Pura Vida Costa Rica
Costa Rica is the most incredible playground on the planet!
I though that I knew Central America pretty well after serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras between 2003-2005, but I never went south to Costa Rica. How could I have avoided this stunning piece of paradise?
I finally lost my Costa Rican virginity this past March when I was invited down by LatinExplore to run the JungleMan Marathon on the beaches of Tamarindo. The race was unlike any other. No streets, no cars, and no man made distractions. Just endless ocean views and the sounds of waves crashing on the shore. Beauty aside, it was the toughest race of my life. Running in wet sand for 26 miles (we actually had to swim across a channel at one point) is absolutely brutal and my feet looked like raw meat afterward, but I loved the experience.
After the race I was treated to a week of adventures led by Costa Rican endurance legend, Roman Urbina. This guy runs, bikes, swims and surfs his way through life and he’s always smiling. He’s also the organizer of la Ruta de los Conquistadores, an off road mtn bike race across Costa Rica (20th anniversary this November).
We went deep sea fishing, zip lining, tubing, rafting, swam in giant waterfalls and I even jumped in the ring at a small town rodeo. It’s safe to say that I’ve fallen in love with Costa Rica. The people are incredibly friendly, it’s WAY safer than Honduras and there’s beauty around every corner.
Their philosophy on life is Pura Vida (Pure Life) and everyone I met overflows with a contagious passion for enjoying life.
I owe a huge thanks to Monica, Chad and Roman for inviting me on the trip of a lifetime! Latin Explore is not only an incredible travel agency, they also donate 10% of their proceeds to the Not For Sale Campaign, an organization committed to ending human trafficking.
Video from the Marathon (yes I ran it with a camera in hand)
Filed in: Duzer Duz
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