Top Three Trail Running Spots in Costa Rica
By Angie gonzalez | February 4, 2022
If you are passionate about high-impact sports, like running, or if you like to bring your body to the limit, trail running is an excellent option.
Costa Rica is a perfect place if you are looking for a trail running competition. You can find pretty much every type of terrain, beautiful natural scenarios, and microclimates in the same race. You can be running with rain and, a few minutes later, you can be under the sun and then if you go up the hill to the top, you can even see fog. This combination will be very challenging as your body needs to climatize and, you must consider seriously the way you hydrate and get energy during the event. As Costa Rica is located in the tropics; humidity, water, and heat will make any run a very demanding race, but the good thing about this is that it will help you improve your physical condition.
In my personal experience, a light camel bag will be comfortable and better if it has a liquid container on it. Inside your bag, you can have electrolyte beverages, salt pills, energy bars, energy gel and banana can also be an option. You should also consider wearing light and fast-dry clothes, compression socks, and tennis shoes depending on the demands of the trails: technical or smooth, cross water or not, and if it's flat or steep.
Before the pandemic, the event organizer provides hydration, but now, it is on your own. So, this is very important by the time you are preparing what you will bring with you.
With this being said here are the top three areas to practice trail running in Costa Rica:
Rincon de la Viejas located in Guanacaste province and you can run from a dry forest to cloud one in a couple of hours. Humidity and heat will be part of your journey. The mist of the volcano will feel in every step, and the beautiful scenery will make you fall in love and want to stay longer.Several lodges, hiking tours, adventure tours and family tours are available in the area.
Bahia Drake Public Trailis located in the South Pacific area. This trail is good for all skill levels, you will pass small villages, and hug the coast most of the time. If you are lucky, you can see some monkeys, birds and other wildlife. Most you will have access to pristine natural beaches. A lot of lodging options, restaurants, and tours are available.
Chirripó is by far my favorite one for sure. It is categorized as a hard trail, but it is well worth the effort. It is located in the heart of the Talamanca Mountain range and it is the highest mountain in our country.Cerro Chirripó is a long 11 miles (18 km) elevation. You will be through 5 microclimates. Views are spectacular, you can base camp or do it in one day. The forest in the park is amazing. The average hiking time to the summit is 8–10 hours. The descent is 5–7 hours approximately. You can find different options for lodging in San Gerardo de Rivas, there are also options for food and activities.
The good thing about all of these places is that you can always bring your family and they can enjoy the surroundings while you are running. Don't miss the opportunity to come here and experience it yourself and at the same time spend the memories of a lifetime with your loved ones. Pura Vida!!
