Category Archives: Sports and Exercise

Gran Maratón del Pacífico 2013

1.P1080136GREG!!!

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.

Another Gorgeous Friday Morning in Mazatlán

Sometimes routines can be a really good thing. We hike the lighthouse hill, as you know, several times a week. It’s wonderful to see those who also have that routine, and to notice the small, day-to-day and week-to-week changes.

Sunrises are always gorgeous here, and today’s over the harbor was no exception.

Flowers are in full glory right now. The smell is intoxicating, and they are also a definite feast for the eyes. I love how the flowering vines grow over and decorate the cacti, and I especially love watching the shrimp boats just outside the port.

The other day we noticed some young men painting new murals on the walls of Colegio Pacífico on the hill. There was already one there from 2011, but now there are quite a few more.

And, finally, as we worked our way home to start the day’s work, we met up with a march for World Mental Health Day. Marines, nurses, and a whole lot of young people took part in the parade. It was encouraging to see.

And, we’re showered and at our desks by 9:00 am! Thank you, Mazatlán, for all your beauty!

The Faro after Heavy Rains

I thought you might enjoy a few slideshows of the lighthouse this time of year. If you live here seasonally, you may not have seen the lush greens vegetation, and the heavy, heavy ruts and mud slides past which we hike this time of year.

First, a slideshow of the ruts and the terrain, after some heavy rain.

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Second, a slideshow of a few of the views as we climb up. These were taken Friday morning Sept. 20th at sunrise:

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And, finally, after we hiked back down, we walked over to see the pirate/clipper ship currently being repaired in our happily recovering ship repair docks. Apparently this one is from Los Cabos:

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We hope to see you hiking the lighthouse sometime soon!

A Lazy Saturday Bike Ride

Frigates wtih fish
After a most wonderful Mothers’ Day yesterday, which went from early morning till early this morning, we were more than happy to sleep in a bit. Thus we got a late start on a Saturday morning bike ride.

This is our favorite time of year: quiet, without crowds, perfect weather. The sky was blue, the air was warm with a light breeze. We biked down the malecón and around downtown to run a few errands. Below are a few of the sights that caught my fancy (you can click on any photo to see it larger, and then click through a slideshow if you’d like).

I always love to watch the fishermen and their boats or pangas. It reminds me of the Izu Peninsula, in Shizuoka, where I lived in Japan for so many years. Somehow, fishing villages worldwide share so much in common. (Again, you can click on any photo below to enlarge it, and then click through a slide show if you’d care to.)

Today there were so many birds out and about. They were loving the fishermen, and the tourists and others who were buying fish who were willing to feed a bit of their purchase to a poor, starving sea bird. As if…

The sun was just a bit too tempting for Greg. He laid down for a bit, enjoying soaking it in. Soon it will be too hot to enjoy doing this, but for now, it’s absolutely perfect!

Relaxing in the sun

 

Porqué Me Gusta Tanto El Amanecer? Why Do I Love Sunrise So Much?

Sunrise over the Sierras

Sunrise over the Sierras

Why do I love sunrise so much? Acompáñenme, por favor. Pull up a chair and join me, won’t you? Here’s the walk I took just after sunrise this morning. Get why I like it? There was quite a bit of fog over the city, as you can see. Vamos a comenzar el camino un poco después del amanecer. Caminaremos hasta arriba del faro. ¿Ven porque me gusta tanto? Hoy había bastante niebla sobre la ciudad, como pueden ver.

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¿Y desde arriba? ¿Como se ve? Aquí arriba no había nada de niebla hoy por la mañana. How did it look up top this morning, looking out over the city, and down on the boats? There wasn’t a bit of fog up here this morning.

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After a short break up top, I start the walk back down. Now I don’t have to turn around to see the view—it’s in all its glory right in front of me! Después de un pequeño descanso por arriba, comienzo la bajada. Ahora no tengo que voltearme para apreciar la vista—todo está esplendidamente enfrente de mí.

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Al fin, tengo que volver a casa, para comenzar el día de trabajo. Pero me quedan unas vistas más. Qué difíciles las mañanas aquí en el puerto, ¿verdad? Finally, I have to make my way home so I can get to work. But I still have a few things left to see; it’s such a difficult challenge living here in our fair port. 😉

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Thank you for joining me! ¡Gracias por acompañarme!