By Kimi Puntillo
Hot! Hot! Hot! That was the climate at the colorful Maracuba Marathon in Havana, Cuba on Sunday. Three hundred competitors, including 20 Americans trying to warm diplomatic relations, pounded 26.2 miles of sun-exposed concrete that sizzled like salsa music in the 85-degree Fahrenheit heat and humidity.
“I thought I’d make a better time but I didn’t expect the heat,” said Luis Cadet Sanchez, 31, from Cuba who won the race in 2:28:07. “It’s usually five degrees (Celsius) cooler this time of year.” Cadet Sanchez, soaked with sweat, couldn’t even change into dry clothes at the end of the race. The woman holding his bag of clean clothes felt faint in the sun and was taken to the hospital. Half-naked without a shirt and trying to locate his friend and belongings, he missed the medal ceremony for the first marathon he ever won. Emperatriz Wilson Traba, 34, of Havana, was there to receive her medal, winning the women’s race in 2:58:28.
Water stops weren’t spaced evenly along the course, causing a six-mile drought along one stretch. Ironically, a polar bear in ice blue waters decorated T-shirts worn by volunteers. They handed out water in plastic packets so tightly sealed that runners resorted to tearing them open with their teeth. Chunks of ice hacked from three-foot tall freezer-sized blocks quickly dwindled on contact with beet-red faces, sunburned arms and overheated chests.
On the last lap of the two-loop course many aid stations were totally abandoned when they ran out of water or their block of ice melted. “The last three kilometers were the longest of my life,” said Cameron Elmendorf, 24, of Boulder, Colorado whose races include the Hawaii Ironman triathlon. “At first, I was tentative about drinking the water in such a poor country. But, I quickly gave up on that idea.”
Car exhaust from 1950’s Chevrolets, Dodges and Plymouths, complete with big fins, chrome grills and hood ornaments, also proved a struggle, especially in a country without emission standards. “A bus pulled out and I ran into a big, black, thick cloud of exhaust, then it slowly drove ahead of me so I caught a constant stream.” said Dennis Aslett, 51, the first American to cross the finish in 3:41:05. “I live in Saint Anthony, Idaho where pollution is rare. I had a sore throat from the air here before the race began.”
Runners wove in and out of traffic on a racecourse that included cars, buses, bicycles and Cubans whiling away a typical Sunday. “People crossed the course with baskets of flowers, dogs, or their four kids in tow,” said Jeffrey Evans, 31, of Denver, Colorado. “There was so much activity, I lost sight of the course for about a mile and thought how terrible it would be if I made a wrong turn and had to run extra miles in this heat to backtrack.”
The country’s communist politics also provided scenery with signs denouncing “imperialistas.” One sign depicting a vicious Uncle Sam was located in front of the U.S. Special Interests Section, the substitute for an embassy in Cuba and the site of many protests during the 7-month Elian Gonzalez custody battle before he was returned to his father in June.
Most of the Americans competing traveled with World T.E.A.M. Sports, a non-profit organization based in Charlotte, NC. It encourages athletes with and without disabilities to compete together at unique sporting events and promotes community building through sports. They received special permission from the Department of Treasury to travel to Cuba for the race.
Poverty was evident in the many pockmarked buildings lining the racecourse and during the course of events. The traditional pasta dinner served the day before the race consisted of a half-plate of overcooked noodles topped with a tablespoon of meat sauce, vanilla wafer cookies and hard candies washed down with a cup of pink guava juice. Runners lining up at the start often wore sneakers with a thin white sole and no running treads, while others ran barefoot. At the end of the race, no overhead clock enabled exhausted runners to glance up to check their race time. Organizers ran out of water and medals, preventing everyone sticking out the race in the grueling heat from quenching their thirst or receiving the coveted finishing medal for their efforts.
Despite cold diplomatic relations, the visiting Americans athletes found most Cubans they met warm and embracing. Many had someone from Cuba run with them during stretches of the race. They’d try to communicate with one another in broken English or Spanish.
“Running along the ocean I thought about how many Cubans sailed into the ocean in the middle of the night to try and get to the U.S. to improve their life,” said Elmendorf. “I thought if they can withstand that, I can run 26.2 miles of a race no matter how hot it is.”