CubaPLUS Magazine

From bull runner in Pamplona, to worldwide marathon runner, to successful entrepreneur, Fernando Pineda is a lover of risk, effort and adrenaline. And now, at the age of 73, he has a pharaonic goal, designed exclusively for the most visceral dreamers, the clairvoyant.

Varadero's landscape is idyllic, its beaches are paradise on earth. There are large hotel capacities. Everything is there, you just have to put the pieces together, we want to make the Varadero Marathon an international reference!

In an exclusive interview with CubaPLUS Guyana, the owner of the agency FernandoPinedaTravel stressed that "the circuit is perfect. In the area there is none like it. Neither in Miami, nor in Medellín, for example. Geographically, Varadero is impeccable."

There is all the potential to create a profitable and attractive competition, both for athletes and tourists, he stressed, however, he explained that "there are still things to upgrade in order to attract sponsors and world-class marathon runners".

From New York to London, Berlin to Chicago, Madrid... Fernando is an eminence in the world of long-distance running. A detailed connoisseur of every routine. In fact, he has run more than 120 marathons in his life - he still plans to participate in Tokyo - and holds a personal record of two hours and 27 minutes.

It is utopian to assume that the Varadero Marathon will reach the figures of the Majors. But it is not at all unreasonable to think that soon, in two or three years, it will have more than a thousand participants and could reach two or three thousand in the future.

This year, Varadero staged a 10-kilometres, the popular race of the half marathon and, for the first time, the full marathon, something that many people were asking for.

Pineda, in his role as organiser and businessman, managed to secure the participation of professional Ethiopian athletes, which exponentially increased the cache of the competition.

"From my experience, it is essential to clock a good time. When athletes check the calendar, and see that a race in Varadero was run under 2:20 hours, they think it's a good course, and they become interested in participating," he said.

"Cuba, he said, must adapt to world conditions in this sector of marathons, in order to be able to stage a high-level competition, with prestigious athletes.

"We have to look for good sponsors and do a lot of publicity, marketing, that is fundamental. In addition, the Sports Institute must work with the Ministry of Tourism to turn the Varadero Marathon into a large-scale event: it has to be seen as a competition, but also as a profitable business so that it can last and develop over time," Pineda concluded.