Ultramaraton Fuego y Agua collaborates with Carrera Verde for running shoe donations to Nicaragua

This June, over 400 Nicaraguan runners will receive a pair of running shoes donated by Ultramaraton Fuego y Agua in collaboration with the US Embassy, Fundenic, Managua Runners, and the American Nicaraguan Foundation. The first presentation of this donation will be on Sunday, May 13 at the Carrera Verde in Managua.
Fuego y Agua started in 2008 as a vision to bring responsible eco-tourism in the form of an extreme ultramarathon on Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua. One of the projects every year has been to donate new or gently used running shoes to the children of Ometepe for the NDI/FYA Calzado Kids Race the day after the ultramarathon. This year there were over 450 children running and over 450 pairs of running shoes were donated! There is nothing more wonderful than seeing the children’s faces as they finish the race with their new shoes.
After several years of exciting growth, Fuego y Agua has decided to expand their “side” project to all of Nicaragua. The American Nicaraguan Foundation will be providing shipping and logistics support while Managua Runners will provide assistance in distributing the shoes to those runners who need it most. Donations come from runners in the US as well as Soles4Souls, RunningWarehouse.com and Marathon Kids.
The purpose of the donations is to provide those who cannot afford running shoes an opportunity to train and compete. Fuego y Agua encourages healthy living through running and intends to grow the sport in all of Nicaragua. Fuego y Agua is proud to work with Fundenic (Yo No Tiro Basura), the US Embassy, Managua Runners, and Nicaragua’s Carrera Verde to make this donation possible. We look forward to working together in the years ahead to accomplish the mutual goals of growing responsible eco-tourism, a better protected environment, and an increasingly healthy population.

Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas was a 2012 Platinum Level Sponsor and has now signed on for 2013 Platinum Sponsorship!

At Fuego y Agua 2012 Hospital Metropolitano provided us with a team of Emergency Response Nurses at key Aid Stations, Helicopter Rescue on standby, and Emergency Management Plan and integration with international health insurance and event insurance plans. All Runners, Volunteers and Race Staff were covered during the event to ensure maximum safety and protection.

Below is a short Video on the gorgeous Hospital Metropolitano Facility and Services as well as a nice Virtual Tour. Please take the time to watch and to thank them for providing such generous Fuego y Agua support.

Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas: Medical Tourism

Virtual Tour of Hospital Metropolitano

DNDNF

This past weekend I ran my third ultra marathon, a 100k race on the Island of Ometepe in Nicaragua. For more info on our adventures before and after the race checkout Tarah’s post.

I definitely had my apprehensions concerning the race right until the launching of the bottle rocket to start the race. My training had been almost nonexistent since the Panama City International Marathon in December, I had been battling injury/pain in both of my knees and the back of my right leg, and the week before the race I could hardly walk. In hindsight, I should have changed to the 50k distance as soon as we got to the island, but I didn’t, and at 4:00am on Saturday I was toeing the line of my biggest running challenge yet.

gearing up

waiting for the gun

My plan was to go out super conservatively and listen to my body. The sun didn’t rise until about 6:00 so we had almost two hours of running by headlamp. The first section wasn’t very technical, but since it was difficult to see, I managed to twist my ankle before we got to the first aid station. At the aid station (9.1k), I checked in (there were only a couple of runners behind me) and got my first of nine bracelets for the day. We had short sections of pavement before and after the aid station so I was able to run a little more smoothly in those sections. Shortly after leaving San José del Sur, the community where the aid station was located, the course moved back to trail and eventually beach and banana fields. Through this section, I chatted with some other back of the packers and found out that a bunch of runners had missed a turn and lost a fair amount of time, so for a bit we were actually towards the front of the pack. Pat, the runner that would eventually take second, caught back up to us just as we were entering the banana fields. There was a small wall and some large roots obstructing the trail, but Pat charged past us and by the time we (the back of the packers) managed to navigate the obstacles, Pat was out of sight.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS RACE REPORT

UltraQuest Podcast Interview with 2012 FYA 100k Runner Mark Connolly. Mark will be back for more in 2013 and is already signed up!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

ULTRAMARATON

FUEGO Y AGUA

February 18, 2012

Ultramaraton Fuego y Agua 2012 Post Race Newsletter

Thank you to all of those who participated in the 3rd Edition of Ultramaraton Fuego y Agua as Runners, Volunteers, Sponsors, Spectators and Supporters! It was a huge success on so many levels. The family atmosphere and comraderie was very strong and made for a unique experience most of us will never forget. 

We are already getting things ready for 2013 and Registration is NOW OPEN! 

Records and Results
The temperatures were high this year, definitely our hottest race up to now. The temperature did not keep runners in the 25k and 50k from tearing up course records though! Johnson Cruz Barrios of Isla de Ometepe demolished his own 50k Course Record of 2009 by almost an hour finishing in 5:18. Gabriela Stephens of Pennsylvania, USA brought the Women's 50k Course Record down over an hour finishing in 7:50! Dirian Bonilla of Jinotega Nicaragua tore up the 25k Course for a 2:15 Finish, bringing the record down by 17 minutes. Gillian McCarthy of Ireland brought down the Women's 25k Course Record by finishing in 3:06. 

The 100k had an almost 50% dropout rate with 19 starters and 10 finishers. Ben LaVigeur won the men's 100k in 13:08 and Mary Bridges took the women's win in 20:16. 
RESULTS POSTED HERE

Volunteers
We would never be able to accomplish this race without the support of our incredible volunteers. Hauling massive amounts of water and equipment through brutal terrain to the volcano Aid Stations is only one of the many exhausting tasks our volunteers go through. The positive energy and encouraging attitudes of all volunteers were what helped the runners get through their races this year. Thank you Volunteers!

Shoe Donations and Calzado Kids Run
A massive Thank You to all of those who participated in gathering shoes and/or hauling shoes down to Nicaragua for the Kids Race. Over 400 children participated from all over the island, our biggest event yet! Hauling duffel bags full of shoes on a plane can be a very tough ordeal, but the looks on these kids faces made everyone's effort completely worthwhile. Thank you Everyone for your Massive Effort, We did it!
Thank you to Marathon Kids for donating the 400 shirts and medals for the Kids Race, this was the icing on the cake and all of the children were very proud to wear their shirts and medals.

Sponsors and Supporters
Our Sponsors this year really came through for Fuego y Agua and were extremely supportive. We could not have done it without you and look forward to your support for next year!

• Nutrition was provided by Hotel Charco Verde Honey Stinger, PowerAde, Bearded Brothers and Nestle Fitness
• Health and Medical Support was provided by Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, Natural Doctors International, TriggerPoint Therapy and KT Tape.
• Cross-Promotion and Marketing was provided by Greengo Media, Tejas Trails and Lost Worlds Racing.
• Calzado Children’s race support provided by MarathonKids, Running Warehouse,Natural Doctors International and Team Traverse.
• Aid Station and Course Support was provided by Managua Runners, Giants Foot Surf, Texas Parkour and Hacienda Merida.
• Gear Prizes were provided by LUNA Sandals, Fuel Belt and ActiveATX.
• Logistics  & Transportation Support provided by Fundacion Centro Empresarial Pellas.

Photography
Official Fuego y Agua Photography was provided this year by Un-Focused Photography. 3 Photographers were all over the course all day and took a lot of excellent photos. Please contact them on their website if you are interested in getting any photos from 2012.  *Un-Focused Photography will also be at Fuego y Agua 2013. 

We are excited about what 2013 will bring. Runners are already signing up quickly and we will be capping the race at 100 runners per distance. We also hope to collect even more shoes for an even bigger Calzado Kids Race!

The 100k Challenge still stands, run it in under 11 hours and you will get a refund on your entry fee! 

If you have any questions, feel free to send us an email at ultrafuegoyagua@gmail.com.

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"corre como loco, cambia tu mundo" ("run like crazy, change your world")
Josue & Paula | Race Directors

Guest Post by Martin Schneekloth, FYA 2012 100k Finisher – FYA 2012 100k Race Report

Un-Focused Fotografia

As I continued to wade through the mud, the roots became thicker and thicker and the term “walking” no longer described what I was doing. I was now in full on scramble mode. I was scrambling and climbing through the roots, sucking in my gut to squeeze through roots, using both hands and feet to make it another foot ahead. This was cool. I continued to slowly make my way along the ridge. I remember looking down at one point while climbing on some massive roots only to see no ground below me, nothing, nada, other than some tree roots that were stretching across this massive gap in the ridge. At this point you just stop thinking “what if” and you keep going. This was no longer an ultra marathon, this was an all out adventure. It wasn’t a race, I just wasn’t moving fast enough to call it a race at this point, it was a good old adventure. Once I completed this section, it was time to make my way down the volcano.

I slowly started heading down the volcano. It was as steep down as it was up and I had not figured out yet how to get down. I literally had to head down almost as slowly as I climbed up. There were sections so steep, I wasn’t sure how to get down. My legs, although not short by any means, seemed too short to reach down and there was nothing to hold on to. This happened multiple times. Other times, I just tried to literally swing from tree to tree. I would dive for the next tree downhill and grab it with one hand, using my forward momentum to swing me down towards the next tree, and so on. It was crazy. Apparently, Christian was doing slightly better than me as he caught me about half way down the mountain.
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…Excerpt, read the whole thing here

Why Run an Ultramarathon – Guest Post by 2012 100km Finisher Joseph Ryan

When people learn that you run ultra marathons, they want to know what that means. When they learn that it refers to a race more than the 26.2 miles known as a traditional marathon, that they can go well past 100 miles, and folks like me prefer them to trace the spines of mountains, they want to know the why of ultra running. This is an explanation of that. But, like the object of description, this will go on for a while, maybe longer than you thought necessary to answer a seemingly simple question. In this essay I will elaborate on a two part answer to that question, the tangible, science based part, and the other part that is less quantifiable, but every bit as attractive to those who run.

It’s hot. My blue shirt feels like too much in the sun as I put on my pack and walk out of the airport, nodding hello to aggressive cab drivers offering to give me a ride, asking in broken English where I want to go, to my broken Spanish responses. I learn that the meeting place for the ride to the ferry is across the street, easy enough. No gracias. No cab. It’s Managua, the bustling sun drenched capital of Nicaragua, location where the Sandinistas reigned and fought and earned the cover pages of newspapers and television screens when I was first learning to run as a child of the eighties, my back yard a microcosm of the courses I now crave. Today Managua is a relatively safe Central American hub of activity. The roads around the airport buzz with cars, and motorcycles, and people crossing the streets as horns blare. Traffic laws seem like suggestions, not edicts here. Cab drivers laugh and dart around the massive busses with windshields covered in stickers, and seats filled with a mix of tourists and locals.
more »

*Download as PDF

As everyone knows, a race is not a race without Sponsors and Volunteers. So we would like to take some time to thank all of our wonderful 2012 Fuego y Agua Event Platinum, Gold and Silver Sponsors and Partners! Please click on the above link to learn more about each sponsor.

• Nutrition is provided by Honey Stinger, PowerAde, Bearded Brothers and Nestle Fitness
• Health and Medical provided by Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, Natural Doctors International, TriggerPoint Therapy and KT Tape.
• Cross-Promotion and Marketing provided by Greengo Media, Tejas Trails and Lost Worlds Racing.
• Calzado 5k Children’s race support provided by MarathonKids, Running Warehouse, Natural Doctors International and Team Traverse.
• Aid Station and Course Support provided by Managua Runners, Giants Foot Surf, Texas Parkour and Hacienda Merida
• Gear provided by http://www.lunasandals.com/, Fuel Belt and ActiveATX.
• Logistics Support provided by Fundacion Centro Empresarial Pellas.

Thank you all and here is to a successful 2012 Fuego y Agua Event!

Some students Oak Grove Elementary in San Antonio put together a shoe drive and got over 100 pairs of gently used running shoes for the Calzado Kids Race this year!
Thank you Shannon and class! We wish you could come down to run with us, but we will be sure to post photos.