By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The seventh annual Corrida Drunks (Drunks Run) marathon will take place in Rio de Janeiro today, Sunday, December 15th, with pre-registered participants embarking from the neighborhood of Leblon at 3PM and making their way to the finish line near Espaço OX, located on Avenida Atlântica in the neighborhood of Leme.
Different from other races held throughout year in the city, four beer kiosks will replace the typical water stations that quench athletes’ thirst on their way, providing a hydration of a different kind for runners.
A small group of a little over twenty athletes jokingly began the Drunks Run in 2007 when they decided to see what would happen if they ran along the beachfront streets of Leme to those in Leblon with included stops at shoreline kiosks along the way.
Participants Raphael Pazos and Marcelo Segala had so much fun getting to that finish line that they decided to make the race an annual one. The following year, dozens more joined in and the event has continued to grow since, gaining sponsors like O Spa do Pé (foot spa) and Copacabana’s Hotel Mar Palace along the way.
With a higher number of participants came changes and this year, the race is being held on Sunday at 3PM and not Saturday, the day on which it had been previously held. The route has also been reversed with runners starting in Leblon and finishing in Leme. In lieu of stretching, the blog for Corrida Drunks recommends that this year’s participants simply “prepare their livers.”
The most notable change is the edition of a closing party following the race. Held at Leme’s Espaço OX, the festivites will include a foot massage spa, raffles and entertainment provided by some of the biggest names from Rio’s Carnival. Performers from the special group samba schools of Unidos da Tijuca, Mocidade and the 2013 Carnival champion school of Vila Isabel, among others, will be on present, as will special guest DJ Jorge Cerqueira.
Read more (in Portuguese).
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