Marathoner on 100-day run from Los Cabos to Quintana Roo

February 21, 2022

Daniel Almanza arrived in Puerto Peñasco last week and took time to explore before continuing his journey.

A marathon runner plans to cross Mexico by foot on a 6,000-kilometer journey over 100 days.

Daniel Almanza from Nuevo León started the project — dubbed Super Human — in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, on January 16. He aims to pass through 21 states to reach Quintana Roo by April 25.

He headed north from Los Cabos through Baja California Sur and Baja California before crossing the Sonora Desert to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, 1,720 kilometers from the start line.

The father of one has been running marathons for 15 years and is the only Mexican to run in the Continental Challenge, which took him to Vietnam, Bolivia and Mozambique.

He hopes to exhibit Mexico’s landscapes, raise money for the food bank charity BAMX and document the trip for a Netflix show. He visited some of the main sights in Puerto Peñasco, such as the boardwalk, the salt flats and the enormous craters at the Pinacate nature reserve.

Super Human also aims to benefit medical research: Almanza will record the state of his health every day to see how the journey affects his body and mind. The project is supported by the Tourism Ministry and municipal councils.

The athlete said his voyage so far had been memorable. “I have had the contrasts of going to the shore, the mountains, deserts, of wind and hot days. It’s a diverse environment. We have been to magical towns, ejidos [communally held lands], many impressive tourist sites … in Puerto Peñasco they have been totally hospitable. I’m happy to be here,” he said.

The athlete added that the name Super Human is intended to inspire others to take on extreme challenges.

Meanwhile, Mexican runner Germán Silva, two-time winner of the New York marathon, completed his own 100-day cross-country journey when he arrived in Tulum, Quintana Roo, on Sunday.

The 54-year-old extreme athlete began his journey in Tijuana on November 5, running down through the Baja Peninsula before crossing the Gulf of California to Sonora and continuing southeast.

Silva’s goal: to “show the greatness” of Mexico and advance physiological research, monitoring the effects of the journey on his body, like Almanza. He announced the end of his journey on Instagram, with a quote from ancient Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu: “Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”