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 News from Around Banderas Bay | October 2007 
5th Vallarta Int'l Half Marathon and 5K
 Bob Cohen - PVNN
| | All over Vallarta, athletes are putting on their running shoes in preparation for the major running competition of the year - the 5th Annual Puerto Vallarta International Half Marathon and 5K Run will take place on Sunday, November 4th. |
The 5th Annual Puerto Vallarta International Half Marathon and 5K will be run this coming Sunday, November 4th. This race has become the major running competition of the year and this year will have a record amount of participants.
Starting time for the Half Marathon is at 6:50 am and the 5K goes off ten minutes later at 7:00 am. A half marathon is 13.1 miles and the world record for a male is 58 minutes, 33 seconds set in March of 2007. This averages approximately 4 minutes, 46 seconds per mile, quite an amazing feat. The female record was just set two weeks ago and is 1 hour, 6 minutes, 25 seconds or an average of 5 hours, 9 seconds.
The races will both be run in divisions, male and female and also by age. There are cash prizes for the top finishers in each division. The categories are the "open" division, ages 18-39. The Masters "A" division is for runners between 40-49; the Masters "B" is for 50-59 and the Veterans "Over" 60 division. Space will be limited to 1,300 runners.
In 2006 the Kenyan male runners dominated the "open" division running 1st - 4th with a winning time of 1 hour, 6 minutes, 28 seconds, just 14 seconds ahead of his countryman. A Kenyan woman also won the "open" competition, timed at 1 hour, 20 minutes, 52 seconds. In other divisions many Mexican runners won and finished in the top 5 in all race division.
The course is set to start at the front of the Municipal Sports Center Stadium across from the Sheraton Resort and will head north on the main road out of town (Francisco Medina Ascencio), all the way past the airport still heading north, then turning back around at the Crucero de Las Juntas and the same route back to the finish line at the stadium.
Cash prizes will be awarded in each category, with the overall "open" winner receiving 20,000 pesos in the half marathon. The Masters "A" top prize is 8,000 pesos, "B" is 3,000 pesos and the Over 60 prize is 2,000 pesos. The 5K will also be awarded cash prizes, but less than the feature race. The top five positions will be rewarded in both races.
The day before the race will be the traditional Salsa Pasta Dinner by the Beach at 6:00 pm and limited to 500 people for a price of 50 pesos.
The registration deadline is 6:00 pm, Saturday, November 3rd at the Sports Stadium office and the cost for registration is $18.00 USD. For more information and also registration online one can visit the event website at MarathonVallarta.com.
The weather has gotten a bit cooler; come join the large group of runners - either for some fierce competition or a fun 5K run. |
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