By: Aaron Echavarria
On February 23rd, the 12th Tepeyac Race took place, where several runners from Playa del Carmen go to Instituto Tepeyac to test their physical and mental abilities.
This race has three routes: the first one, which is usually for the youngest participants, is 1 km; the second one, for people of the same age as the 1 km runners or older, is 5 km; and the third one is 10 km.
I ran in the Tepeyac Race for two reasons. The first was to see how physically fit I am, and the second was because it was a requirement to participate in the Intercollegiate Sports event.
Before the race started, all the runners were on the soccer field, either warming up or talking with friends and family. Around 8:00 AM, we were given the option to do a general warm-up with some teachers, and we also received a few instructions on how the race would be organized.
First, the 1 km race started, which lasted no more than 20 minutes, and then the 5 km race began, which is the one I participated in.
At the beginning of the race, I was nervous because I had never run this race in previous years. During the race, I felt very excited since it had finally started, but around the 3 km mark, I got a small cramp in my calves. However, I couldn’t stop because there was a time limit, so I just walked until it passed and then kept running.
Of course, there were some small obstacles in the race, like some uphill sections that made it even more exhausting. In the end, I felt very proud of myself for pushing through.
My experience in this race was amazing because at every kilometer, there was a water station for the runners, I was running alongside my friends, it felt safe thanks to the control they had over wild animals, and I also noticed that at the beginning, there weren’t many teachers cheering and encouraging the runners. However, after 3.5 km, more teachers could be seen giving inspiring words and motivating the runners to finish the race.
This race was an opportunity for me to prove to myself that I could handle 5 km. It may sound like a short distance, but it’s not that easy.
I highly recommend this race because it is a great way to challenge yourself and see what you are capable of. It is also very good for your body because, for this type of race, you need to prepare to avoid reaching your limit and having an accident. I can’t wait to participate again next year in this amazing ¡CARRERA TEPEYAC!
