Hundred of international and national runners converged on the Placencia Peninsula on Sunday, December 8th for the second annual End of the World Marathon. San Pedro Town was also well represented, with six athletes participating in the marathon, including star athlete Kent “Bob” Gabourel. In the end Gabourel managed to bring home the second place trophy for one of the toughest races of the year: the full marathon. 16 year old, Brayan Guardado also made his mark in the running circuit, coming in 9th in the half marathon.
The end of the World Marathon was created to coincide with the end of the Mayan Calendar on December 21, 2012. That date, often referred to as the “End of the World,” was especially significant in Belize where the Mayas have lived for thousands of years. The full End of the World Marathon is a 26.2 mile race that begins at the Placencia football field at the end of the peninsula. The race is divided into a full and half marathon, with the half marathon being 13.1 miles long.
Representing San Pedro Town in the half marathon race was Jonathan Andino (17), Jordan Santos (15), and Brayan Guardado (16) of San Pedro High School, and Roger Rivera (14) and Jason Estrada (15) from San Pedro Roman Catholic Primary School. These five young athletes were among the 134 participants that completed the marathon.
In the half marathon women’s division, first place went to Tania Gonzalez from Chetumal Mexico with a time of 1:40:16 (hour: minutes: seconds). In second place was Andrea Kuntz from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada with a time of 1:42:49 and in third place was Cassie Dial from Placencia, Belize with a time of 1:51:00.
In the half marathon male division first place went to Andy Gonzalez from Chetumal, Mexico with a time of 1:15:09. In second place was Leon O’ Brien from Belize City with a time of 1:16:54 and taking third was Carlos Corzo from Guatemala with a time of 1:19:55. Guardado managed to make it to the top ten in the half marathon placing ninth with a time of 1:34:11. All the other young competitors from San Pedro also finished the race: Jonathan Andino with a time of 1:36:49, Jason Estrada at 1:51:03, Roger Rivera at 1:49:46 and Jordan Santos with a time of 2:22:44.
In the full marathon male division, first place went to Vladamir Gonzalez from Chetumal, Mexico with a time of 3:00:07. Gabourel edged out most of the competition but still had to settle for second place with a time of 3:25:35, and finally in third place was Stephen Hinns from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, US with a time of 3:30:41.
In the full marathon female division, first place went to Rosa Gonzalez from Chetumal, Mexico with a time of 3:39:44. Second place went to Dimity Gannon from Belize City with a time 4:26:14, and in third was Kerah Eiley from Placencia, Belize with a time of 4:34:28. A total of 35 racers managed to finish the full marathon overall.
Andino, Santos, Guardado, Rivera, Estrada and Gabourel would like to thank all those who supported them and made the trip possible. Big thanks goes out to San Pedro High School Principal Emil Vasquez, Pastor Clive Welshof Lighthouse Christian Radio, Giovanni Alamilla, San Pedro Town Council, Marion Mejia, Gaby’s Construction, Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr., Karol Maldonado, Robert Canul and Caye Caulker Water Taxi.
The San Pedro Sun congratulates Gabourel on his big win, and encourages Andino, Santos, Guardado, Rivero and Estrada to continue on their athletic path. Keep up the hard work, you made San Pedro proud!
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