:format(jpeg):focal(1608x515:1618x505)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gfrmedia/6HEJLFKA3ND5DPVXKXDFSYQQKE.JPG "Beverly Ramos prepares to run the Santiago 2023 Pan American marathon")
Santiago, Chile – Cold weather. Dusty air. Moderate to strong range route. And six rivals with times of 2:30 hours or less.
These are the elements with which the Puerto Rican long-distance runner will fight. Beverly Ramos in the marathon Pan American Games Santiago 2023 which runs this Sunday with the shot scheduled for 6:15 in the morning in Chile.
“We are ready for the route. It is cold. We hope it doesn’t affect the race. What is missing are the nutritional preparations,” said Luis Lopez, Ramos’ coach.
The marathon will likely be run in temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the weather forecast and experience in the previous days. There is no rain forecast. It has not rained here in the last week although many days it has dawned cloudy.
That is an element that benefits Ramos, who in 2022, In a similar temperature, he set the national record of 2:31:10 at the World Championships marathon in Eugene, Oregon.
The marathon route is laid out in a circuit through the streets of Santiago. Some streets, such as the one near the Pan American Village and those around the National Stadium, are full of cement dust and other particles, which can affect a runner.
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Lopez has noticed the dust and has heard from other athletes about the presence of the particles. But he hasn’t heard from athletes who have complained.
“We have been good in that aspect,” said Lopez, who detailed that Ramos has done races in passive parks in Santiago, but not on roads.
The route has not been officially revealed, Lopez said. That important detail will be informed to the runners at the race’s technical meeting this Saturday, Lopez added.
But some details about the route have already been released and they confirm that the route has climbs.
“Based on the information, it is confirmed that there are ups and downs, which tire the legs. It is a route between moderate and strong,” said Lopez.
Twelve athletes will run the marathon, including Ramos. Six of the rivals have better seeding times than the Puerto Rican, including the winner of the last edition of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, the Peruvian Gladys Tejada, whose seeding time is 2:25:57 hours.
There is also the Mexican Citali Cristian, who has the best time among the 12 participants with 2:24:53 hours.
On paper, Ramos has to beat three runners to get on the podium. But in practice each race is different.
Lopez also said that one has to consider how each runner has recovered from their last marathon.
“I don’t have a clear expectation. It’s going to be an interesting marathon. Let’s see who recovered well from the most recent marathons,” she said.
In the case of Ramos, the recovery factor is important because the athlete did not complete the Budapest 2023 World Championship marathon in August.
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