La Paz Marathon and Number 1492
After running in York and Boone, I was determined to finally run a full city marathon.
Looking at my calendar last year, I realized that either Lima (May) or Santiago (April) would probably do, as there didn’t seem to be a marathon in La Paz. Understandably, considering the altitude.
News of the La Paz marathon was released quite late—like in January, if I recall. It seems that they only received a full sponsorship at the last moment, which contributed greatly to this being a free event.
The training wasn’t going to be a problem, I knew. I have already been running and working out here for almost three years. How exactly I would perform on a 26 mile course at 12,000 feet altitude was an entirely different matter.
I receive the information of the course in due time: the course starts at Plaza Espana—very close to the Embassy—and runs its way up the autopista all the way to El Alto. That’s more than nine miles, steady uphill, before you are permitted to run downhill again for the better part of 12 miles, through downtown, Obrajes, and eventually Zona Sur. The most runners I talked to are not dreading the uphill run, but the downhill part, saying it will be murder on their knees.
First, I will have to conquer the dreaded autopista hill in training. I run this stretch twice, once with Liebi, the other time with Sean, an incredible runner who will eventually run the marathon in La Paz as well.
The marathon itself is set for March 10, and the first disaster occurs two weeks before it. Sinus infection, on the Disabled List—that’s four crucial days I don't get to prepare for an incredibly challenging run. Not good.
Then comes the pickup of the marathon packs: you know, the shirt, your number, and the magnetic clip that monitors your time. I am not able to get this until Friday, the last weekday, since, in their words, they have run out of numbers and clips for ‘senior’ runners (40 and older). When I finally do get my number on Friday, I see I have been issued the number 1492. Wow. It remains to be seen whether this will be a lucky number or a curse, since this is Latin America.
What will be different about this marathon is the fact that, other than it being a city and high altitude marathon, that there will be people running it that I know, first and foremost Liebi.
So we do all the right things in the last week, staying in shape and having the high carb dinner the night before until we roll out of bed at around five a.m. the day of the marathon. We strap on our number and the magnetic clip until it is finally time to head out.
Rain has fallen earlier in the night but is gone by the time we are up and about. Now comes the race itself after months of anticipation.
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