The First 50km - LIMA

Surreal is the only word that has the power to truly describe our experience yesterday in Lima. For almost six hours we ran through some of the busiest areas of the city. Areas of great wealth and immense poverty. We ran with groups of children. We ran with mayors. We ran with movie stars. All of this with an escort of ten police motorcycles and a caravan that included a lead police vehicle and a series of following support cars. We literally shut down the streets as we ran through busy intersections and along major thoroughfares. It was . . . amazing.

From the very start of the run we all three knew this was going to be one of the days in our lives we would never forget. Our first event was a large send off in the community of Villa Maria Triunfo. There was a band, a reception with over 1,000 people and words of support from the mayor.

From the “opening” ceremony we were bused up the hill into one of the poorest areas in all of Latin America (Las Pampas del Virgen del San Lourdes). An area where most all of the households survive on less than $2 dollars per day. Our run started with an additional rousing overture from the band and the ceremonial dropping of a start line. We ran for the next 5-kilometers down hill with a group of some 25 children. It was . . . amazing.

Our run winded us through the Pueblos Jovenes of San Juan de Miraflores and the inner city community of La Victoria. Over our 50-kilometer adventure we would run through districts that are literally separated by a few kilometers - but representing very drastic differences in socioeconomic status. Our goal for the run was to "bridge" communities together through a common understanding that we are all agents for change. Our goal for the Bridging the Divide event is to invite more Peruvians to become the bridge in their own communities.

The first real challenge came as we exited the affluent community of Miraflores. After a brief greeting from the mayor of this very important coastal neighborhood, we ran down a long commercial highway. It must have been 400 degrees Fahrenheit! At least it sure felt like it. From there we circuitously made our way through the neighborhood of Surquillo before entering the community of San Borja.

In San Borja we were greeted by the mayor and his team of Peruvian horses. The roads were completely closed as we ran to the Municipal Hall to be joined by a group of some 25 athletes from the San Borja Running Club. From there we ran 6-kilometers with a new team of compatriots, an escort of press vehicles, and our caboose of show horses. There were people lining the sides of the streets cheering our strides; and at one point a roadside band greeted us and a duo of stilt elevated clowns. It was . . . amazing.

The next 20-kilometers were, in one word, painful. The sun, the heat, the humidity, and the miles – everything started to conspire against us. Thankfully we had a fantastic support team (Carmencita, Hugo-Blanco, Dr. Bob, Billy G, Eloy and Dr. Daniel). They loaded us up with fluids, energy foods, and words of encouragement. Before we knew it we were arriving into the city center and the historic part of Lima.

We ran around the Plaza de Armas, through balcony-lined streets and over the river and into the District of Rimac. Our Rimac run included a series of laps (we had to make certain our run met the full obligation of 50-kilometers) around a few colonial parks with a group of some 50 cadets from a military school.

We ended our 50-kilometer adventure in the Plaza of Rimac, where the Mayor and his personal staff greeted us with a festive reception. The whole day – from the start in Villa Maria Triunfo to the navigating of the busy streets of Lima – was a fantastic experience. We hope that through this effort we can truly demonstrate the power of collaboration.