One of the many geographical benefits of living in Guadalajara is its proximity to volcanoes. There are few towns in the world where you could visit three of the principle types of volcanic landforms in just one day. Several years ago I suggested that some athlete ought to climb el Cerro de Mazatepec (a cinder cone or scoria volcano), cross the Primavera forest (a caldera, or collapsed volcano) and end the tour at the top of El Volcán de Tequila (a classic stratovolcano).
This might encourage the creation of a Geopark in Jalisco,” I suggested, “so tourists will have something to do here after they finish visiting the distilleries.” A good number of people picked up on the Geopark idea, a committee was formed, letters were written and a group of University of Guadalajara geographers are now working on a book describing the many geological features found in and around the Primavera area. But the wheels are turning very slowly.
So, time passed and I thought the idea of the Triple Volcano challenge had been forgotten, when out of the blue I received a message: “I’m a runner. I saw your map of the Trivolcano route on Wikiloc and I plan to do it ... next weekend.”
It was signed Sergio Vidal. A quick search of the net revealed that Vidal is one of Mexico’s most promising long-distance or ultra runners, athletes who participate in footraces longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometers. I discovered that Vidal entered something called the Ultracentric Gold Rush in Texas, last year, where athletes compete to see who can run the farthest during one whole day. Vidal came in second and set a new Mexican national record for running 203.7 kilometers in 24 hours.
I“I liked the look of your 135-kilometer route,” he told me during an interview the next day. “Because I specialize in runs over 100 kilometers, but it’s boring if the terrain is flat.”
I managed to talk Vidal into postponing his run to December 10 because parts of my route had not yet been checked out and I didn’t want him to end up stuck in a bog or running straight through a field full of cannabis.
As I write, he is posting Facebook messages and photos about his 56-kilometer reconnaissance of just one section of the route I suggested, between San Isidro Mazatepec and Tala.
“It was an incredible run,” he says. “I had the pleasure of discovering a new way up and down the Mazatepec Volcano and then plunged into the beautiful Primavera Forest: dreamlike landscapes; came face to face with a badger; discovered the hideout of a deer and watched the sun set from the top of an enormous black hill of obsidian. Then darkness fell and there was only me, the woods and my tiny headlamp. I got lost for a while; then I found the trail and suddenly I could hear the music of a band and finally I saw the lights of Tala. It turns out today is rodeo day. Thirsty, I buy a bottle of water and continue on my way. Thanks everybody; that’s it for today and I’m on my way home.”
How does one become an athlete who actually enjoys running for 100 kilometers up and down mountains? I was surprised at how Sergio Vidal got his start. “I was fat, addicted to alcohol and tobacco and leading a sedentary life,” he told me. “One night, drunk, I went out to run in the hills near my home. I woke up the next morning in a ditch and had no idea where I had been running. I went home, stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself and decided I could no longer accept what I was seeing. I decided to give up alcohol and found it made me an even worse smoking addict. I then decided that only intense exercise could free me from both problems, so I challenged myself to run up to the top of El Col mountain, next to Tesistán, where I live. I finally did it and then gave myself another challenge and yet another. Soon I started participating in races and then in marathons ... and I haven’t stopped yet.”
Will Sergio Vidal make it from the Cerro de Mazatepec to the spine (tetilla) rising from the crater of Tequila Volcano? Well wishers hope to congratulate him on Sunday afternoon, December 11 at Balneario el Rincón, located just beyond the northeast corner of Teuchitlán) where, all hot and sweaty from his long run, he hopes to dive into the cool, spring-fed pool. For Vidal, the Trivolcano will be just one more practice run for his latest goal, representing Mexico in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which, in July 2017, will host the International Association of Ultrarunners 24 Hour World Championships.