We LOVE marathon. And the triathlon. And all the numerous other huge and wonderful sporting events Mazatlán hosts. We live right in the middle of it all. Most the events start and end in the City Park, right behind our house, and take place along the malecón, right in front of our house. They bring huge numbers of people to town, athletes plus their families from all over the country and internationally. Mouseover any photo to see a caption; click on it to view it larger or see a slideshow.

On the malecón, at dawn, signs directing 5k runners to turn around

Sunrise over the finish line

The moon (setting) and the Pacífico blimp

This year there are “banda” playing every 2 km along the race routes

The starting line

View of the starting line and the runners

The Pacífico blimp over the starting line

So excited to get started!

The crowd waiting to begin the run

Some of the winners this morning

The licuado shops and taquerías were hopping early this morning!

On Insurgentes, a sign directing runners which direction to head

Helicopter over Deer Island

Helicopter over the race route

Viewing and purchasing photos of the race

The estuary, part of the race route, looked so peaceful afterwards.

Today’s marathon, however, was different. Greg decided he’d run the 10k, and our niece, Arely, has been working since January to be able to run the 5k. And they did it! My most hearty congratulations to both of them! They will be in partying mood this evening for the fireworks display on the bay (10+ launching locations, starts at 8 pm).

Before the race (sleepy at 6 am on a Saturday)

Greg running to the finish!

Happy at the finish line

Receiving his 10k medal

Closeup of the medal

Our two champions!

In front of the route guide

After the race, the runners and cheerleaders

With the Eagle of Recycling, who ran in his costume to build awareness of ecology

The champion with his son and compadre, Jorge

The spectators and cheerleaders of the morning’s event!

Pretty eerie to leave home this morning and be greeted by an ambulance. It was just waiting on the race route, just in case.

I am always so impressed by the competitors in wheelchairs as well as those on crutches! This year, I also noticed lots of children running with their parents or aunts and uncles. I’m guessing in previous years I’ve watched the marathon runners come in, so this year with the 5 and 10k, I naturally saw more children. Some people love to dress up. This year there was a guy who’d made an Eagle costume out of trash. He ran with the whole get-up on, dragging trash behind him, with signs on his wings, in order to raise awareness of ecological responsibility. Bravo!

A competitor in a wheelchair

A competitor on crutches (one leg) and another with a stroller

Mom and son?

Son and his dad?

The Eagle, made out of recyclables, running the race

Some runners like to dress up

Closeup of the eagle

Competitors in wheelchairs after the race

Competitors in wheelchairs after the race

Despite the crowds during these huge international events, Mazatlán remains a small city, and it’s fun to hug and get hugged by friends who are also competing.

With Chris from the running club; we never did see the rest of the club

With Guy, our neighbor and MZT icon

With Guy, our neighbor and MZT icon

With Danny’s old schoolmate, José Raúl

My favorite barrista from Looney Bean

Congratulations, Greg and Arely! Congratulations to everyone who competed this morning! What a great group of healthy people! Tonight will be fantastic, and the half- and full marathons tomorrow even better! ¡Viva Mazatlán, home of the athletes and their fans!

Below I post a very short video compilation of the morning.