International Race of São Silvestre de São Paulo

The São Silvestre Race in São Paulo (officially called in Portuguese Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre), is an urban race held annually in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, on December 31, of which Saint Silvestre is the saint of the day according to the Catholic saints. The race was created by the Brazilian journalist Cásper Líbero in 1925 and is organized by the newspaper Gazeta Esportiva, of which Líbero is the founder.

Contrary to popular belief, the San Silvestre race is not a marathon, although it is often called the "San Silvestre marathon".

In addition to never having been a marathon, this race has not even had a fixed distance, having 8000 meters in its first edition; and undergoing multiple variations over the years going to 6, 5, 7 and 12 kilometers. As of 1991, the distance was set at 15 kilometers.

The run was inspired by similar events in France, where runners ran at night carrying torches. Thus, in São Paulo it was originally run on New Year's Eve. However, this race is no longer run at night. With the aim of expanding the number of participants and reducing interference with the New Year festivities, in the last decades of the 20th century and until today, the race takes place on the afternoon of December 31.

Initially open only to Brazilian competitors, in 1945 it assumed the international character. The female category has existed since 1975.

In the men's category, the most successful athlete is the Kenyan Paul Tergat with five victories to his credit, followed by the Belgian Gaston Roelants, the Colombian Víctor Manuel Mora and the Ecuadorian Rolando Vera with four victories each.

In ladies, while the Portuguese Rosa Mota with six consecutive victories between 1981 and 1986 is the most outstanding athlete, followed by the Mexican María del Carmen Díaz, the Kenyan Lydia Cheromei and the Ethiopian Yimer Wude Ayalew with three wins each.

The San Silvestre Vallecana, in Spain, was inspired by the Paulista race.

Winners

Edition	Year	Male winner	Time (m:s)	Distance	Female winner	Time (m:s)	Distance
National stage
1.	1925	Alfredo Gomes	23:10	6.2 km	Not disputed
2.	1926	Jorge Mancebo	22:32	6.2 km
3.	1927	Heitor Blasi	23:00	6.2 km
4.	1928	Salim Maluf	29:11	8.8 km
5.	1929	Heitor Blasi	29:11	8.8 km
6.	1930	Murilo de Araújo	25:35	8.8 km
7.	1931	José Agnello	26:05	8.2 km
8.	1932	Nestor Gomes	25:23	8.8 km
9.	1933	Nestor Gomes	23:50	7.6 km
10.	1934	Alfredo Carletti	24:10	7.6 km
11.	1935	Nestor Gomes	25:51	7.6 km
12.	1936	Mario de Oliveira	23:38	7.6 km
13.	1937	Mario de Oliveira	23:26	7.6 km
14.	1938	Armando Martins	23:38	7.6 km
15.	1939	Luiz Del Greco	24:50	7.6 km
16.	1940	Antônio Alves	23:14	7 km
17.	1941	José Tibúrcio dos Santos	22:12	7 km
18.	1942	Joaquim Gonçalves da Silva	17:02	5.5 km
19.	1943	Joaquim Gonçalves da Silva	17:31	5.5 km
20.	1944	Joaquim Gonçalves da Silva	17:40	5.5 km
International stage
21.	1945	Sebastião Alves Monteiro	21:54	7 km	Not disputed
22.	1946	Sebastião Alves Monteiro	21:57	7 km
23.	1947	Oscar Moreira	21:45	7 km
24.	1948	Raúl Inostroza	22:18	7 km
25.	1949	Viljo Heino	22:45	7.3 km
26.	1950	Lucien Theys	22:37	7.3 km
27.	1951	Erik Krucziky	22:26	7.3 km
28.	1952	Franjo Mihalić	21:38	7.3 km
29.	1953	Emil Zátopek	20:30	7.3 km
30.	1954	Franjo Mihalić	21:51	7.4 km
31.	1955	Kenneth Norris	22:18	7.4 km
32.	1956	Manoel Faria	21:58	7.3 km
33.	1957	Manoel Faria	21:37	7.3 km
34.	1958	Osvaldo Suárez	21:40	7.4 km
35.	1959	Osvaldo Suárez	21:55	7.4 km
36.	1960	Osvaldo Suárez	22:02	7.4 km
37.	1961	Martin Hyman	21:24	7.4 km
38.	1962	Hamoud Ameur	22:08	7.4 km
39.	1963	Henry Clerckx	21:55	7.4 km
40.	1964	Gaston Roelants	21:37	7.4 km
41.	1965	Gaston Roelants	21:20	7.4 km
42.	1966	Álvaro Mejía	29:57	9.2 km
43.	1967	Gaston Roelants	24:31	8.7 km
44.	1968	Gaston Roelants	24:32	8.7 km
45.	1969	Juan Martínez	24:02	8.7 km
46.	1970	Frank Shorter	24:27	8.9 km
47.	1971	Rafael Tadeo Palomares	23:47	8.9 km
48.	1972	Víctor Manuel Mora	23:24	8.9 km
49.	1973	Víctor Manuel Mora	23:25	8.9 km
50.	1974	Rafael Ángel Pérez	23:58	8.9 km
51.	1975	Víctor Manuel Mora	23:13	8.9 km	Christa Vahlensieck	28:39	8.9 km
52.	1976	Edmundo Warnke	23:50	8.9 km	Christa Vahlensieck	28:36	8.9 km
53.	1977	Domingo Tibaduiza	23:55	8.9 km	Loa Olafsson	27:15	8.9 km
54.	1978	Radhouane Bouster	23:51	8.9 km	Dana Slater	28:55	8.9 km
55.	1979	Herb Lindsay	23:26	9 km	Dana Slater	29:07	9 km
56.	1980	José João da Silva	23:40	8.9 km	Heidi Hutterer	27:48	8.9 km
57.	1981	Víctor Manuel Mora	23:30	8.9 km	Rosa Mota	26:45	8.9 km
58.	1982	Carlos Lopes	39:41	13.548 km	Rosa Mota	47:21	13.548 km
59.	1983	João da Mata	37:39	12.6 km	Rosa Mota	43:44	12.6 km
60.	1984	Carlos Lopes	36:43	12,640 km	Rosa Mota	43:35	12,640 km
61.	1985	José João da Silva	36:48	12,640 km	Rosa Mota	43:00	12,640 km
62.	1986	Rolando Vera	36:45	12.6 km	Rosa Mota	43:25	12.6 km
62bis.	1986	Ricardo Becar	34:20	20 km	P	38:20	20 km
63.	1987	Rolando Vera	39:02	13 km	Martha Tenorio	46:27	13 km
64.	1988	Rolando Vera	36:23	12,630 km	Aurora Cunha	42:12	12,630 km
65.	1989	Rolando Vera	36:45	12,650 km	María del Carmen Díaz	43:52	12,650 km
66.	1990	Arturo Barrios	35:58	12,640 km	María del Carmen Díaz	43:16	12,640 km
67.	1991	Arturo Barrios	44:04	15 km	María Luisa Servín	54:02	15 km
68.	1992	Simon Chemoiywo	44:08	15 km	María del Carmen Díaz	54:00	15 km
69.	1993	Simon Chemoiywo	43:20	15 km	Helen Kimaiyo	50:26	15 km
70.	1994	Ronaldo da Costa	44:11	15 km	Derartu Tulu	51:17	15 km
71.	1995	Paul Tergat	43:12	15 km	Carmem de Oliveira	50:53	15 km
72.	1996	Paul Tergat	43:50	15 km	Roseli Machado	52:32	15 km
73.	1997	Emerson Iser Bem	44:40	15 km	Martha Tenorio	52:03	15 km
74.	1998	Paul Tergat	44:47	15 km	Olivera Jevtić	51:35	15 km
75.	1999	Paul Tergat	44:35	15 km	Lydia Cheromei	51:29	15 km
76.	2000	Paul Tergat	43:57	15 km	Lydia Cheromei	50:33	15 km
77.	2001	Tesfaye Jifar	44:15	15 km	Maria Zeferina Baldaia	52:09	15 km
78.	2002	Robert Cheruiyot	44:59	15 km	Marizete de Paula Rezende	54:02	15 km
79.	2003	Marílson Gomes dos Santos	43:49	15 km	Margaret Okayo	51:24	15 km
80.	2004	Robert Cheruiyot	44:43	15 km	Lydia Cheromei	52:58	15 km
81.	2005	Marílson Gomes dos Santos	44:19	15 km	Olivera Jevtić	51:37	15 km
82.	2006	Franck de Almeida	44:06	15 km	Lucélia Peres	51:23	15 km
83.	2007	Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot	45:54	15 km	Alice Timbilil	51:37	15 km
84.	2008	James Kwambai	44:42	15 km	Wude Ayalew	51:37	15 km
85.	2009	James Kwambai	44:40	15 km	Pasalia Kipkoech Chepkorir	52:30	15 km
86.	2010	Marílson Gomes dos Santos	44:07	15 km	Alice Timbilil	50:19	15 km
87.	2011	Tariku Bekele	43:35	15 km	Priscah Jeptoo	48:48	15 km
88.	2012	Edwin Kipsang	44:05	15 km	Maurine Kipchumba	51:42	15 km
89.	2013	Edwin Kipsang	43:48	15 km	Nancy Kipron	51:58	15 km
90.	2014	Dawit Admasu	45:04	15 km	Wude Ayalew	50:43	15 km
91.	2015	Stanley Biwott	44:31	15 km	Wude Ayalew	54:01	15 km
92.	2016	Leul Aleme	44:53	15 km	Jemima Sumgong	48:35	15 km
93.	2017	Dawit Admasu	44:17	15 km	Flomena Cheyech Daniel	50:18	15 km
94.	2018	Belay Bezabh	45:03	15 km	Sandrafelis Tuei	50:02	15 km
95.	2019	Kibiwott Kandie	42:59	15 km	Brigid Kosgei	48:54	15 km
96.	2021	Belay Bezabeh	44:54	15 km	Sandrafelis Chebet Tuei	50:06	15 km

Titles by country

Country	Men	Women	Total
BrazilBrazil	29	5	34
KenyaKenya	16	15	31
Portugal	4	7	11
EthiopiaEthiopia	6	4	10
Mexico Mexico	4	5	9
BelgiumBelgium	6	-	6
ColombiaColombia	6	-	6
EcuadorEcuador	4	2	6
United States	2	2	4
Western Germany	1	3	4
Argentina	3	-	3
ChileChile	2	-	2
France	2	-	2
ItalyItaly	2	-	2
United KingdomUnited Kingdom	2	-	2
Yugoslavia	2	-	2
Serbia and Montenegro	-	2	2
Costa RicaCosta Rica	1	-	1
Czechoslovakia	1	-	1
FinlandFinland	1	-	1
Uruguay Uruguay	1	-	1
DenmarkDenmark	-	1	1