A full field of 500 scrappy runners and dozens of unregistered tag-alongs converged at Ajijic’s plaza last Sunday to prove their mettle in the annual double-header Chupinaya mountain race.

The star athlete in this year’s contest was home boy Enrique Camarena, a native of Tlachichilco del Carmen and member of the Club Ajijic athletic team, who earned overall top honors as fastest runner in the 13.8 kilometer For-Savages-Only main event. He thundered across the finish line with a time of 1 hour, 24 minutes, 29 seconds, just more than seven minutes off the record mark set two years ago by Joseph Gray, the Team USA ace runner who has captured major titles on the international circuit.

Camaerna’s win qualifies him to represent Mexico at the World Mountain Running Championship, coming up on September 8 at Krynica-Zdrój, Poland, a picturesque tourist town located 150 kilometers from Cracow. The Chupinaya champ’s most immediate challenge is to drum up sufficient funds to cover travel expenses for a crack at the world title.

Marcela Camarena (no relation) from Tonala garnered first place standing on the female slate, clocking in with a respectable time of 1:57.57.

Ocotlan’s Juan Antonio Romero Ochoa gained glory as the all-round male winner on the the abbreviated 6.5 kilometer Chupinaya recreational route and as the first competitor to break across the finish line, coming in at 37:32:00 flat.

Rosalba Enriquez of Tonala booked 47:07:00 in the short race to nail top ranking in the female category.