Cobán Half Marathon Offers 13.1 Miles of Beauty and Culture
Running is a sport that continues to grow in popularity. With races big races like the New York City Marathon, The Marine Corps Marathon, The Los Angeles Marathon, The Chicago Marathon, and The Rock and Roll Marathon, people of all ages and athletic abilities are joining the ranks of mid-pack and back of the back runners. Long distance running, once viewed as the sport for only elite athletes, has broadened its appeal in recent years. As runners are more and more willing to get on a plane to run a marathon or half marathon, they are also more open to taking out their passports for international races. The Cobán International Half Marathon offers just that opportunity for the runner seeking to race on the road less traveled.
Booking a room ahead of time is just as important as your training program. In Cobán rooms tend to fill up quickly. Past participants have shared stories about having to spend 75 Quetzales for merely sleeping outside in a hammock. Hammocks don't often come with a rent with option to buy clause, so runners wanting to sleep well the night of the race should come with reservations.
There is much more to any race than the banners and cheering spectators at the end of the race. Last year's participants crossed the finish line under a colorful banner listing the race sponsors: New Balance, Coca-Cola, and Bancafe. The crowd cheered in the sunshine under a huge red balloon advertising TorTrix. But for most runners the true race happens in the solitude of the racecourse, not at the finish line where times are often recorded on rent-to-own technology, such as rent to own computers by race officials
It will come as no surprise that the athletes from Kenya are usually among the top finishers. If only the Kenyan runners offered a
lease option on their beautiful, strong running legs to get the back of the pack runners to the finish line fiesta sooner.
This May marks the 33rd Cobán International Half Marathon. Past participants have commented that there are usually more cheering fans than participants, with participation averaging somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 runners.
Running has become a sport without borders, connecting people from all over the planet at a very human level. There is both the collective and individual satisfaction. The runner Sasha Azevedo, once commented, "I believe in the runner's high, and I believe that those who are passionate about running are the ones who experience it to the fullest degree possible. To me, the runner's high is a sensational reaction to a great run! It's an exhilarating feeling of satisfaction and achievement. It's like being on top of the world, and truthfully... there's nothing else quite like it!"
