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 I
may not have participated in any competition, but I raised more cups than
any of the winners. Maybe they weren’t the golden kind with First Place
inscribed on the side, but honestly, that didn’t bother me in the least.
I enjoyed the Lunahuaná Adventure Sports Festival 2003 in my own
way—toasting with cup after cup to the health of the athletes.
Sporting and partying. A perfect combination for
creating explosive and unforgettable adventures in a valley just 115 miles
outside of Lima, Peru. The sun was scorching, the nights were warm and
the
mosquitoes were fearsome. Unstoppable even against repellent, they
attacked with democratic equality—feasting on the blood of the rich, the
poor, the winners, the losers, the sober and the drunk alike.
The events on Saturday, February 22nd were
suspense-filled and exciting. Bets were made among the spectators.
“I’m going with the rafting team from San Jerónimo. How ‘bout you?”
“I like the girls from Rumbos-Aldea.”
“Hmm, they’re cute, but I don’t think they’ll win. Who knows?”
Bang! A pistol shot rang out from the river bend at
Paullo, marking the beginning of the first race of the festival. Rafting,
2.5 miles of speed racing down the Río Cañete. Fourteen boats carrying
teams from all over the country sluiced down the ferocious rapids.
 The
rafters rowed with force, rhythm, and energy as they watched their rivals
catching up through sheer will and desperation. The crowds cheered and
reporters fired off their cameras, involved in their own competition to
get the best shots.
Sweaty, exhausted and almost out of air, I closed in on
the winner's circle madness just as Frank Vicente Llactayo, the leader of
the winning team, Expedición Río Cañete San Jerónimo, said the secret to
winning was
 rowing
with everything they had. Duilio Vellutino, participant and
celebrity on the Peruvian rivers, said the race was really tight and
confessed, “we lost the lead in a matter of seconds.”
Duilio didn’t have time for any further commentary. He
had to get back to Paullo for the second race of the day, this time in the
solitary seat of a kayak. Back to the river, back to rowing, and back to
battling the current. Should I get back to the betting? No, better not.
I think I’m fresh out of luck. The Rumbos-Aldea girls didn’t come through
for me. I
think I’ll just have another beer and hang out till the kayaks get in.
The wait was so long that the sun started to set and
the river battle happened by the light of its last rays. In the end,
Duilio Vellutino took the race and basked in the glory of the awards
ceremony.
Night fell. The partying began with adventurers
gathering in the San Jeronimo campground. There was talk of new
challenges and, between toasts, planning of future events such as a
festival in Cotahuasi in May and the
Andean Celebration Week in Huaraz in June.
This was a serious party, requiring even more strength
than the hard trip down the river. There were many “winners” here, but
the prize was a terrible hangover on Sunday, that kept
more than a few
from attending the mountain biking and rock climbing events the
next day.
Nevertheless, dozens of bikers in different categories
made dust fly on Sunday. The winners were Richard Canicova, Félix
Campusmana and Mónica Velásquez.
While the bikers raced at Socsi, climbers were fighting
to make it up the 36-foot artificial rock wall in the camping area. Not
one of them made it to the top, but Marco Pablo Gonzales, representing
Lima University, came the closest.
When these two events were finished, the only
competition left was in lifting brewskies. And that went on for the rest
of the day. Turns out the wine and the pisco were nearly as good as the
battles on the river, the frenetic pedaling down dusty trails and the
exhausting efforts to make it up an insurmountable wall. Salud.
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