Michael: Off to the Races

For over an hour
We played at without touching
Like we were children.

Monday, May 2, 2016

I’m still coming off a bit of a high from yesterday’s race, so to calm myself down and not over indulge in my aura of glory, today I’ll do a little compare and contrast between the race yesterday and road racing in the states. Tomorrow, when I hopefully won’t be so full of myself, I’ll talk about my personal experience of the race.

First, knowing there is a race. Just like in the states a google search would’ve turn up yesterday’s race. That’s not how we found it though. A bank guard, who recognizes us as runners, told us about it. A few weeks ago posters were also put up at a few of the local shops.

The website: The format is similar to U.S. races with the exception of not having on-line sign ups or any course descriptions or maps. Instead it gives you sign up locations and distances.

A very nice runner from Costa Rica recommended a website to us that lists many races in that country that does allow for on-line payment. For us, the bus ride to many of those races would be shorter than traveling to Panama City, where I’m also certain there are many more opportunities to race. We’re definitely going to check it out. But since any race there would involve a long bus ride and at least one night’s stay at an hotel, It’ll be an occasional treat as opposed to the nearly twice monthly race schedule I use to maintain in the states.

Signing Up: For yesterday’s race we had two locations to choose from; the Chiriqui Mall or the Volcan Mercado. We chose Volcan where the office hours were Monday through Friday; 8a.m. to 4p.m. Naturally, those times are a bit smudged here. For example, on Friday we were there at 8:20 and no one was in the office. We returned after working out at 12:40 and naturally they were out to lunch with a hand written sign posted, “regresa en un momento.” At 1:20 they returned and we signed up.

Cost: Yesterday’s race cost us $20 a piece. The last road race I did in the states in February cost $45.

Swag: Pretty much like the states; a bag, a shirt, a juice and a bottle of water. In L.A. almost all race bags come with a few flyers of future races and from sponsors advertising their products.

Timing: Bibs and chipped time, just like in the states.

Size: Yesterday’s race had maybe a couple of hundred people spread out over three categories: 5k runners, 5k walkers, and 16k runners. The last 5k I did in L.A. wasn’t even one of the larger well known ones and it still had at least a couple of thousand runners.

Competition: But don’t let the small size fool you. Just like in L.A., there is a hard core group of athletes here. Yesterday I came in 11th overall out of 45 runners. In February in L.A. I came in 8th out of a couple of thousand runners.

Safety: The course was well marked with police patrolling the route, but they don’t close off the roads completely to traffic here. After all, the main road we ran on is the only road connecting a few of the small mountain towns to Volcan and David.

Amenities: En route, there was bottled water available every couple of miles. They don’t do the table and cup aid stations like I’m use to in L.A. In L.A. I’d feel terrible about taking a sip from a 12 oz. bottle then tossing it aside, but with so much water here, it doesn’t seem to be a concern. Still feel a bit guilty though.

My main gripe is the non-existence of porta potties. Last year the one toilet available before the race was not a pretty sight. This year I made sure to get up early enough to take care of all my business at home. I couldn’t imagine going to a race in L.A. without porta potties available.

Awards: There was a long drawn out ceremony just like many L.A. races. But because of the smaller field, the age brackets were a bit skewed. Here they were broken down into 13-19, then ten year groupings until you got to 50, then it was 50-80. I wonder how I would’ve felt if a 79 year old would’ve taken my age group.

Everyone received a finishing medal, but only the top three male and female runners in each race received prizes - cash; $150, $100, and $50. Age group winners received a certificate. In the states medals are the norm.

After Party: Immediately after the race there was water and Gatorade available, then later rice was served. Nothing compared to the usual smorgasbord of treats following an L.A. race.

We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and only wish they would have a few more races scheduled here throughout the year. Eventually, I may have to get up the guts to try to team up with a Spanish local and try to organize a true trail race. Now that would be a kick in the pants.