Photos: Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

We spent a week exploring Cuba on foot in early March, running some of the country’s historic trails and immersing ourselves with local runners in the city of Santiago and the small seaside town of Baracoa. The goal of our trip was not to make political statements about the current social or political conditions in Cuba, but instead to support Cuban runners and children by donating gear and organizing kids races. Amid a socialist system and economic limitations, we discovered beauty, hope, pride and joy in a land that’s destined for change. Click through the photos below to see some of the scenes from our trip.

VIDEO: A Running Adventure in Cuba

Photo Gallery




1 of {count}


Back to Start








View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

What made our legal and fully authorized eight-day running odyssey possible—and really our intent of going in the first place—was that it would be part of a cultural exchange that would help bring dozens of donated running shoes to share with children and young runners via the Boulder, Colo., nonprofit One World Running. The organization was started in 1986 by journalist Michael Sandrock (left). Professional runner Michael Wardian (right) jumped at the chance to join the trip and helped collect used shoes and new gear from sponsors to share with Cuban runners. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

A common street scene in Santiago de Cuba. Photo: Steve Godwin

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Wardian runs through the recently refurbished pedestrian mall in Santiago de Cuba. Photo: Steve Godwin

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

The proud owner of this 1955 Chevy Bel Air poses for a photo in Cespedes Square in Santiago de Cuba. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Wardian hams it up next to a mid-1950s Buick during a run in Santiago de Cuba. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Santiago was founded by Spanish explorers in 1515. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption has been the site of a church in Santiago de Cuba since 1522. Photo: Steve Godwin

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

The mojitos at the Hotel Casa Granda in Santiago de Cuba are first rate. Photo: Steve Gowin

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Passionate dominoes games could be found in every park and city square in Santiago de Cuba. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Wardian runs on a singletrack trail in Turquino National Park just west of Santiago de Cuba. We spent three days running and hiking the trails inside the park. Photo: Steve Godwin

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

The south entrance to Turquino National Park, adjacent to the Caribbean Sea. Pico Turquino, Cuba's highest peak, is nestled in the clouds in the background. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

We traveled by taxi from Santiago de Cuba to the seaside village of Baracoa, a four-hour drive that included a stop to a viewing platform overlooking Guantanamo Bay. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

There are thousands of well-preserved American cars in Cuba that date back to the 1950s. No new cars (or auto parts) have been imported since the start of the U.S. economic embargo in the early 1960s, but the cars have been maintained thanks to the ingenuity of Cuban mechanics. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

The view from inside our '57 Chevy on the way to Baracoa. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Fruit stands offering fresh coconuts and bananas were plentiful along the road. We bought the bunch of bananas from this vendor for about a dollar. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Tourists don’t typically experience any of the latent Cold War tension that is finally starting to erode at a diplomatic level, but signs supporting the Cuban Revolution are everywhere. This one has a quote from Raul Castro that reads: "We do not neglect the work of the Revolution." Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

The modes of transportation in Baracoa are basic—bicycles, horses and donkeys pulling carts, bike taxis—but they get the job done. Photo: Brian Metzler

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

The origins of the Cuban Revolution can be traced back to the 26th of July Movement, named after the failed attack on the Moncada Barracks by Fidel Castro's rebel soldiers. The vanguard revolutionary organization led by Castro eventually overthrew the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship in 1959. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Che Guevara, an Argentine doctor who played a big role in the Cuban Revolution, is still hailed as a hero nearly 50 years after his death. This sign honors him with the quote from Fidel Castro: "He left us a legacy, his example and ideas." Photo: Steve Godwin

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

In Baracoa, we connected with running coach Arnaldo Campos, a 43-year-old former national-class marathoner with a 2:31 PR. He twice competed internationally for Cuba, once in Spain and another time in the Soviet Union, and also won the Havana Half Marathon a couple of times. Now a schoolteacher and competitive masters runner, he continues to share his passion, leading both a performance-oriented group and a low-key women’s group. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Without a track to run on, Campos and his group meet to run twice a week inside the circa 1960s baseball stadium in Baracoa. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

After a warm-up run, we did a brief speed session with Campos' runners around the perimeter of the stadium. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Over the past 30 years, One World Running founder Michael Sandrock (center) has tirelessly helped collect and distribute more than 250,000 pairs of shoes to children and aspiring young runners in Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Senegal, Tanzania, Mexico and the U.S. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

In Baracoa, we helped organized kids races—something that Sandrock and One World Running have been doing for many years. Photo: Brian Metzler

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Sandrock first visited Cuba in the early 1990s to interview Olympic track greats Alberto Juantorena and Ana Fidelia Quirot for his superlative 1996 book, “Running with the Legends.” It was during one of his original trips to Cuba, shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, that he again realized the potential impact of sharing used shoes with fellow runners if he took the time to collect them in the U.S.—namely sharing the ability to experience the freedom and passion of running. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

The kids participated in sprints, middle-distance events, relays and long jump. "Seeing the kids smiling and laughing and getting so excited is what it's all about," Sandrock says. "It's about sharing the same joy of running that we have back home and sometimes take for granted." Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Wardian joined in for the fun in the 100-meter dash—and lost badly in both the boys and girls heats. Photo: Brian Metzler

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

During our three-day stay in Baracoa, we ran with Campos on some of his favorite routes, including this sandy trail adjacent to the beach. “It starts by sharing a bond with running and shoes, but many times, especially with Campos and the people in Baracoa, it develops into much deeper, lasting friendships,” Sandrock said. “That’s what running is all about, and that’s why I still enjoy it. We’re all one world and everything is connected. Everyone is connected to each other and you can really feel that through running and the people you run with, and that’s why it’s so satisfying.” Photo: Steve Godwin

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

We discovered this rickety plank bridge over Rio Miel in Baracoa. Photo: Steve Godwin

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

Running the seawall in Baracoa. Photo: Steve Godwin

View Larger Image

Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba

A typical street scene in Baracoa. Photo: Brian Metzler

More Galleries

The post Photos: Scenes from a Running Trip to Cuba appeared first on Competitor.com.