One of the highlights of my vacation in Costa Rica was running in a 10k race in San Jose. It was nice to see that the city had an enthusiastic running community. 
I hadn’t planned on doing any running before I got there. But the manager of the shoe store I visited in San Jose convinced me it would be a good idea. He also talked me into buying a pretty expensive pair of running shoes. I don’t have buyer’s remorse on either count.
On my next trip to Latin America, I’m going to see if I can find a race ahead of time.
Source for Finding Upcoming Races. A good resource for finding information about races in Latin America and throughout the rest of the world is Runtheplanet.com. Just want to go out for a run? Check out the site’s running routes feature. This Spanish language Web site lists upcoming races in Mexico.
Some tour operators offer travel packages that are tailored around marathons and other types of races in many destinations in Latin America.
Few countries have as big a running community as the U.S. But some of the best runners in the world come from Latin American countries such as Brazil and Mexico.
Top Latin American Runners. One of the top woman marathoners is Madai Perez from Tlaxcala, Mexico. Brazil’s Marilson Gomes dos Santos won the 2008 New York Marathon.
Running is a central cultural component of one indigenous group in Mexico. The Tarahumaras, which live in the remote regions of Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains, are acclaimed for their ability to run for hours in their bare feet or primitative shoes made from old tires.
Some of the running feats of the Tarahumaras are described in the book God’s Middle Finger, by Richard Grant. Grant describes how in the 1994 annual 100-mile ultra marathon in Leadville Colorado, Tarahumara runner Juan Herrera beat the course record by 25 minutes.
Tarahumaras. Even more incredible is that Herrera ran the course in sandals cut from old tires, Grant says.
It looks like the Tarahumaras have some competition from Kenyan immigrants.
More than 130 world-class Kenyan runners have immigrated to Mexico recently, the San Francisco Chronicle reported last year. Many of the Kenyans live outside of Mexico City in Toluca.
Kenyan Immgrants. Mexico’s high-altitude areas and crisp air makes it an ideal place for runners to train, according to the article.
But, with Kenyans winning 85 percent of the long distances races last year, it seems they are wearing out their welcome.
The Chronicle reports:
In many towns hosting races, the African athletes say they endure taunts and racial epithets from fans upset that they will beat Mexican national favorites. Indeed, the vitriol has become so intense that a number of domestic race officials limit payments to between one and three Kenyans no matter how many are eligible for cash prizes.
Photo by Eneas (Via Creative Commons)
on Mar 11th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
In Chile for organized races you can check http://www.corre.cl. It has the major annual races sponsored by Adidas and Nike plus other events I’d never heard of.
I think it’s also important to learn about a country’s running culture and safety. In Chile, for example, people don’t just go for a jog as much as in California, so you probably don’t want to just run down any old sidewalk because people won’t get out of your way and you’re right by traffic. There are some good running paths and other spots, including Cerro San Cristobal with it’s Parque Metropolitano, but you would want to be careful as parts of it can be dangerous even in broad daylight (the paths wind around the hill, and on a weekday you could well find yourself out of sight and earshot of other people). The smog is also an issue here, and there are days when you’re better off skipping the run altogether, especially in winter.
on Mar 11th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Emily, thanks for that link. Glad to see you’re a runner. One of my favorite sayings about running is that it will add years to your life and life to your years.
I noticed the same thing about Costa Rica. When I was in Manuel Antonio, running on the twisty road to the beach would have meant taking my life in my hands. No sidewalk, two lanes, and fast cars.
on Mar 12th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Thanks for the links, Steven! I’m still hoping to find other ways to do my long runs rather than going for loop after loop on the Cerro Fortin. I’m always surprised when I run a race here at the number of hard core female runners that come out. I’ve come in fourth and third, and each time the women ahead of me are obviously really intense and they train professionally. There are two races I really like in Oaxaca–one in November, that goes to Monte Alban, and the other in February or March, a 5k on the Cerro Fortin. The latter hasn’t been announced yet…I’m wondering if it’ll happen this year.
on Mar 12th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Sarah, this post was partly inspired by the comment you made on your blog re: running in Oaxaca at 6am. You must see a lot of pretty cool sights. Someday, I’d like to run in the Mexico City Marathon. Although the altitude and pollution, might make things somewhat difficult, I think it would be a great way to really see the city. For those who haven’t checked it out yet, take a look at Sarah’s blog . She’s also a Latin America fanatico. Good writer too.
on Mar 25th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Hi, this posts is great!! I was in one of this race two years ago in Peru. I remember that I was visiting Lima and some friends talked tome about the Nike 10K race. It was unbeliable to see the amount of people who joined for this event. I participated and runneed and was an amazing experience. Also, I had the oportunity of knowing this beautiful country that has excelents places to visita, the food is very good and the people nice. If you have the oportunity visit Peru. I used a travel agency that helped me with everything, it names is TurPeru and has a web where you can all about this country…the link is http://turperu.com.pe/pages/inf_tour.php
on Mar 26th, 2009 at 2:42 am
Thanks Jessica. I agree that running in a race is a great way to mix with the locals. Peru sounds wonderful. I hope to visit there someday.