PEDRO ESTESO RETURNS TO NATIONAL COMPETITION

PEDRO ESTESO RETURNS TO NATIONAL COMPETITION

This upcoming weekend will see the return to national track and asphalt competition for the athlete from Elche, after happily recovering from a traffic accident while road cycling almost 6 months ago.

The accident

At the end of November, a fatal side collision with a vehicle that hit Pedro Esteso kept him sidelined for a while. This was due to the after-effects and physical recovery he had to overcome from the injuries sustained to his back after the impact.

As he tells us; "it has been a difficult time, not only because of the physical pain, but because there were moments when my mind was racing and somewhat negative, to the point of wondering if I would ever be able to run again. But thanks to good recovery, medical, and physiotherapy work, it has all turned out to be a good scare and a great life lesson, adding also the support and affection received from all my close ones."

This whole story is now part of the memory in another episode to archive in the 25 years that the middle-distance runners from Elche have been running. And it will serve as motivation and strength for the next challenges that the Esteso Brothers are planning and will undertake in the short term. Their main focus and marked date is the last weekend of June.

Where they will have the opportunity to participate in their city, Elche, and on the track where they grew up athletically, the Manolo Jaén Municipal Athletics Track. It will be the setting for the Spanish Veterans Championship (athletes aged 35 and over) and in which the 2x1 from Elche hopes to be present and able to participate, fulfilling the dream of running alongside their people and fans in the stands.

First challenge

Before reaching that eagerly awaited competitive event marked in red on our athletes' calendar, Pedro Esteso has chosen two very important places for him that will witness his return to top-level competition. This Saturday, May 14th, the II Popular Athletics Meeting "From Asphalt to Track" will be held in Madrid.

This event aims to bring athletics in its purest form to popular athletics, mixing a great sporting atmosphere, a variety of events, and massive participation. The Urban Runners Club athlete will participate in the 800m distance. And as he himself comments, "it will be a mix of feelings, reunions, and emotions because of what it means to try to return to competition at a good level in such a beautiful setting as the Moratalaz track.

Where exactly 14 years ago I set my personal best in the 800m with 1'47"30. It will be an honor to be in this special competition, directed by a good friend of mine, José Alonso Aranzabal. Besides having many colleagues from my professional career and also friends who will accompany me from Elche in the stands and on the track."

It should be remembered that Pedro spent almost a decade training and living in the Spanish capital, and he keeps very fond memories and experiences from it, along with the various training groups and coaches he had while chasing the Olympic dream.

Something that just thinking about it already excites me and I hope it helps me to have a good degree of motivation and to be able to assess my current form in this demanding two-lap race."

He had already returned to competition

Pedro Esteso has not competed on the track at a high level since March 2014, when he attended the World Championships in the Master-35 category and finished fifth with a calf muscle tear. This was one of the continuous injuries due to which Pedro had decided to set aside the competitive aspect. But as he himself says, "it is very difficult to completely detach oneself from the world of competition.

Both Juan Carlos and I consider ourselves to have been born to run and we have the competitive gene in our blood. Beyond seeking results against rivals, at this stage of our lives we seek to achieve our own challenges.

It is very beautiful to fight against the clock of age, to revive those moments of athletes and training that shaped our character and personality. They lead us to a constant struggle to try to beat the stopwatch of our heart. At the same time, we like to instill the love for athletics and that passion for sport in all the people around us, who encourage and follow us, as they also deserve our best strides."

And if that wasn't enough, what awaits Pedro on Saturday with his participation in this national level competition, where he will try to evaluate his physical form in a distance in which he holds the Spanish M-35 record, both indoors and outdoors.

The second challenge

On Sunday, the middle-distance runner from Elche will be present at the XV Real Valle de Cayón (Santander), a race in which he has participated since 2004 and in which he has become the athlete who has participated the most times in the Elite men's category. He also had the honor of having his name inscribed as the winner in 2005. An urban mile for which he has a special affection due to the close friendship he shares with the "alma mater" of the race, Juanmi Cano, and the entire family of E.D.M Santa María de Cayón.

There, as on previous occasions, the best middle-distance runners in Spanish athletics will gather. Pedro Esteso is loyal to the event and his words demonstrate his affection for it. "It's a special race, I feel at home, I love the atmosphere and the proximity of the public. That crowded course with nearly 4,000 people cheering and shouting.

And now, with the passage of time, I feel that I am part of the history of one of the best miles in Spain. Also, everything it has meant for me personally to find the Cano-López family and become one of them."

Therefore, an intense weekend awaits Pedro Esteso upon his return to competition, during which, as he tells us goodbye, "I stopped competing against anyone a long time ago; the only rival one should sustain is the desire for self-improvement, to have enthusiasm and confidence in what makes one happiest, and to set personal challenges that keep us active in life and help us live it with a desire to overcome ourselves when there are moments where everything seems more difficult."

-Pedro Esteso Herrera

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