First Descents of Costa Rican White Water Caught on Video

Awhile back, paddlers Chris Baer and Todd Wells traveled to Costa Rica to make the first descent on a couple of water falls along the Rio Chirripo Pacifico. The captured their results on video and compiled them together to share with us all. As usual with these kinds of great kayaking vids, there is plenty to enjoy, but you have to love the cockpit view caught on helmet cam that shows the drop over the falls. Crazy!



First Descents, Rio Chirripo Pacifico, Cateratas from Chris Baer on Vimeo.

2010 Coastal Challenge Wraps Up In Costa Rica

It was six very long, grueling, and challenging days for the athletes taking part in the 2010 Coastal Challenge, an annual test of endurance that takes place in Costa Rica. This year's race took place along the northwest coast, which is dryer than other parts of the country, but offers rugged volcanic highlands, plenty of jungles and forests, and an array of scenic lakes for the competitors to run past.

The course was more than 200km in length, stretched out over six legs of varying length, that pushed the racers to the limit. Trail conditions varied from paved road to dirt trails, with just about everything in between. In the end though, this year's race ended like the last few, with two-time defending champ Javier Montero of Costa Rica claiming his third consecutive win. Newcomer to the race Cesar Ortega, also of Costa Rica, took second, while Ty Stevens of the U.S. finished third in his first ever multi-day adventure race. Margaret Phillips of Canada finished first amongst the women in her first stage race as well.

For TCC Adventures, the organizers of the event, the Coastal Challenge is just the latest race in what is expected to be a very busy year. Next up, in April, they'll host the Island Run in Panama, which will be another multi-stage race that will be run over three days. Then in September, it's off to Bolivia for the Inca Run, a 160km, five-stage race, that takes place in the Cordillera Real mountain range of the Andes.

Congrats to all the competitors in the Coastal Challenge. It seems like it was an amazing race in a beautiful setting.
(Photo by J. Andres Vargas)

2010 Coastal Challenge Underway in Costa Rica

The 2010 Coastal Challenge got underway over the weekend with runners from all over the planet descending on Costa Rica to compete in a 200 kilometer adventure race through the mountains, jungles, and rugged coastlines of that country. The six-day event sends endurance runners off on a different route each day, while they challenge each other and the environment around them.

After one day out on the course, two-time champion Javier Montero has already taken the lead, as he attempts to become the first person to win the race three times. Right behind him is rookie Ceasar Ortega, just two minutes back. Both Javier and Ceasar are from Costa Rica, and are currently enjoying the home turf advantage over the rest of the field. Ty Stevens (USA), Victor Zuniga (CRC) and Mark Lattansi (USA) round out the top five at the moment, while Margaret Phillips (USA) is the top female runner.

Of course, the race is just getting started, and there are still five grueling legs to go. The course will wind through the northwest coast, over volcanic highlands, past scenic lakes, and through jungle and dry forests. In fact, the runners will be tested in one of the driest areas of Costa Rica, with routes ranging from rough asphalt, to dirt roads, to twisty mountain trails, and everything in between.

The race runs through Saturday, with plenty of tough, terrain ahead. This is a great event for endurance trail runners, and in one of the best settings in the world. Wish I were there to take it all in.

Photo by J. Andres Vargas