Lakeside’s novice athletic club Salvajes Ajijic surmounted daunting obstacles to break new ground for mountain runners and successfully host the side-by-side 9.1-kilometer Copal China and 14-kilometer Campanaria races on Sunday, August 23. 

“We have planted a small seed for offering new experiences in athletics,” said satisfied club manager Daniel Urzua, while reflecting on the hard work that went into developing two new running and hiking path courses that wind through the mountain range overlooking Lake Chapala.  

Handling the complex logistics involved in putting on a major competition was yet another challenge for a tenderfoot club that entered the racing circuit field barely 18 months ago.

But the event gelled almost seamlessly as some 150 contestants burst through the starting gate just after 9 a.m. 

Although the official race results were not yet available at press time,  Urzua confirmed that Salvajes’ mercurial contestant José Luis Martínez Valenzuela easily nailed the best overall time on the short course.

In the longer race, Dory M. González of Zapopan captured first place in the men’s division, while his cousin Rosalva Gudiño González topped the women’s ranking.