LOJA: WE WENT SOUTH… AND HEAVEN

With this route, we have accomplished 17 tours all over the country, one each month.
Our objective is to spread the 21x24 Challenge’s Cause: to protect life in the 980 000 hectares of nature, pure water and species, called Yasuní. It is a national park which belongs to all Ecuadorians.

Elite athletes as Franklin Tenorio, Silvio Guerra, Diana Landi, the climber Ivan Vallejo and the TV star Maria Teresa Guerrero have supported this challenge for the cause it promotes.

Rather than going south, we went to heaven. Vilcabamba in Loja province is a spot to visit, remain and live. For 50 years visitors passing by, have made Vilcabamba their home.

A group of 17 participants from Quito, Esmeraldas, El Oro and Loja had the privilege of running through this land. They got up early at 6am to make some warmups, before the masses of ‘carnival players’ would gather in the town’s central park to literally wash down people passing by with water and foam.

The runners left at 7am towards Cucanama by the Chamba river. Then went to San Joaquin Farm, a beautiful 6k neighborhood surrounded by trees, gardens, country houses and a spectacular scenery of the valley and the mountains of Podocarpus. Back on the road to Vilcabamba, they could enjoy a blurred vision of mount Mandango. Then they took the water channel road to complete the 21k of the challenge, right into the main park of the town.

This edition of the 21x24 Challenge was accomplished thanks to the support of Banco Solidario, sponsor of the Cause. Other sponsors are: Vivant, Podium and Amazonia por la vida. The National Police provided excellent support in this 17th route.

The next routes are:
• Puyopungo – Puyo, Pastaza: Sunday, March 11
• El Angel / Mira / Uyamá, Carchi: Sunday, April 8
• San Cristóbal, Galápagos Islands: Saturday, May 12. Follow this link to get more info:
http://www.cometogalapagosmarathon.com/
• Riobamba , Urbina, Chimborazo: Sunday, June 10
• Valle Hermoso, La Abundancia, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas: Sunday, July 8
• Manteles, Patate, Tungurahua: Sunday, August 12
• Yasuní, Orellana: Sunday, September 9 (¡¡¡end of the Challenge!!!)

WE RUN FOR A CAUSE:
TO PROTECT LIFE IN THE YASUNI NATIONAL PARK
ONE OF THE LAST ECOLOGICAL RESERVES IN THE WORLD AND THE MOST BIODIVERSE