The southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica will once again host one of the most rigorous foot races in the adventure racing circuit. The Coastal Challenge, also known as the Rainforest Run, puts runners in a very difficult 236 kilometer course that moves from the coast to the jungle and from the mountains back to the shore. The race will unfold over six days in February.

In the previous edition of this rugged challenge, the first stage of the race took competitors from Quepos to the Savegre Valley for a distance of nearly 34 kilometers and a total ascent of 850 meters. The next day, runners climbed even higher and later descended to Playa Dominical. From there, they continued to the gorgeous Playa Ventanas, Coronado, Palmar Sur (home of the mysterious Museum of the Stone Spheres), Sierpe, and finally Drake Bay.

Although the route above may sound very scenic, this is a grueling endurance and adventure event that recalls similar competitions in Costa Rica such as the Ruta of the Conquistadors and the Adventure Race World Championships. According to the event’s official website:

The course is set along Costa Rica’s tropical Pacific coastline but weaves at times into the Talamancas, a coastal mountain range in the Southwest corner of the country. You’ll finish near the border of Panama in a serene fishing village that until recently was only accessible by boat.

The terrain covered by Coastal Challenge competitors includes:

Jungle and rainforest trails, mountain trail and single track across ridgelines, highlands and coastal ranges; beaches, rocky outcroppings and reefs, river and estuary crossings, [etc…]

This year’s edition of the Coastal Challenge promises to be special since it will also celebrate its 10^th anniversary. The event is scheduled to take place between February 2^nd to the 9^th. The fact that this event attracts considerable attention from the high-endurance and adventure racing community around the world is not lost on coordinators here in Costa Rica, a country that is becoming a favorite for this type of competition.