Medanos of Coro, Falcon, Venezuela
Coro is a wonderful town that screamed Antigua, Guatemala. Like Antigua, Coro is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Founded in 1527, it is the oldest city in the west of Venezuela and alledgedly the site of the first mass in South America. Some 600 buildings are historic, combining Spanish, Dutch and indigenous architecture.
We went to Coro for a night 10K race in the Medanos, which are beautiful sand dunes. Check out @cororunners on twitter for more info about the race.
I was super excited as we approached start time. I haven't ran an event since I was training for a marathon back in 2010 [I did not race because of IT band issues]. But like all things Venezuela, the start time came and went, and I was waiting to the point of annoyance. 25 minutes passed before the gun fired.
Off and running...and holy crap. My training on the beaches in Puerto La Cruz did not prepare me for the challenges of soft sand. My sneakers immediately filled with sand making them heavier than normal. Also, if you aren't training on dunes, not much can prepare you for those steep hills; one step forward - three-fourths steps back. We had no plan of attack. Luckily my running mate, Joe Spolar, decided that walking up these dunes was the best idea. This proved to be the most effective technique as those jogging next to us hardly gained ground on the inclines.
The rhythm of my breath meshed with the pace of my feet. Eyes to the sky, the stars were out for us that night as the moon's mirror helped mark the path over the undulating dunes. The race could have been 100K and I wouldn't have cared that night.
The next day, we woke up early on the Coconut farm and enjoyed a swim.
What not to do:
If you work on Monday, do not rely on two Sunday Venezuelan flights to get you back on time. An afternoon flight from Coro was delayed 4 hours and we were stuck in Caracas overnight. Flights Monday morning were booked. Needless to say, we missed a day of work.
Furthermore, keep track of your belongings. Our friend Katie, briefly left her wallet on the table that was swooped up, passport and all. She endured a huge hassle.