Avenida Ipiranga and Praça da República, then climbs back up to Paulista on the high ground to finish.

The decisive section is the climb up Avenida Brigadeiro Luís Antônio, which begins at the 13 km mark.

It is a long drag right before the finish, so the elite races are usually decided here, and for everyone else it is the final test of fitness.

The men's course is 42:59, set by Kenya's Kibiwott Kandie in 2019, and the women's is 48:35, set by Jemima Sumgong in 2016.

Kenya has the most wins overall, and Paul Tergat won the race five times.

The organisers bill it as the leading road race in Brazil and Latin America.

The 2026 field is capped at 55,000, and demand is so high that general entry, which opened on 30 September, was already showing as closed by mid-October.

Typical race-season temperature: around 22°C (72°F): Hot race — plan fluids and electrolytes
Aid stations: 6 aid station — 3 km (Avenida Pacaembu), 5.8 km (Avenida Rudge), 8 km (Avenida Ipiranga), 10.4 km (Praça da República), 13 km (Avenida Brigadeiro), finish

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Medical support

Restrooms

Water stations

Finisher medal

Event T-shirt

Bag drop

Finisher T-shirt

Race expo

Hotels294m from the start · ★9.1

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2025 edition

Bib pickup

Bibs and chips are handed out only at the expo — not on race day and not afterwards.
Without your bib you cannot enter the race area.
26–30 December 2026 (26–29 December 09:00–20:00, 30 December 09:00–18:00)

Expo São Silvestre

Pavilhão Ciccillo Matarazzo (Fundação Bienal de São Paulo), Parque do Ibirapuera, Av. Pedro Álvares Cabral s/n

Google Maps Directions

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startPaulista (Linha 4-Amarela)
Transit cardFor a short trip, tap a physical contactless Visa/Mastercard/Elo card directly at Metrô turnstiles (a pilot program now live system-wide), or buy single paper tickets at station counters — skip the reloadable Bilhete Único, which generally requires a Brazilian ID. Where to buy
Getting to the finishBrigadeiro · Trianon-Masp (Linha 2-Verde)

Source · checked Oct 21, 2026 · Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

Paulista (Linha 4-Amarela) / Consolação (Linha 2-Verde)

Start corral on Av. Paulista between Rua Frei Caneca and Rua Augusta; ViaQuatro said Paulista station exit is about 600 m from the start (2025 edition guidance).

Av. Paulista is closed to traffic on race morning and also hosts the New Year's Eve party, so plan to use the metro.

Station closures change each year (Consolação was reported closed from 10:00 or 16:00 on 31 Dec in past editions); check Metrô/ViaQuatro notices close to the date. Kit pickup at the Bienal Pavilion inside Ibirapuera Park has no metro station at the door; allow a walk or taxi/rideshare.

GRU international airport is far from Paulista; most visitors stay near Paulista/Jardins to walk to the start.

Map

Getting to the finish

Brigadeiro / Trianon-Masp (Linha 2-Verde)

Finish at Av. Paulista 900 (Cásper Líbero building), between Brigadeiro and Trianon-Masp stations.

Map

Transit card

Bilhete Único

Requires a Brazilian RG (citizens) or RNM (foreign residents) to register a personalized card — not realistically obtainable by short-term tourists Works directly at the gates

Since December 1, 2025, all Metrô SP stations accept contactless payment (Visa, Mastercard, Elo) directly at the turnstile — but physical cards only (no Apple/Google/Samsung Pay yet during this pilot), and each card can only be tapped again after a 30-minute cooldown. There is no fare integration with buses when paying by contactless.

Where to buy

Source · checked Oct 21, 2026 Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

Bibs are never handed out on race day.

You have to collect yours in person at the expo in the Bienal Pavilion in Ibirapuera Park between 26 and 30 December;

on the 30th it closes at 18:00.

Bring your original passport and your entry confirmation.

With the holidays, arriving on the afternoon of the 30th is risky, so allow at least a day or two to spare.

The start is split into waves by pace, and the pace you chose at entry cannot be changed.

You need to be in the start area at least 45 minutes beforehand, and the start gate closes at 9:50.

There is a cut-off time at every kilometre, the last one at 12:50, so slower runners should not start too late.

Late December is high summer in São Paulo, so even in the morning the sun is strong and it is humid.

Aid station are at 3 km, 5.8 km, 8 km, 10.4 km, 13 km and the finish.

Bring a cap and sunscreen, and drink a little at each aid station.

Save energy on the early downhills so you can handle the Brigadeiro climb from 13 km.

Hill repeats in training will help.

On race day Avenida Paulista is closed to traffic and set-up for the New Year's Eve celebrations is under way, so the metro is the easiest option.

The nearest stations are Paulista and Consolação for the start, and Brigadeiro and Trianon-Masp for the finish.

Some stations have closed early on the 31st in the past, so check the latest notices.

If you stay on Avenida Paulista or in Jardins, you can walk to the start area.

The international airport is a long way from the city centre, so allow plenty of travel time.

The bag drop does not accept valuables, so bring only what you need.

Times are local to São Paulo. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Renaissance São Paulo Hotel

Hotel · 294m · 4-minute walk

9.1/10(1280)

View on Booking.com

Herbal Ritual in a Hidden São Paulo Plant Studio

Recovery · R$396

São Silvestre International Race

About São Silvestre International Race — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run