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Marabana Havana Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Marabana Havana Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.2 
Organization 3.0 
Spectators 2.1
Number of comments: 13 [displaying comments 11 to 13]
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A. R. from Key West, Florida
(9/11/2005)
 "An awesome marathon experience!" (about: 2002)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marabana Havana Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The experience of a lifetime. 2002. A windy, rainy day, waves crashing over the Malecon seawall. A cornucopia of runners, mainly Cuban but also from many other countries. The wheelchairs started first. The Cuban chairs were homemade, some hardly serviceable. In a beautiful act of reaching out across the sea of political bullshit, an American gave (not loaned) his chair to a Cuban athlete. This gesture marked the atmostphere of the entire race. I ran with Cubans in every possible attire, including some with no shoes, but united by their love of running (most winning finishers were Cuban). Many went out of their way to extend friendship and generosity to me and other foreigners. Race organizers were low on technical gadgets (the finishers clock was not waterproof and had to be moved inside) but high on competent race direction. There were hundreds of volunteers managing the course and handing out endless supplies of cut oranges (so much more refreshing than packets of chemicals) and little plastic sacks of water (which you could bite a corner off and easily drink while running!). One ill-dressed woman I ran next to was cradling her water sack. In my limited Spanish, I tried to tell her she should drink it, not save it. She thought I wanted it and tried to give it to me! Late in the race, my husband ran alongside a struggling Cuban man and tried to encourage him. The man reached out and grabbed his hand for comfort and they ran holding hands for a quite a while until the runner recovered his spirits and, with a smile and nod of his head, took off on his own. After the race, most foreigners took off their running shoes and pressed them upon their Cuban counterparts, whose shoes were in dreadful condition. I've never had so many tears in my eyes during a race. It was the human-ness of it all that was so overwhelming. The Cubans didn't have much in the way of material goods, but dammit, they were good runners and won nearly every race category. As far as the course is concerned, it was a spectacular run through old Havana and along the seawall. Spectators were enthusiastic, but don't look for huge crowds. There is no expo--everything is simple and focussed on the race. Make sure you go to the awards ceremony, particularly if you have ever decried the commercialization of athletics. It's held in a gym dedicated to Boy Chocolate, a famous Cuban boxer, and decorated with the flags of nations, including the U.S. --prizes are very modest but the spirit is wonderful. Foreigners pay to enter the race; it's free for Cubans and the government provides bus transportation for them from their towns. The marathon is part of a week-long celebration of athletics for the population, with events taking place all over the island. If you go, venture out and see the country--Havana's great but it's only a tiny part of Cuba. We hope to go back. NB: in case there are any INS agents out there, we went with a valid license under the auspices of Global Exchange. Unfortunately, our 'freedom-loving' government has now forbidden such trips. | |
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irun42k from ohio
(11/20/2002)
 "This was an adventure not a marathon" (General Comments)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 It was wet, very windy and waves broke over the seawall. The second loop part of the road was flooded. Later in the afternoon the coast road was closed due to flooding. One pair of toilets for the loop. The timing system broke down so everyone [after 2.21 or so] has the same time. For the last 3-4miles, no traffic control. On a positive side, I did not get sunburnt. For all that, a great way to see Havana, but be prepared. | |
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A Runner from united states
(11/24/2001)
 "stick to the cigars" (General Comments)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The race was a great way to see Havana. However, it was a two lap marathon that was not well marked. By the second lap, Havana had awoken and you were running with buses and cars. There were no clocks or time breakdowns. There is a chip for time, but wasn't distributed to all the runners before the start of the race. There were few cheering spectators. |
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