The 2023 Guayaquil Marathon
Marathon # 411
Country # 105
Date: October 1, 2023
My Time: 4:40:27
By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
Ecuador is the 105th country where I’ve completed at least one marathon or one ultramarathon. My wife Gisele Diallo did the half marathon.
The Parque de las iguanas in Guayaquil, Ecuador
The city of Guayaquil has many interesting attractions, including the Malecon 2000 or Malecon Simon Bolivar, the Barrio de las Peñas, the Cerro Santa Ana and the Cathedral. Strangely, an animal species that has been living on the Planet since the Late Cretaceous, i.e. for over 66 million years, is the most fascinating attraction in Downtown Guayaquil: the iguanas.
As for how these reptiles ended up in the park, historian Melvin Hoyos explains that in the 1960s, when a group of Mormons tried to take home some iguanas, Guayaquil residents prevented them from doing so, and released the iguanas in the Parque Seminario, nowadays best known as the Parque de las iguanas or Iguana Park.
The presence of the lovely iguanas has turned the park located in front of the Cathedral into a Garden of Eden, where foreign and national visitors come to enjoy peace and immense happiness for free.
Country # 105
Date: October 1, 2023
My Time: 4:40:27
By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
Ecuador is the 105th country where I’ve completed at least one marathon or one ultramarathon. My wife Gisele Diallo did the half marathon.
The Parque de las iguanas in Guayaquil, Ecuador
The city of Guayaquil has many interesting attractions, including the Malecon 2000 or Malecon Simon Bolivar, the Barrio de las Peñas, the Cerro Santa Ana and the Cathedral. Strangely, an animal species that has been living on the Planet since the Late Cretaceous, i.e. for over 66 million years, is the most fascinating attraction in Downtown Guayaquil: the iguanas.
As for how these reptiles ended up in the park, historian Melvin Hoyos explains that in the 1960s, when a group of Mormons tried to take home some iguanas, Guayaquil residents prevented them from doing so, and released the iguanas in the Parque Seminario, nowadays best known as the Parque de las iguanas or Iguana Park.
The presence of the lovely iguanas has turned the park located in front of the Cathedral into a Garden of Eden, where foreign and national visitors come to enjoy peace and immense happiness for free.
A Breakfast in Paradise in Guayaquil, Ecuador
While the iguanas are featured in all tourist information articles, there’s a hidden gem, just behind the Cathedral of Guayaquil: the pool area of the Grand Hotel Guayaquil, a wonderful tropical paradise boasting a rain forest, water falls, a pool, a small bridge, an iguana, etc., and quality fresh food, including tropical fruits. It’s a lovely place to enjoy your breakfast near the House of the Lord and a Garden of Eden, and possibly have a nice chat with the amazing owners of the hotel.
While the iguanas are featured in all tourist information articles, there’s a hidden gem, just behind the Cathedral of Guayaquil: the pool area of the Grand Hotel Guayaquil, a wonderful tropical paradise boasting a rain forest, water falls, a pool, a small bridge, an iguana, etc., and quality fresh food, including tropical fruits. It’s a lovely place to enjoy your breakfast near the House of the Lord and a Garden of Eden, and possibly have a nice chat with the amazing owners of the hotel.
My book Running Barefoot for Human Survival is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book format (French edition: Courir pieds nus pour sauver les humains).
The Parque de las iguanas or Iguana Park in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Below is the list of 103 of the 105 countries where Dr. Sidy Diallo has completed at least one marathon or one ultramarathon. The two other countries are Oman and Ivory Coast:
Gisele Diallo and Sidy Diallo participated in the 2023 Guayaquil Marathon in Ecuador
Gisele Diallo conquered the 414 steps to the top of the Cerro de Santa Ana in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
The Malecon 2000 and the Barrio de las Peñas in Guayaquil, Ecuador
The lovely promenade Malecon 2000 in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Sidy Diallo on the lighthouse of the Cerro de Santa Ana in Guayaquil, Ecuador
The Parque de las iguanas or Iguana Park the Cathedral of Guayaquil, Ecuador
Gisele Diallo and Sidy Diallo at the start of the 2023 Guayaquil Marathon in Ecuador.
Dr. Sidy Diallo’s 2023 Guayaquil Marathon Results
Dr. Sidy Diallo’s 2023 Guayaquil Marathon Official Results
The 2023 Guayaquil Marathon Course