The Coastal Challenge

After clearing customs and stumbling around trying to figure out where to go next, I heard a voice say, "Looks like you're going our way." And so...I met Jen and Florencia. These two ladies from Miami adopted me for the next two days and provided me with invaluable advice about the days ahead on the route of the Coastal Challenge.

The Coastal Challenge is a 6 day running stage race through Costa Rica. The route changes every other year - one jungle route and a volcano route. This year's route was the volcano route, or "route of fire."

The first challenge of the Coastal Challenge came unexpectedly and even before the race started. Meaghan finally arrived from Alaska 4 hours before the race start. After a boxed breakfast of eggs, rice and beans from the local Denny's, we set off in the race bus at 4am. The bus driver negotiated 3 hours of winding roads to La Fortuna, home of the sacred volcano Arenal. On Day 1, we navigated over 15 miles and 5,000 feet of elevation. We ran through beautiful rainforests, ending at Rancho Margo, a self-sustaining farm and eco-lodge.

Days 2 and 3 were our longest traverses of back-to-back 22 mile runs and 4,500 to 5,000 of elevation. We were in tropical rainforests, eventually leading us to dry, dusty farm roads and high wind areas with windmill farms. Meaghan and I were so mesmorized by the windmills that we actually missed the first turn of the longest day of the race, adding an additional 2 miles to our overall distance.

Day 4 brought us to a more arid part of Costa Rica. After spending the night in a church yard, we ran along a hot, dry road for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, we entered into a beautiful canyon. At one point, the trail ended and we had to make a choice to either scale a wall or swim. It was a no-brainer for me. I jumped in immediately and starting swimming up-river. I assumed Meaghan was following me, but when I looked back she was clutching the side of the rock wall. For some reason, she was a little more hesitant to make the 10 foot plunge into the river. All ended well when, after some "coaxing," she jumped in and enjoyed the refreshing water. The day ended at an amazing waterfall.

At the end of both Days 5 and 6, we arrived at deserted beaches along the coast. Each day came with a price. The heat index was well over 100 degrees both days.

All in all, we ended up traversing 97 miles and coming in 2nd place in the Adventure division. We never would have made it through without the awesome volunteers and race staff, foot doctors for our blistered feet (Thanks Dougy) and all of our electrolyte replacements for these two cold-blooded Alaskans.