The 225 kilometers of The Coastal Challenge 2016 were completed today. Two hundred twenty-five kilometers covered with temperatures consistently above 30 degrees Celsius, through rivers, muddy trails and pure forest, desolate beaches and endless mountains. All in six stages, six days of madness on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
Of the 68 participants who started the adventure on February 14th, only 47 were able to complete the entire distance. 30% of the participants withdrew or did not complete one of the stages; that's how tough the Coastal is! For the second consecutive year, South African Iain Don-Wauchope dominated the race with ease and took first place with more than an hour's advantage over Ecuadorian Gonzalo Calisto, who took second place.
Wauchope, 40 years old, won five of the six stages of the Coastal and finished the journey in 24 hours, 25 minutes and 11 seconds. His average pace was 6:31 per kilometer, which might seem slow to someone unfamiliar with what athletes face in this race. That pace is, in reality, insane considering the fatigue that accumulates as the stages progress and the adversity of the obstacles they must overcome.
"I'm very surprised with myself and happy to keep going each day and finish the race," Wauchope said upon completing the sixth stage. "For me, coming to Costa Rica is incredible, good for your soul, it's a tough race but it's an escape from your daily stress," concluded the athlete, one of the best ultramarathoners in the world currently.
For his part, Spanish runner Chema Martínez, who at his best as a marathoner ran marathons in under 2 hours 10 minutes, finished happy with a fourth place finish that was more difficult than ever. "It's been a spectacular week, so many experiences, many bad moments, a lot of heat but it's been an incredible experience. I enjoyed it a lot despite it perhaps being the toughest race I've ever faced," said the Spaniard, who assured he lived the worst day of his life in the first stage of the Coastal.
Among the women, the winner was Portuguese Ester Alves, who completed the 225 kilometers in 33 hours, 4 minutes and 32 seconds. Elisabet Barnes was second among the women with 41 minutes more than the winner in accumulated time.
And the Costa Ricans? Last year Costa Rican Ashur Yousseffi achieved an impressive second place behind Wauchope, but this year his body couldn't handle it. Ashur finished seventh overall, surpassed by another Costa Rican, Neruda Céspedes, who took sixth place. In total, seven Costa Ricans ran The Coastal Challenge 2016.
You can see all the results of The Coastal Challenge HERE, or visit the event's Facebook.
