If the Deseret News-KSL Marathon and 10K Race gave an award this year to the person who traveled farthest to participate, we might have a three-way tie.
Mariano Mamani (a marathoner), Maria Rojas (a 10K runner) and Ricardo Condori (a fellow runner and their coach) will make the flight from La Paz, Bolivia, for the race and nothing more.The runners will arrive Sunday and stay above 8,000 feet in Park City or some other location until race time on July 24. The idea, according to Condori, is to "keep the runners fresh and light."
Condori will consult with track coaches at the University of Utah about diet and other concerns to make sure Mamani, an Olympic runner, doesn't lose an edge.
"I think Mariano will finish in the top 10," Condori says.
Needless to say, the Bolivians love to race, but when they travel thousands of miles for one race, there's obviously something else afoot. Their appearance here is due to a team effort: the generosity of the Bolivia-Utah Partners Program, Alvarez Reyes and others at Lloyd Aero Boliviano - the Bolivian airline - and some fancy footwork by Alfredo Cespedes, chairman of cultural affairs for the Bolivia-Utah Partners.
"Right now the image of Bolivia in the American media is associated with drugs and violence," says Cespedes. "We thought this might be a chance to show part of the culture of our country, to show Bolivia in a positive light. While Mariano and Maria are here they'll be visiting summer schools throughout the area and addressing private organizations. They'll be talking about culture, sports and, of course, the cocaine problems throughout the hemisphere.
"Many Bolivian people look to Utah as a great resource for human relationships. We want to learn more about Utah, and have Utah learn more about us."
As for the runners themselves, coach Condori may be the best runner Bolivia has ever produced. A young peasant boy, he tugged himself to the top of the running world by pure grit and energy. He has been written up in many international magazines, including Runner in the United States. Mamani - who will be running here - is a tailor who runs along the railroad tracks on the high Altiplano to train. A descendent of the Incas, he only speaks 70 percent Spanish, his other language being Aymara, the native tongue of the Incas.
His daily diet consists of fish from Lake Titicaca and an Andean grain called quinua that's loaded in amino acids and protein.
Rojas, who'll arrive with him, comes from the same background. She teaches elementary school during the day and trains at night. She's a Bolivian Olympic hopeful and almost a sure bet to make the national team.
"Their running here will make news in Bolivia," says Cespedes. "I'll be broadcasting live on Bolivian radio during the race, and then I'll send footage to Channels 9 and 2 there for the national televised news."
If the Bolivian twosome happens to win, you can bet they will make news here in the USA as well.
In fact, they already have.