After a lot of sight-seeing, followed by an amazing FC Barça game, we had something REALLY exciting planned for our last day in Barcelona. THE CURSA BOMBERS 10K RACE!!!! Cursa Bombers is Catalan for Fireman’s Race. I ran this race in 2010 with my roommates when I lived in Barcelona, and it was so fun! It was my first real race, and it was definitely a highlight of my year. Therefore, I was ECSTATIC when we realized we could plan a trip that included a soccer game AND the race!
{Picking up my race shirt the day before!}
{Warming-up in 2010 and 2013. Three years later and my pose is just as awkward.}
{Ready to start!}
{We’re starting! This is usually when I realize I need to pee…}
Since the race is called Fireman’s Race, I’m very happy to announce that there were actual firemen running the 10K in their full fireman gear. And let me tell you…they were just as guapo as you would imagine them to be. In fact, shortly after we started to run, there was a fire truck with a bunch of studly fireman standing on top, cheering us on! I contemplated walking off of the race right then and there! Hola, me llamo Tatiana. Soy de California, ¿y tú? But, I managed to stay focused and stayed in the race. Unfortunately, E had the phone for pictures, and surprise surprise, he didn’t take any of those guys. I did find a great photo from here, of the firemen participating in the race, though! Enjoy!
{I’ll run a 10K everyday if these guys are in it!}
{I think I was smiling during the ENTIRE race. I was so excited!}
{And then we passed this guy, who looked slightly less excited. He was drenched in sweat and going at a very slow pace. It was obvious that his gear was so heavy! But everyone cheered him on, and patted him on the back to keep his spirits up. Impressive!}
{Yay! I finished! Time for free snacks!}
With over 30,000 runners participating in the race, Cursa Bombers was a blast! We all headed back to the hostel to grab some money so that we could eat ASAP. Then, we continued to wander the city and enjoy the beautiful weather.
{We visited the cathedral in the Gothic Quarter, and then we headed towards the marina.}
{We rested our weary legs on a bench in the sunshine, and enjoyed watching teenagers wipe-out on rollerblades. A Christopher Columbus monument and Montjüic were an impressive backdrop.}
After a short rest, E and Erin carried on to visit the Picasso Museum, while I went to meet up with one of my old roommates! It was so awesome to see him again and catch up in person! It literally feels like it was just yesterday that I moved into my apartment in Barcelona, with three young spanish guys as my roommates. It couldn’t have turned out any better, and I am so happy I got to see one of them again!
The next day, we awoke early, and hobbled our sore bodies to the airport bus. I was sad to say goodbye to my favorite city again. However, when I said goodbye last time, I didn’t think I’d be back for at least 10 years! Who knows, maybe in three years I’ll be face to face with my dear Barcelona again.
The Cereal Bowl 
Good job Tatiana! Did you post your personal best for the 10K? I wonder if those bicycles all lined up in a row are for rent? Very healthy way to get around Barcelona. I hope you get back to Barcelona soon!
My 10K time was nothing worth posting! lol, and yes, those bicycles are for rent, but not for tourists. You have to register with your Spanish citizen/residency card. There are stations all over, where you can pick up a bike, ride it to your destination, and drop it off at another parking station. They’re popping up in big cities all over Europe! In Barcelona it’s called Bici, in Gibraltar it’s called Gibi, in Dublin it’s just called Dublinbikes.