Your plan in four answers
Set for December 31, 2026, about 9 weeks out.
- Distances
- 15K
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Field
- 55,000 places in 2026
- Taper starts
- December 19, 2026
Course
The São Silvestre course
Brazil's most traditional road race, run every 31 December since 1925, starts on Avenida Paulista between Rua Frei Caneca and Rua Augusta and finishes in front of the Cásper Líbero building at Paulista 900. The classic 15 km drops off the Paulista ridge towards Pacaembu and the historic centre, passing Praça da República, the Theatro Municipal and the Elevado Presidente João Goulart, with huge crowds along the way.
Read the full course notes
What goes down must come back up: the race is decided on the long climb of Avenida Brigadeiro Luís Antônio in the final kilometres back to Paulista. The general field starts in pace-based waves from about 8:10, and the course closes at 12:50.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- 15K
- Field
- 55,000 places in 2026
- Weather on race day
- New Year's Eve morning in São Paulo is usually warm and humid, around 20–26 °C at the start and often hotter by the time the later waves finish. Summer showers are possible but strong sun is just as likely, so start conservatively, drink at every station and save something for the Brigadeiro climb.
What to train for
The Brigadeiro climb is the race, so build strength for a long uphill on tired legs: weekly hill repeats of 2 to 4 minutes and, every other week, a tempo run that ends on a sustained climb.
Practise relaxed downhill running too, because the early descent from Paulista tempts you to go out too fast.
A long run of 16 to 18 km and a few runs in the warmest part of the day will prepare you for the heat.
Sample week
A sample São Silvestre training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 8–10 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 11 km with 6 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–19 km easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the São Silvestre
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on December 31, 2026, your taper starts around December 19, 2026.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre (15K) on December 31, 2026. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
São Silvestre training questions
How long should I train for the São Silvestre?
Most runners give a 15k twelve to fourteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the São Silvestre course hilly?
Rolling. Brazil's most traditional road race, run every 31 December since 1925, starts on Avenida Paulista between Rua Frei Caneca and Rua Augusta and finishes in front of the Cásper Líbero building at Paulista 900.
What is the weather usually like at the São Silvestre?
New Year's Eve morning in São Paulo is usually warm and humid, around 20–26 °C at the start and often hotter by the time the later waves finish. Summer showers are possible but strong sun is just as likely, so start conservatively, drink at every station and save something for the Brigadeiro climb.
When should I start tapering for the São Silvestre?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on December 31, 2026, your taper starts around December 19, 2026.
Do I need an account to get a São Silvestre training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.