The Moraviana Run is in its third year, so this event is a relative newbie. As stated in the previous posts leading up to the race, the Ticos know what they're doing with this. Registration and packet pickup was a breeze, so it was no surprise that we saw indications of a well-organized run as we rode in the taxi to Lincoln Plaza. Volunteers, who have to get up earlier than the runners, were already in position at key intersections, traffic cones were in place, and police presence was thorough which is always comforting to see. Yes, it was a good time to knock over a pulperia across town.
The race was to start at 7 AM so we had arranged for our new buddy, Alvaro, to pick us up at 6-ish. As you recall, Alvaro was the driver who met us at the Tica Bus station when we got to San Jose. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Alvaro:
Toward the end of the video, I jokingly motioned for him to keep his eyes on the road. He responds by making a circular motion with his hand, indicating that the car would go off the road and roll several times, then he says "Adios!". Hahaha! Love this guy!
He dropped us at Lincoln Plaza, wished us luck and sped off. It was a little chilly so we made our way into the mall to stay warm. Nice that they open the mall so runners can use the restrooms, stretch, stay warm. We went outside to see what was going on with race set up and people showing up, getting amped up with the loud music. We looked up and noticed a special sign commemorating Event 50. We both have loved ones who must have been letting us know how proud of us they were.
We left the relative comfort of the mall about ten minutes before the race and went out for some final stretching and race prep. 'Race prep' mostly consists of eyeing the competition, seeing which overweight old guys, soccer moms and kids under nine years old I think I can beat. Looking around, I was confident I had a shot at not coming in last.
We walked to the far end of the mall, to gather with the other like-minded slower runners. Leave the front of the pack for the speedy folks! Seriously, nothing is worse than seeing a hardcore runner who is racing for money or a PR get held up by a slower racer who just wants to be at the front for no particular reason. Respect, man. Back in our area, they had a stage set up and there was a guy with one of those snazzy headset mics leading the crowd in a dance workout, maybe Zumba or a Billy Blanks bootcamp warm up. I thought it was funny that they set this up at the end of the crowd closest to the people who would least likely be able to perform the workout. Haha!
As the start time drew closer, the crowd started sliding forward. Looking around, I noticed that I could truly look all around, 360 degrees, with no one blocking any part of my view. I was the tallest guy here, by far.
As cloudy as it was, it never rained at all. Truthfully, it was already warm enough that a little rain would have felt wonderful! There were a few announcements - in Spanish, of course - explaining the route and a couple of turns to be aware of, and what to do if you were opting for the longer route. Ha! '…longer route'?? Event 50 was more like the last stage of the Tour de France - the one where they maybe have a sprint for final points but mostly the guys bike along the Champs-Élysées whilst drinking champagne and telling horrible Lance Armstrong jokes:
(Warning: skip this joke if you're easily offended!)
Bradley Wiggins: What's the difference between Lance Armstrong and Hitler?
Mark Cavendish: I don't know. What is the difference between Lance Armstrong and Hitler?
Bradley Wiggins: At least Lance Armstrong can finish a race.
Mark Cavendish: (begins whining about how poorly the punchline was delivered and how Wiggins cost him the stage win)
After the announcements, the emcee's voice got louder and people were cheering, and I could see heads moving up in the front. The race had started!
Event 50 was underway!!
In most ways this race was like any of the other road races we'd done in the past. There were a couple of differences to note. Of course you always have to watch the road in front of you to look for tripping hazards, pot holes, curbs and such. In a country where people steal manhole covers to sell as scrap, you have to watch out so you don't end up falling into a hole up to your thigh! This neighborhood was pretty good and they had the course routed on streets that were in decent shape, so it was all good. Still, we've learned that you don't walk and gaze around at the same time. You keep your eyes ahead and if you want to look at something besides the ground in front of you, stop first.
The other difference was the water stations. There were two on the course, staffed by wonderful volunteers who said encouraging things as we went by. The way the water is served to runners is quite different:
Camera Crew will demonstrate the drinking technique later. We made sure to thank volunteers at the turns and make sure they knew we appreciated them. It's important, people. In fact, if you ever want to be inspired, volunteer at a race. Trust me, you'll leave wanting to sign up for an event yourself.
We cruised around the neighborhood, circumnavigating Colegio Saint Francis and made our way uphill back to the mall - and the finish line. With two days to go before my birthday, Event 50 in the 50@50 Project was complete!!
To say that it felt surreal to complete this year-long challenge would be an understatement. In fact, other than enjoying the usual post-race euphoria, I didn't know what to think. We stretched a little, high-fived each other, hugged, smiled. We stood in line to get our finishers medals,which are awesome!
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| Genuine Mayan gold |
We ate fruit (big chunks of delicious watermelon and pineapple) and granola bars while cheering on finishers. It's always fun to do this and even more entertaining when runners are wondering why two gringos are shouting them on. Oh, and as promised, here is Camera Crew drinking from a water bag:
To top off the day, the celebration of Event 50 and the entire 50@50 Project, something incredibly cool happened. A young man by the name of Nicholas approached and wanted to interview us about the race. He was with a local daily newspaper called La Teja and wanted our opinion of the race. He got our names and took several photos. During the course of chatting with him, Camera Crew mentioned the 50@50 Project - explained the premise, what we had been doing for the past year and that this race was the final event. We talked a little more, he thanked us and left. We thought that was kinda cool, that maybe they might mention us in the paper - but then it got even better.
Nicholas came back to inform us that he had called his editors and they wanted to run a full story about us and the 50@50 Project!! So he asked quite a few more questions and got some more pictures. Could it get any more awesome than that? Here we are, in a foreign country, we picked this race from several that were being held in time to complete the goal within the year and we end up getting interviewed and our story/picture gets in the paper!!! We were in the print edition the next morning…
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| Autographs for 1.000 colones, effectivo ("cash"). |
…and you can check out the story online here. The day after the race, we went downtown to find a print copy of the paper (seen in picture, above). We weren't sure where to find newspapers. Unlike the US, papers aren't usually sold in grocery stores or convenience stores. So we went on the hunt for a good old-fashioned newsstand, which we'd seen on other excursions but couldn't quite remember where, exactly. We came across an older guy sitting on some steps reading a copy of La Teja. We stopped to ask where he had gotten it and he pointed us down the street a little ways. I asked to see his copy, which he graciously handed to me. I flipped through it and - lo and behold - found the article! I showed it to him and he was so surprised that it was us, he gave us the paper! We eventually found a newsstand and got the same big smile and wide eyes from the elderly woman who was selling papers, and we bought two more copies. Pretty cool stuff.
That's it. All done. Fifty races in one year. It was a very awesome birthday party.
And here is the last, final 50@50 Project event wrap video for your viewing pleasure:
After all the excitement of finishing the race, the project and the interview it was time to head home. Because they had the streets around the mall closed down for the race, we had to walk up the road a bit, but as it goes in San Jose, it wasn't long before a cab came by and we were on our way back to Escazu.
More thoughts on the year later!!
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| Happy birthday to me! |
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