Anyone who needs to travel through central Poços de Caldas or the city's eastern area on the morning of Sunday, September 20, 2026 should plan for temporary traffic changes caused by the 5th Caldense Running. The race starts at 7:30 a.m. in front of Caldense headquarters on Rua Pernambuco, and City Hall says sections of the route will be closed during part of the morning.
The most important point for drivers is that no single reopening time has been announced. According to the Poços de Caldas City Hall, roads will reopen gradually after participants pass and safety procedures are completed. Anyone with an appointment in the area should therefore avoid relying on one specific street along the course and consider an alternative route.
What changes in traffic on Sunday, September 20
The event will have 5 km and 10 km routes. The course leaves Rua Pernambuco, heads toward Avenida Wenceslau Braz and reaches parts of the city center and the eastern area. City Hall announced temporary closures around the Municipal Market, near Praça das Rosas toward Rua Ouro Preto, as well as on sections of Remígio Prezia and Wenceslau Braz.
A section of Avenida Marechal Deodoro near the Miniterminal will also be closed while runners pass. This matters for people who use the center as a connection between neighborhoods or need to reach bus stops and streets near the terminal.
What is the Caldense Running route
The start is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. in front of the club on Rua Pernambuco. From there, runners head toward Avenida Wenceslau Braz. In the center, the route goes along Rua Pernambuco around the Municipal Market, near Praça das Rosas and toward Rua Ouro Preto.
The race then continues along Remígio Prezia and Avenida Wenceslau Braz. Participants return along the same route to Caldense headquarters. There will be 5 km and 10 km courses, so road occupation may vary as the different groups of runners move through the route.
| Street or reference point | Situation announced for the morning of September 20 |
|---|---|
| Rua Pernambuco, around the Municipal Market | Temporary closure on the race route |
| Near Praça das Rosas, toward Rua Ouro Preto | Temporary closure on the route |
| Remígio Prezia | Part of the race route |
| Avenida Wenceslau Braz | Part of the outbound and return route |
| Avenida Marechal Deodoro, near the Miniterminal | Closure while runners pass |
Which access roads remain open
City Hall highlighted two useful exceptions for people who need to travel through the central area: Rua Pernambuco in front of San Michel and Rua Santa Catarina will remain open to normal traffic. This does not mean the entire surrounding area will be unaffected, but it identifies two access points that are not part of the announced closures.
Because the course crosses important roads and reopening will be gradual, the best approach is to follow temporary signs and traffic officers' instructions. An access road that is open at a given moment may still have slower traffic because vehicles are being redirected from closed streets.
When do the changes start and end
The confirmed race time is 7:30 a.m., when the start takes place. City Hall describes the closures as temporary and concentrated during part of the morning, but it has not published a fixed start time for each roadblock or a single time when all streets will be fully reopened.
In practice, reopening will depend on the runners passing each point and on safety procedures being completed. It would therefore be inaccurate to treat 7:30 a.m. as the exact start time for every closure or to estimate a final reopening time without official confirmation.
How to plan travel through the center and eastern area
- If possible, avoid the corridor formed by Rua Pernambuco, Praça das Rosas, Rua Ouro Preto, Remígio Prezia and Avenida Wenceslau Braz while the race is underway.
- Remember that the section of Avenida Marechal Deodoro near the Miniterminal will also be interrupted while runners pass.
- Use Rua Santa Catarina and the section of Rua Pernambuco in front of San Michel as reference points for accesses that City Hall says will remain open.
- Leave earlier if you have an appointment in the area, as alternative routes may receive extra traffic.
- Follow cones, barriers, traffic officers and temporary signage even when no runners are visible at that moment.
What is confirmed about the race
The 5th Caldense Running is scheduled for Sunday, September 20 in the city's updated road-race calendar. The Municipal Sports Department also lists the event on that date. For traffic planning, however, the most specific reference is City Hall's September 17 notice detailing affected streets, open accesses and gradual reopening.
For drivers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: the race starts at 7:30 a.m., but the closures do not have one fixed ending time. Travel plans should allow for temporary roadblocks during the morning and progressive reopening as runners move through the route and each section is cleared for safe traffic.
