Tamarindo’s Triathlon: Bike, Swim, and Run to the Finish!

On Sunday, 14 February, 2010, Tamarindo hosted the Costa Ricaman, a triathlon event where everyone got to celebrate Valentine’s Day in a nonconventional way. About 100 participants competed, both men and women, in teams and individually, and everyone there—spectators and athletes—thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The race consisted of a 1.3 kilometers swim, 60 kilometer bike ride, and 14 kilometer run, and all the participants performed admirably.
Excitement for the triathlon kicked in on Saturday, 13 February, when registration was held at El Diriá Hotel. The event then started on Sunday morning at 6:00 AM with swimming in front of Nogui’s Restaurant and finished on the main road in front of El Diriá Hotel. The event finished at 12:00 Noon, and the medal ceremony took place an hour later at the Anfiteatro Hotel Tamarindo Diriá.
There were 12 categories for people to compete in: Elite Men’s, Women’s, Men’s 18-24 years, 25-29 years, 30-34 years, 35-39 years, 40-44 years, 45-49 years, 50-54 years, 60 years and older, three-person teams, and pairs. (See the list of winners and their times for each category below; results are courtesy of Mas Deportes.)
The races themselves were exciting. In the Men’s Elite, the winner, Galliano Callan Luconi, started off slow by placing fourth in the first event of swimming. However, he pulled ahead into first place for biking and, even though he only placed second in running, his performance in biking landed him in first for his category. The Women’s winner, Cristina Pitti Mata, had a more consistent performance. While she only placed second in swimming, she led the pack in biking and running, placing first in both, ultimately making her the winner in her category.
This event was the first of a series of three. The second event will be held sometime between June and July, and the third will be held in November. All of the triathlons will be held in Tamarindo, so if you couldn’t make it out for this one, make sure you’re there for the next one. Thank you to everyone who put in the effort to make the Costa Ricaman happen, and congratulations to all the athletes who participated.

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