Varadero, Matanzas - Francisco Estevez was crowned champion of the Varadero half marathon for the second consecutive year, improving his time by more than one minute.
He dominated the 21 kilometers in 1:08:33 hours, ahead of his fellow countrymen Yuleisi La O and Andy Carrion. The former two were also national champion and runner-up, while Cristian de los Santos won the bronze.
Estévez said he prepared very well, together with his trainer Ángel Rodríguez. "I felt in good shape, in spite of finding difficult rivals, such as my teammates and the Ethiopians who, although they competed in 42 km, have an excellent level, and they pulled me in the first part of the course."
Unlike last year, he said that the air was not so uncomfortable and he was satisfied for improving his performance in this stage. He pointed out that his goal is to arrive in optimal conditions for the upcoming Central American and Caribbean Games.
In the women's race, Arletis Thaureaux won with 1:20:32, followed by Anisley Ochoa and Yumisleydis Mestre, both overall and nationally.
For Thaureaux, "the course is good, especially because of the start time (5:00 a.m.). I liked running at this temperature, regardless of the air at certain times".
"I didn't expect this result; I had a lot of problems in my preparation. I came to look for a mark for the Central American and Caribbean Games, I didn't think I would win. I am very happy," she said excitedly.
She had been second in the Marabana in 2019, excellent results for someone who had made the transition from the 800 and 1,500 meters to the 21 kilometers. As for the strategy in the race, she said that the most important thing was to maintain a steady pace.
In the marathon, Ethiopian runners won, as expected in the race with which this 6th edition debuted. Tadese Demeke, who was running the 42 km for the first time, won with 2:19:59 hours, while Taye Nigatu came in second in 2:20:08. Jorge Luis Barsaga completed the podium with 2:44:00.
Fernando Pineda, one of the main organizers of the event, explained that "the winner's time, considering the high humidity, is very good. It is similar to what is achieved in cities like Honolulu or Miami. The Marathon is here to stay and will be useful for others of the same category to come next year."
Among the women, the Italian Daniela De Stefano, specialist in ultramarathons and champion of Italy in 2018, dominated in the one hundred kilometers.
In the ten-kilometer race, triathlete Alejandro Rodríguez repeated his victory from last year's edition, while Salamah Mahioos, silver medalist in 2022, won the gold medal.
A postal issue dedicated to the thirtieth London-2012 Olympic Games was also cancelled, consisting of six postage stamps and a philatelic sheet. The cancelled stamp, worth 0.20 cents Cuban pesos, shows the image of two-time Olympic champion Alberto Juantorena, who in his capacity as president of the Cuban Athletics Federation left open the call for the fifth edition of the Varadero-2024 International Marathon, to be held on March 24.
Translated by ESTI
