On the
morning of Saturday September 8, 2012, 28 runners ran the last
route of the Challenge 21x24. The location: Yasuní National Park.
The route started in the kilometer 21 of the Maxxus road through Pompeya, Orellana. This road has 180 km and cuts the Green Forest, cuts Nature...
Lourdes
Hernandez, organizer of the Challenge said: "Running here could be seen as
an approval of the construction of this road and others that are in process. Conversely,
it is the place to say: the only footprints left in the
Amazon should be the ones of our running shoes"
Orellana was the last province
After a
45-minute flight to Coca, an hour by boat and 2 hours by bus, athletes from
Quito, Imbabura, Esmeraldas, Tungurahua and other parts of Ecuador, reached ECY,
the Ecological Cientific Yasuni Station of the Catholic University, and spent
the night there.
They left
at 5:30am to the starting point. The route was drizzly and full of the sounds of
thousands of crickets, frogs, birds and perhaps some mammal. Four Ecuadorian
Army soldiers, 2 officers and 2 guides of the Repsol Station joined the group
of runners. They arrived to the Pompeya Coliseum with the lead squad in less
than 2 hours. The rest of athletes, self-named "Help-us-God-Group",
got to the finish line exhausted, but happy.
The Challenge 21x24 overall podium consisted of: Lourdes Hernandez with
24 routes, Patricio Chavez with 15 and Andrés Castillo with 9.
The closing
event took place along the banks of the Napo River, with the presence of some
Kichwa community residents. Ironically, at the same point converged settlers, environmentalists,
oil company employees, military members and urban citizens, all parties to the
conflict, interested in their slice of the cake: Yasuní.
THE JUNGLE
It's 4am now
and it is raining heavily in this part of the Amazon. The runners are thinking of Quito and its multiple and devastating fires. May these clouds download water on the
dryness of the Sierra...
The jungle
is quite aggressive to humans who are not aware of it. Lots of plants and
animals can go against a person just by getting close to a tree. One of the
runners got into the path of the “military” ants in sandals. They invaded her
feet quickly and tried to bite her skin. The good news were that their formic
acid helped ease muscle pain from the morning jog.
504KMS IN 2 YEARS FOR A CAUSE: LIFE
At the
starting line, Lourdes Hernandez said to the runners:
"Before
you say any word, I ask you to listen to silence. Feel the strength of life in the
forest and with that energy, begin to run. Here is God and the origin of
creation.
This
challenge is profound, it is a mission to enforce our rights: the right to a
virgin territory, to breath pure air, for our children and their children. We
run for the right to see, hear, touch, smell, this unique wonder.
We could
have stayed quietly in our homes, in our jungle of cement, back in Quito, and
see from there the destruction of the Park. But we came. We came to see
our Yasuní. To ask for what belongs to us. And now that we know the sacred forest,
now that we have slept with the singing of birds, crickets, water ... we love it. We all need oil, but primarily we need air. A Japanese philosopher said
that the flight of a butterfly affects the whole world. How much affects a
drill into the ground after cutting the trees?
When you
come to the forest, your life changes forever. Today we will fulfill the dream
of completing a challenge that began two years ago: to run 21 kilometers in
each province of Ecuador to raise awareness for the conservation of Yasuni. Our
life has changed forever. We're happy but not satisfied. We will not rest until
this area can rest intact."
CHALLENGE 21X24 RESULTS:
· 504
kilometers (504,000 meters of unique landscapes)
· 634
participants (634 friends in every corner of the country)
· 150
newspaper, radio, internet, tv publications and reports. Thousands of people have
heard about Yasuní and now want it conservation.
The Challenge
organizers sent a letter to President Rafael Correa reporting the achievement
and a shared mission: to look after life in the Yasuni.
Thanks to: Banco Solidario, main sponsor of the
Challenge 21x24. Water Vivant, Alamo, Podium, Cuersu graphic design and Fundación
Amazonia por la Vida. Ecuadorian personalities: Iván Vallejo, Franklin Tenorio, Diana Landi, and Maria
Teresa Guerrero. Yasuni- ITT
Initiative for its hats and bracelets, photos of the Amazon species and the
permission to enter the Park. In each of the 24 provinces we have worked with
one or more generous and passionate volunteers.
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