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6.11.06 – Easter Island Marathon
Jared Diamond has written a wonderful book called Collapse – the story of civilizations that once thrived but ultimately collapsed due to a variety of circumstances. Easter Island is featured in this book as a culture that once flourished, but nearly disappeared due to their total disregard for their natural resources. The island was deforested and over-farmed. Its capacity to sustain life was nearly wiped out. Today, this 13 by 13 mile island, formed through the merger of three volcanoes, harbors a population of 4,500 people with nearly 3,500 of them descendants of the original Rapa Nui people. Incredibly, there are 5,000 horses on the island, most of which roam free, branded to identify their owners. You see horses everywhere you go – in town, on roads, in yards – everywhere. I saw young couples astride horses going to the island disco – more people on horses than on scooters or in cars.
Linda and I found the island and its inhabitants welcoming and delightful and very friendly. The little restaurants offered the freshest seafood imaginable. The music was Polynesian in its exuberance. And the views from just about anywhere on the island were breathtaking, including a 360 view from the top of the tallest volcano where you could literally see the curvature of the earth. But I had come for the marathon! This was not a major race. Organized (?) by a nice guy from the Chilean mainland, the marathon had 32 participants this year. The entry fee was $200. A few more people ran the half, and several of the local kids ran the 10K – barefoot. The race started “around” 10am and was an “out and back” course – literally. There is one paved road down the center of the island. As the organizer put it at the pasta dinner (when they ran out of pasta sauce, they simply squeezed some catsup in a pan and heated it up….!), “If you’re not on the paved road, you’re lost.”!
I finished in 4 ½ hours and staggered back to our bungalow, showered, and cheered on the runners completing the course in front of our hotel – but by that time I had a nice glass of wine in my hand. We attended the Victory Party where just about everyone got an award, me included for winning my age group (you don’t need to ask how many were running in my age group….). After that, we walked into town for dinner, and the next day flew home (17 hours of stiff legs). I wouldn’t do it again, but it was a memorable experience that we’ll always cherish.
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Talk
about a remote marathon. Easter Island is the most remote, inhabited island
in the world – a 5 ½ hour flight due west into the Pacific
from Santiago. Linda and I spent an incredible 8 days getting there –
snorkeling in the Galapagos and then hiking Machu Picchu. And then it
was on to Easter Island, or Rapa Nui it has been known historically. 
The
iconic image of Easter Island is the Moai statue. Carved of volcanic rock
to memorialize chiefs from various tribes on the island, these eerie,
black monumental sculptures of stylized men, complete with staring eyes
and topknots carved of reddish stone, face inward to protect islanders
against evil. While all of the Moai were eventually toppled, many have
been replaced in their original locations and provide dramatic displays
against a backdrop of crashing surf along the rugged coastline. 
We
got underway at 10:20am, and from about 10:30am on, it was a pretty lonely
race. We 32 runners were fairly spread out, so it was more like a solitary
run on a Sunday morning. No clocks, aid stations every 5K, and no spectators
to speak of (unless you include horses). But it was a nice day, cooled
by a light rain, and the panoramic views from just about anywhere on the
course took your mind off the running, especially during the 2 mile downhill
at the turnaround, which meant, of course, a 2 mile uphill climb. The
turnaround was at the only sandy beach on the island and I was almost
tempted to take a break for a swim, but I wanted to get back in time for
the Victory Party at the local high school gym.