Follow the footsteps of the Maya.
Take in the colors, flavors, and rhythms of México’s most interesting corners. The Lost City Marathon kicks off from the ancient Maya city of Palenque, México.
The race features both a marathon and a half marathon. The awe-inspiring route follows jungle trails, majestic rivers, picturesque ranches and small villages. It’s a challenging race crossing various surfaces and steep hills.
Palenque is nestled in the dense rainforests of the Chiapas region on the Yucatan peninsula, surrounded by lush vegetation and breathtaking beauty.
It provides a fascinating glimpse into the religious and cultural practices of the Maya people which thrived in this once vibrant and powerful city, famous for its well preserved and impressive architecture of the Maya civilization. It has now been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historical and cultural significance.
A rich birdlife and howler monkeys dominate the jungle and in the open plains hundreds of species of butterflies live.
Only 10% of this magnificent city has been fully discovered. Lets embark on this adventure together!
Route Description
Starting at the Archaeological Zone of Palenque, the race takes you past remnants of the ancient Maya city and guides you along lush jungle trails.
After 3km the route transitions to an asphalt path leading downhill until it takes a left turn onto a gravel road. Continuing for a few more kilometers, the route approaches the foothills of the mountains, where it begins to ascend gradually.
Half marathon runners take a right turn for a nice relatively flat loop on gravel road around picturesque ranches and past the village of Cárdenas, which leads them to the finish line.
Marathon runners keep ascending the mountain towards the village of El Naranjo, but just before reaching the village the route breaks of from the gravel road and ventures onto narrow trails leading further into the mountains and the lush jungle.
The river Chacamax is crossed a couple of times and some very intense hills must be climbed.
After roughly 10 kilometers on mountain and jungle trails, the route takes the runners into the village of El Naranjo. From here on, the path is more or less downhill leading to the intersection where the half marathon runners previously branched off.
Marathon runners will now also run the loop around the green and lush ranches to finish in the same place as the half marathon runners.
Please note: Do not forget that this is first and foremost an adventure. We are far away from comforts of home and this makes it impossible to offer services at the same level usually provided in city marathons.
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