March 22-23
Hello everyone!
What a difference a year makes…
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| 2025: Clean Coatepeque |
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| 2024: Not Clean Coatepeque |
Just under a year ago, we visited Lake Coatepeque with my parents. The water in the lake was…filthy. This was the culmination of over a century of neglect and misuse, leading to a layer of grime sitting atop the water.
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| The grime is connected to sewage and cyanobacteria |
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| It has improved a lot in the last 12 months! |
Shortly after visiting, the government announced the closure of the area until the water could be cleaned. I’m not sure how strictly this was enforced, but social media has suggested that a big project was undertaken with the view to clean the lake and restore it to its former glistening beauty.
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The State of Emergency aimed to acquire
equipment to clean and maintain the lake |
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| A $6.7M investment has led to 60 ultrasonic buoys being installed |
I returned last weekend to find a much bluer lake. With the sun shining overhead and the surrounding land rising around it, it was an alluring sight once more.
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| Many restaurants have stunning views of the lake from up high |
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| Dusk at the lake |
We were here to run in an organised event on the Sunday morning. The pre-race fuel of beer and pupusas was going to take me on a 15 km route up and around the surrounds of the lake. We had seen a sign pointing the way up a very steep hill on the drive down. This was good to know, as we hadn’t received much information about the run up to that point.
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| Carb loading |
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| That doesn't look steep. Then you turn the corner... |
The run was due to begin at 6am from a petrol station. At 5:50am, an announcement was made that the police needed people who had parked their car along the road near the petrol station - so everyone - to move their car. These were moved to a more secure location, a football field close by, but it meant that we were never going to start on time.
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| Run. Sponsored by cheese company. Naturally. |
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| Post car-movement, getting ready to run |
We found the sign and started running, then trudging, then slowly walking up the daunting hill. It lasted for about 3 kilometres, with almost 500 metres of climbing happening in that time. Stopping allowed breaths to be taken whilst having breath taken away by looking out at the enticing, sparkling lake.
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| Getting towards the top of the hill |
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| Flatter territory: bliss |
A slightly precarious downhill slope later, we were jogging along through a beautiful stretch of palm-fringed countryside. For a while. We eventually caught up with a group of three runners who were in discussion with an older gentleman at a junction. We all agreed that we had gone wrong somewhere - no idea where, as none of us had seen a marker, sign or marshal - and that we should turn so that we were heading back towards the lake.
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| This was a particularly dodgy downhill stretch |
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| Views for days |
After pounding the dusty path - and occasionally having to pull up a mask to prevent dust being fired into my face from passing vehicles - I started seeing other 15 km runners. Runners who I seemed significantly quicker than. They obviously had gone the right way! At this point I knew I was at least back on the right track. Comparing watches with one of them, I realised I had inadvertently ran an extra four kilometres. That 15 was going to become 19…
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| Our fellow runners-who-got-lost |
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| Views of the lake, which has an area of about 70 sq km |
The path we were taking was lovely, reminding me of running off-road in Malawi with the dust juxtaposed with vibrant colour of flora or glimpses of Lake Coatepeque. It wound back to the main road, leading to a three kilometre downhill stroll to the finish.
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| Meandering down this road to the finish |
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Almost the final stretch...but you then turn into the petrol station
and run up a metre or two. Which isn't what your body wants. |
The extrinsic reward was a plastic medal, a weird combination of cream cheese and fruit, and a lot of liquid. Intrinsically, it was a sense of achievement and enjoyment. I had been treating this as a run rather than a race, which was probably a good thing; undoubtedly I would have been frustrated if I had been aiming for a time or position and done an extra 4 kilometres.
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| 2 of the 5 of us did the correct distance |
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| The real reward |
The real reward was returning to base and jumping into a clean, calm lake. It’s nice to see the country trying to preserve and reinvigorate one of its many areas of natural beauty.
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| Hopefully it stays clean! |
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| Lake Coatepeque |
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| I do love this place |
Love you all,
Matt
