JP Runs The World

96 Miles of Pura Vida

Back in September a close friend of mine (thanks L.A.!) shared an opportunity for a 6-day, 96.3 mile running adventure through the jungles, rivers and beaches of South Pacific Costa Rica. Knowing I had already committed to the World Marathon Challenge, the opportunity to run 6 days in a row certainly peaked my interest.  Ok: I wasn't immediately sold. The first thought that came to mind was what in the world in terms of wildlife would I be encountering! There are certainly crocs, poisonous snakes, poisonous frogs, pumas, jaguars & spiders to name a few! But once I put aside that irrational fear I put in my application (only 16 are accepted they make certain you have the experience, and also that you'll mesh well with the group) and anxiously awaited to hear back from Pablo - the grand master of Run the World Adventures who organized this expedition (certainly not without the help of his wife, Christina!) Well - since I've got a neat video and a lot of cool pics it probably doesn't make sense to tell you I was accepted but hey - you never know!

Fast forward to January - my bags were packed and I was San José bound where I'd meet my 15 fellow adventure runners and our expedition leaders - Pablo who I've already mentioned, Sergio who directs the Coastal Challenge, Esteban who is an amazing adventure racer, Siddhar who kept us healthy, hydrated & fueled, and Mario the best bus driver ever! After I arrived at the hotel I joined all those that had arrived by the pool as we waited for the rest of the gang to arrive and for our orientation meeting. The very first thing I noticed was how well everyone got along. Here is a group from literally all over the world that has never met and yet it almost felt like a reunion of long lost friends. I credit this not only to brilliant organizing, but also to the fact we immediately shared a common bond: running. Experience didn't matter, where we came from didn't matter: we were all passionate runners and about to embark on an epic adventure. It probably worth mentioning quite a few of us liked beer too - that helped 🙂

Anyway, that night we had our orientation meeting to learn what the next several days would hold for us. If you check out the map to the right, essentially we'd be meandering our way from Quepos, to Drake by running between the coastal areas, and inland through the jungles, across rivers and over mountains. We would be running in areas most tourists never see and through trails made by Pablo and his team (and that were shared by the Coastal Challenge). I think most of us found the elevation charts quite daunting! You'll see a bit of that below 🙂 After our meeting we had a nice meal together before making some final preparations and hitting the sack as the next morning would come early.

I literally could write a novel over what transpired the next 6 days. My hope is the pictures below and the video above give you a sense of some of the amazing things we experienced together. Generally speaking each day kind of went like this: wake up, pack, eat, load the bags on the bus, run for the next 8 hours or so, chill at our destination, shower, eat and sleep. Everyday held a treasure chest of amazing views, beautiful waterfalls, rivers, lush forest, prestine beaches, and most importantly: Pura Vida. Pure life - to experience Costa Rica as not many have the opportunity to, the way Costa Rican's live and to experience the incredibly hospitable people of Costa Rica. Here's a little taste of where we ran and stayed everyday along with the link to the route with those daunting elevation charts I mentioned above:

Day 1 - Quepos to Manuel Antonio

Hilly, but short coastal run to give everyone a chance to acclimate to the climate.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/841014925

Accommodations : http://www.mimoshotel.com/en

Day 2 - Manuel Antonio to El Brujo

This was by far the toughest day for me. The terrain was difficult and I was drained by the end of the day. But we ended at one of the most amazing places of the trip - Buenaventura which is a privately owned retreat. A lot of what we ate was grown on premises and super delicious, we had an incredible rejuvenating river clay experience and some of the best homemade chocolate I've ever had! I will never buy chocolate against that has preservatives.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/843306188

Accommodations: http://www.buenaventura-ecoadventurelodge.com/

Day 3 - El Brujo to Dominical

The last two miles of this were running on a relatively quiet part of the Dominical beach and then a short swim to the finish line. We saw one of the most amazing sunset's here! Feet were starting to become an issue as I had developed a few blisters and hotspots. Road shoes weren't the best choice (more on that later).

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/843163754

Accommodations: http://www.buenaventura-ecoadventurelodge.com/

Day 4 - Dominical to Playa Hermosa

This is the day that really proved beer as mid-run hydration really works! A ton of river running and one of the steepest downhills I've ever been on in my life! Also one of the most epic waterfall's - the Nauyaca Waterfall. We arrived to Pablo's family and another breathtaking sunset. Feet are much worse from all the river running. I changed my socks at least 3 times! After everyone arrived we took a bus trip to Sierpe Mangrove where we'd stay for the night.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/844413692

Accommodations: http://www.ecomanglares.com/

Day 5 - Sierpe Mangrove to Drake

Started by taking a small ferry a bit deeper into the mangrove, followed by more jungle trails and Jeep road running. We had an encounter with a horse as well which you'll see in the video! Finished at what would be our home for the next two days and that was a great feeling not to have to worry about packing for a couple days! The lodges here were amazing. We had incredible views of beach and air conditioning! This was also my first run in with Cacique Guaro - a sugar cane based liquor made in Costa Rica akin to Tequila but much smoother. It helped ease the enormous amount of pain I was in from my feet being absolutely destroyed and likely infected. We also had one of the most amazing meals - fresh Ceviche and fresh Pargo fish which you'll see below.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/845414127

Accommodations: http://www.vistadrake.com/

Day 6 - Drake to Drake - a.k.a. the victory loop

This last day was a half marathon back into the jungle then up through a wildlife refuge and mainly along the beach and resort areas. It was a great time to reflect on everything that had transpired over the last several days. It was also equally sad knowing it had come to an end and in just a few days our group would be parting ways. My feet were incredibly thankful, though! I hadn't encountered much in the way of wildlife during the trip as I'd expected but the howler monkeys made an appearance towards the end to make sure we kept our distance. And we saw a toucan!

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/846200972

The next day we were back on the bus to San Jose where we'd eventually part ways. But certainly only in the physical sense because by the end of our 6 day journey we'd become those long lost friends I mentioned earlier. I stayed an extra day and did a little touring around San José where I caught the active volcano pic. below.

A few parting thoughts:

  • This is one of the most important running experiences I've ever had. I learned an incredible amount about my mental and physical strength. But even more importantly I reconnected with my passion for running. Not for medals, not for shirts, but to see the world around me. And that is something I'm eternally grateful for.
  • I brought 2 pairs of roads shoes and 12 pairs of socks. Thank God I brought that many socks because dry socks were absolute key! The road shoes were a terrible idea. Little traction on the trails and Jeep roads meant a lot of rubbing which lead to the worst blisters of my life. It took me a good 2 weeks to recover. All this said, I took notice to the Luna Sandals and relatively unscathed feet of Pablo and Andrew Snope who holds the 24-hour World Record for barefoot running. For those of you who've seen me running in Sandals lately - this is where it started! More on that to come.
  • Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and I absolutely cannot wait to go back. One thing I found really cool is how protective they are of their forests and jungles and wildlife. It takes an act of Congress to tear down trees to build something there. I plan to return in 2019 for the Coastal Challenge.
  • I never saw any threatening wildlife and never really worried about it. Did have quite an encounter with fire ants but that was just bad luck! Turns out they are usually more scared of you than you them and if they were there you likely wouldn't ever see them.
  • If you're a runner - go on a running adventure in Costa Rica. Seriously! Cuidado pierde!

I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity and to meet and get to know everyone who was a part of the adventure and cannot wait for the next one!

About 

9 Comments

  1. Lisa Jahnke

    August 13, 2017 - 8:39 pm
    Reply

    Great blog post, photos and video. You captured the true beauty of Costa Rica. More important you shared your running journey and experience!

    • jp

      August 13, 2017 - 9:03 pm
      Reply

      Thank you Lisa!

  2. Renee

    September 5, 2017 - 6:11 pm
    Reply

    Great read! I am in the upcoming group for January… after reading your post I am even more excited!!!

    Note self… trail shoes are a must
    Note self… look into Luna Sandals before leaving just in case….

    • jp

      September 5, 2017 - 9:17 pm
      Reply

      Thanks Renee! You are in good hands and will have the time of your life I have no doubt! Bring at least 2-3 pairs of socks for each day if you plan to wear shoes. Also bring a well supplied blister kit in case. Mine ran out about 4 days into the trip from all the bandage changes. Trail shoes will help but in the end it’s really the wet shoes and socks that get you. If Luna’s work for you they’d help a lot and save you some aggravation! If there’s any other questions you have don’t hesitate to reach out!

  3. Sara

    September 24, 2017 - 7:40 am
    Reply

    Hi JP. It sounds fabulous!!! Im just finding out about joining the new ‘slower’ group in January so your blogs been really helpful (thank you!) Ive never ran 30k every day for a week before – but have done several marathons in the past. Is it broken up lots? Also read about the sandals with interest – will look into them now (may have v cold feet for next few months in the UK 🙂 )

    • jp

      September 24, 2017 - 8:58 pm
      Reply

      Hi Sara! If you’ve done several Marathons, I think you’ll be fine. The key thing to understand about this experience is you’re not racing. The terrain of Costa Rica can be challenging, and the conditions are fairly warm. So while you will have the opportunity to run, you’ll be doing a lot of walking/hiking too. And the runs are at your pace there is no pressure to keep up with anyone. They will keep the group together. You’ll also have the aid station to help break things up. You’ll be out there all day – so the times you see on my posts above are *moving* times not total elapsed time. Most days you’ll probably be underway by 7-7:30 and you’ll be done around 5-5:30. It is a long day so make sure you hydrate and fuel well.

      I’ve worn the sandals down to 0 degrees C or so – it’s not that bad! You can wear Injinji socks with them to help keep your feet warm. The bigger challenge with sandals is getting used to how they feel, and deal with getting rocks, twigs, leaves, etc. getting caught in them. That said: IMHO it’s far easier to deal with that than dealing with all the blisters! I never want to go through that again. EVER!

      Let me know if you have any other questions! It really is a fantastic experience you will NEVER forget!

      • Sara

        September 28, 2017 - 12:05 pm
        Reply

        Thank you so much for coming back to me JP – that has helped immensely. I did look at your running times and think OMG… especially as I got a bit carried away and booked my flights!!!! 🙂

        Glad to hear it’s not frowned on to walk bits. One last question (sorry) – how the hec did you train for this? Will just getting myself marathon ready be enough? I want to be fit enough to enjoy it (and not slow everyone down) but I need to try not to break myself… any further! Thanks again for your advice

        • jp

          September 28, 2017 - 10:13 pm
          Reply

          If you’re in shape for a Marathon I think you’re fine. If you want to feel super prepared then my suggestion is do a couple back-to-back longs runs on a weekend. For example, go out for 21k one day and 21k the next. Or do 30k and 14k the next or something like that. Get used to what it feels like to run long, then do it again the next day. Learn if you have any different fueling requirements as a result or maybe you need to get more rest. Do not fret having to walk at all! The point of what you’re doing is to explore Costa Rica in a way few get to explore it. It’s not a race and if you race it you’re really missing the whole point!

  4. Sara

    September 29, 2017 - 1:41 pm
    Reply

    Thanks for answering all my questions JP! 3 months and counting, yey!

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