The Caminho da Fé (“Path of Faith”) was created in 2003, inspired by Spain’s Camino de Santiago, to give structure to Brazil’s centuries-old pilgrimages to the Basílica de Nossa Senhora Aparecida. The route links dozens of small towns across São Paulo State and is fully marked with yellow arrows guiding pilgrims, cyclists, and runners through Brazil’s interior farmlands and mountains.
The São Carlos branch is one of the original official starting points of the Caminho da Fé. It begins in São Carlos and travels east through agricultural plains, rural villages, and forest roads before climbing into the Mantiqueira Mountains and finishing at the Basilica in Aparecida—the symbolic heart of the pilgrimage.
This run began on January 28, 2018, at 7:40 a.m. in São Carlos and finished on February 6, 2018, at 11:40 a.m., covering approximately 633 km (393 miles) with 54,113 feet of ascent and 54,965 feet of descent. I was accompanied by Amy Costa and supported by Alan Lacerda and Nivaldo Filho. We slept in small posadas along the way, relying on bottled fluids, on-course meals from local cafés, and food supplied by our crew on the trail. Midway through the route, I completed the Brazil 135 Ultramarathon, which shares a section of the Caminho da Fé. During that segment, a stray dog joined me between Ouro Fino and Luminosa and ultimately traveled home with me.
Conditions throughout were typical of the Brazilian summer: intense heat, high humidity, and intermittent rain showers that made footing challenging on clay and mountain roads. The journey concluded at the Basílica de Nossa Senhora Aparecida, where we had our pilgrim credentials certified and received an official certificate recorded by the sanctuary.