Taking the Chupinaya running trail by storm Sunday July 16, Fernando “Dory” Mejia González won his third consecutive title as overall champion of Ajijic’s annual mountain race.
The fleet-footed Tapatio bolted out of the starting gate to lead the pack from start to finish of the 13.8-kilometer “For Savages Only” challenge. With a time of 1 hour, 18 minutes, 24 seconds, he sliced six minutes off his 2016 mark and set a new record for Mexican runners.
He came up a bit short of U.S. runner Joe Gray, who still holds the all-time record time of 1:16:44, set in 2011 when La Chupinaya hosted the North American Central American Caribbean (NACAC) Mountain Championship.
Karina Carsolio Avila from Valle de Bravo, Estado de México, captured top honors among 100 contestants entered in the female division, completing the rough-and-tumble course in 1:45:31 to place 19th in the overall combined gender standing. It was her second Chupinaya victory, having previously stepped on the winner’s podium in 2015.
A total of 175 runners completed the Chupinaya’s 6.5-km recreational route, with Ernesto Villalobos Toro clocking a time of 32:47 minutes to take first place in the men’s division and Monica Marquez Flores leading the women at 47:32.