Ultra Fiord
50Km, A Dual Challenge
Anne-Marie Dunhill / 10.04.2017
The 50 km solo and duo races began on the morning of April 6 at 08:50 from the Hotel Rio Serrano. Temperatures had been chilly overnight and the runners sheltered in the warm hotel lobby until the last possible minute. The ground was covered in frost as the runners started their adventure.
As the day progressed, it turned out to be a glorious one to be racing in Patagonia with clear skies, the sun as a constant companion and little winds. The weather remained stable throughout the race; a rare occurrence in wind swept Patagonia.
Several internationally recognized runners competed at this distance: Fernando Nazario (Brazil), Enzo Ferrari(Chile), John Tidd (USA) and Luciana Moretti (Argentina), but perhaps the most striking story is of an unknown runner from Valencia, Spain...
A 32 year old runner named Juan Dual, entered this distance and his back story is compelling. Several members of his family passed away from the same type of cancer and genetic testing showed that he has an inherited genetic mutation called Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Google research on the condition is grim reading.
As a preventive measure, Juan had his large intestine and rectum removed at age 19 and his stomach and gallbladder removed at age 28. Telling his story to several journalists in Nandu restaurant in Puerto Natales before the race start, he lifted up his shirt and showed his surgery scars as we tried to wrap our minds around what he was telling us; a man lacking the ordinary means of absorbing nutrition was going to attempt to compete in one of the wildest races in the world.
Juan said that he had started running four years ago to recover from his surgery and that at first he was barely able to walk a few yards. As he got stronger, he decided that he wanted to inspire and motivate others and he left his family, friends and possessions in Spain and began traveling alone in Latin and South America and telling his story along the way. He has now biked from Nicaragua to Ushuaia.
When asked why he was doing such a difficult race, he replied, “ It’s worth it to fight no matter how difficult it has been, it gives us tools to overcome the next challenge.I want to send the message that we are capable of anything, so never give up. I may or may not finish the race but my victory is just getting to the starting line. I love the expression on people’s faces when I share my story, their jaws drop.” (Ours certainly did!)
We met Juan again on the streets of Puerto Natales as he was on his way to speak at a local school and a man with blond dreadlocks stopped to talk to him while we were chatting; they’d met on the bus up from Ushuaia. Juan laughed and said, “See, that’s why I’m never lonely traveling like this, I get to meet so many people and share my message!”
Juan’s website, in Spanish, is Corriendo por la Vida (Running for Life) http://www.runnife.com/ and he crossed the finish line of the 50 km race in Puerto Natales at 21:48.
Full results for the 50 km race are available on the official website: http://www.ultrafiord.com/ultra-fiord-50k/
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