Living in Peru » Features : Running Events Abound in Lima and Peru

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12 May, 2009 12:18:08 | in art, culture, lifestyle

Running Events Abound in Lima and Peru

by
Ben Jonjak

Sometimes it's nice to sit and reflect on how far Lima has come over the years. With all the negativity that constantly surrounds today's media, progress sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. But really, when you think about it, Lima is a much different city today than it was even five or ten years ago, and the changes are for the better.



I was talking to a Peruvian friend of mine the other day who mentioned that ten years ago, there were very few restaurants in Lima. Today, Lima is one of the world's top gastronomic regions thanks to Gaston Acurio and his "fusion" food concept. Currently there is no shortage of excellent gourmet restaurants (all of them reasonably priced) that you can browse through in our gastronomy section (and you'll be happy you did). What Gaston has provided the impetuous for can't be understated, and although Machu Picchu and other relics of the Inca empire will always be the crowning jewel of Peruvian tourism, culinary tours are also a viable reason to visit this great country.

Another thing that has sprung up out of nowhere is the recent plethora of running events. Although some people are initially dismissive of the idea ("you're going to pay to run?"), running events are a fantastic addition to the community. Back when I was growing up in Wisconsin (you know it from having watched, "That 70s Show"), the running calendar was one of our primary resources for entertainment. Most of the time you'd pay about 10$, get a free T-shirt, do a 10-15km run, and then have the rest of the day to relax and party with your friends. Compared with other recreation events, running is extremely cheap (no plane tickets, no gas), and it keeps you healthy, fit, and provides a reason to go out and run the rest of the week (there's no motivation to lose a couple kg like knowing you're going to have to carry it 20+ km in a few weeks). Also, when you finish a running race, you experience what's called an "endorphin high" (an overwhelming sense of joy for what you have accomplished) that has to be experienced to be believed.


Furthermore, running events are generally used as fund-raisers for community projects and events. What better way is there to raise money than to essentially throw a gigantic party? Also, running events provide great advertising as people wear the T-shirts they get from the event for years into the future (I always see people running down the Malecon wearing Nike 10K shirts).


Actually, one of the remarkable things about these Lima running events is the quality of the shirts they provide. Stateside, I'm used to getting fairly cheap cotton Ts, but here you are frequently given a very high-quality running shirt made out of some moisture wicking material. They're fabulous! Another little quirk of Lima events (probably due to the quality of the shirts) is that everybody wears their race shirt during the event! What this means is that you disappear into a mass of like-garbed athletes which only emphasizes the sense of camaraderie and festivity (plus it makes for great photos)!


If traffic is a concern (Lima traffic is famous worldwide) you also don't have to worry. A little known fact is that virtually nobody goes anywhere on Sunday. The streets are oddly silent, and it's easy for race-organizers to get a closed course.


Once you've done a couple running events, you start to see the same faces over and over again and the races start to feel more like family reunions than competitions. It doesn't matter how fast you are, the point of running is to just get out there and get the blood flowing through you. You can even walk the course if you want! Why not?


It's great to see that there is now a huge crowd of people in Lima who are looking to do running events (enough so that more and more of these events keep getting added to the calendar). It's great for the city, and it's great for the population. Who knows, perhaps in ten more years Lima's running events will be yet another reason for people to visit here from all over the world. Lima is a fantastic city for running, I hope to see you all at the next race!

For information on upcoming running events, check here:

Peru Runners

KNK

Pacasmayo Marathon

Adidas 10, 20, 42K

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2 Comments

# David Lenin Franco Escobar says :
18 May, 2009 [ 10:43 ]
# Martin says :
25 May, 2009 [ 09:12 ]
I agree 100% that parts of Lima have definitely made great strides forward in the past 10 years.
However, as to the well publicized running events such as the Nike 10K and the Adiddas events scheduled for 31 May, the runs are priced so that much of the running public can not participate. Simply too expensive! Perhaps that is the marketing desire of Nike and Adiddas. 

When you access Adiddas on the internet for details of the runs on the 31st., all you get is marketing information. For + 25 years I have been running in my Nikes. I will continue to do so, especially after the present Adiddas marketing ploy [or as we say in Peru 'bamba']. 

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