Lake Atitlan - Marathon 2012

Written by Richard Morgan S. | 26 April 2010
Posted in Lake Atitlan -News-

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A World-Class Annual Marathon At Atitlan ?

Richard Morgan S.

Here at Atitlan, we spend a lot of time worrying about cyanobacteria – and well we should. But, the future of economic development here demands we look beyond fixing problems to ways we can promote the image of Atitlan to exploit its potential for growth through responsible tourism.

What do I mean by that ? Tourism properly managed is the cleanest of industries. Attracting educated, affluent tourists who are health-oriented and socially conscious is the best of all possibilities – not just for the business owners of the Lake basin, but for the benefit of the indigenous population here which still endures subsistence living conditions under a government that fails to finance adequate public education and healthcare. Employment through tourism is the reasonable hope that the society we live in here, as citizens and/or expatriates, can generate a reasonable standard of living that can afford the indigenous population of the Lake basin some options in life other than sending their kids to public schools that lack books and waiting in long lines at puestos de salud for scarce medicine.

There is a phenomenon called the “international marathon” that attracts the kind of tourism that we need here. It is the amateur sports event that attracts avid runners and their families to travel to desirable destinations, not only for the keystone race, but for a variety of related activities to include fun runs, ½ marathons, concerts, and sight-seeing. These aren’t the kind of tourists who dirty the streets, skimp on expenses, and raise hell late into the night. These are the kind of tourists interested in comfortable lodging, good food, and family entertainment. So, if we care about the future natural and social health of the Lake, let’s see if we can tap into this phenomenon.

Coban already does it to some extent with an annual international ½-marathon. Lake Tahoe and other places throughout the world are doing it on a larger scale, many with a multi-attraction package approach.

Let’s look to the Year 2012, to give ourselves enough time to do this right and to exploit the growing interest in the end of the Mayan long-count calendar.

I’ve participated in some of these events and so I must sound the precaution that these things are not simple to organize successfully – although it gets easier after the first time. But it’s worth it to do it right the first time, to establish a reputation that will bring people back each year. The incremental approach of growing larger gradually is the wrong way to do this. Tourists talk, and runners have a well-developed network of sharing experiences. Success produces success. And the investment to do it right the first time will carry into successive years.

I’ve sent a “sounding” to the 130-plus membership of the fledgling Atitlan Tourist Sector to see if there’s enough interest there to spark a serious discussion on how we might pursue this idea. This group (made up largely of business people) is logically the core structure for growing a working planning committee. But this shouldn’t be an exclusionary undertaking. I would like to hear from anyone who would enjoy the “rush” of creating the potentially greatest tourist attraction Atitlan could ever hope to have. To do this right will take all kinds of good people with the commitment to focus on a common goal and contribute their unique capacities towards its success.

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