Punta Arenas 12K Race

[Written by Elizabeth Leonardis for our old blog, So Civilized]

Alex pre race in the Plaza

Back to Punta Arenas, Chile where our adventure began back in October. Alex & I were anxious to take care of business and head to Patagonia. We happen to arrive on Easter weekend which conflicted somewhat with our schedule to get out of PA asap. However, it also provided Alex an opportunity to run a quick 12K race. The day we were to leave we happened across a large group of people all wearing running attire. Now this is a strange sight, as when we normally run in Punta Arenas, we see only a few Navy guys running, if that. Turns out there is a race going on starting in the main plaza for all ages and distances.

Alex towering above his fellow runners

The start of the race

Of course, Alex couldn’t resist and he ran back to the hotel to change into running gear. We said some quick goodbyes to our friends from Palmer that were leaving that morning and Alex headed to the start line. As our Spanish is pretty poor we weren’t sure where the race goes but there was one guy looking out for Alex to make sure he at least started at the right time. As you can see in the photos, Alex stood out somewhat with his big beard, Antarctic pale skin, and towering height above everyone else. We are not sure what place he came in, as there were runners doing a 6K and a 12K, so we weren’t able to distinguish. Alex got a bit lost along the way as well, however I believe he came in around 5th place. Not too sure out of how many, but I was proud of him.

Alex steps from the finish line

Attempting to converse with people after the race

Once the race was over, a quick shower and then off to the bus stop to begin our journey north to the Argentine side of Patagonia.El Calafate was a stop along the way but the ultimate destination was to be El Chalten.