Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Andreas Vailakis

The event was as crazy and exciting as it sounds. Last Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Lima, Peru,  10,000 runners toed the starting line for the Nike 10k race, We Run Lima. In Lima’s first evening running event, the thousands of participants formed an ocean of yellow, with bright race shirts worn by all.

The spectacle, not limited to the run portion, also featured several bands, fireworks, and celebration. Running through the streets with thousands at night was certainly a surreal and worthwhile experience.

The start and finish took place by Parque Kennedy in Miraflores, and the 6.2 miles looped through the seaside district. Thousands of us, clad in yellow, lined up on the street, waiting for the green light. Fenced in on the streets with energy pumping, the anticipation shown on everyone’s faces seemed  if we were all waiting to enter a Rolling Stones concert. 

The race was off to a start with fireworks going off and the tune of the Black Eyed Peas’ “Tonight’s Gonna be a Good Night” blasting into the crowds. The sea of yellow funneled through a tunnel of flags, cameras, televisions, and people screaming — and we were off!

The first few kilometers of the race were a struggle to get breathing room and setting a pace was just as hard as avoiding seeing the color yellow. Throughout the race, crowds of people stood on the sidewalks watching and cheering the runners. At almost every kilometer a band was blasting upbeat music keeping the running crowd going with songs from the Rolling Stones, Journey, and Pink Floyd.

Costumes were also highly encouraged at this year’s run and included those dressed as brides, Captain Jack Sparrow, with wigs and afros, in diapers, Barney, and Winnie the Pooh.  It was obvious most attending were out to have a good time.

The event finished off at Parque Kennedy where the Peruvian rock band, La Mente, was playing on stage as most of the runners crossed the finish line. After announcing the winners, a concert by Pedro Suarez Vertiz and fireworks finished off the night’s festivities.

This is the fifth year that the Lima Nike 10k has taken place and was organized by the group Peru Runners, the municipal government of Miraflores, and Nike. The winner of the race was Peter Nkaya from Kenya who finished with a time of 30 minutes and 35 seconds.

Runners can check their times online at championchipperu.com.



Originally from California, Andreas Vailakis currently lives in Lima, Peru where he heads Beyond Volunteering and writes about travel.

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