Marathon

Last Sunday the 42nd Mexico City Marathon was held.  The first part of the route goes down Insurgentes Avenue just a couple blocks from the apartment.  I did not get out of bed in time to see the "Elite Women's and Elite Men's blocks", the top runners who are recognized by athletic federations.  They left the starting line by the Olympic Stadium at 5:50 and 6:00 AM respectively.  It was well after 7:00 by the time I threw some clothes on and walked over to Insurgentes.  But with around 30,000 participants, there were still plenty of runners heading up Insurgentes Avenue for as far as the eye could see.

 

Once again, runners from Africa dominated the race.  Tadu Abate from Ethiopia won the men's elite division, and Bekalech Gudeta, also from Ethiopia, won the women's division.  Of the top ten, seven of the men were from Ethiopia or Kenya, and six of the women were from those countries.