Lapathon Jungle Run to Raise Funds for Osa Community

In an effort to raise funds for the local community, Lapa Rios Ecolodge on the OsaPeninsula is organizing the first Lapathon Jungle Run May 31. The distance will be 18 kilometers starting in the rain forest near Lapa Rios and ending at the Lapa Rios reservations office in Puerto Jiménez.

Registration is open. Guests staying at the lodge for a minimum of three nights for the event will receive a 50 percent discount off their room package rate. For lodge reservations, contact Arnay García at info@laparios.com or 2735-5130.

In keeping with Lapa Rios’ eco-friendly tradition, the Lapathon strives to be the most sustainable race in Costa Rica, with no littering of plastic cups as in other races. All profits from the event will go to the Puerto Jiménez ambulance, which presently does not have the basic life support equipment to transport people in critical condition.

The registration fee is $5 if you register before May 15; after this date, the fee will be $15. This money will cover T-shirts for all participants who finish the race, hydration throughout the competition, first aid assistance and a participation certificate.

Lapa Rios Ecolodge is operated by Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality (www.cayugaonline.com), a high-end hospitality management company specializing in eco-lodges and sustainable hotels and resorts.

For more information on the Lapathon Jungle Race, contact Elena Mendieta, Lapa Rios operations manager, at lapathon@laparios.com, or Hans Pfister, president of Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality, at hans@cayugaonline.com.