Francisco Freixinos manages to complete the 27 kilometers of the ‘La Vara Trail’ race with a time of 6 and a half hours
On numerous occasions, sport shows us that there are no physical barriers. This is one of those stories that inspire but above all, move. At 67 years old, Francisco Freixinos does not give up and continues to pursue his dreams: to participate in all possible mountain races until his body allows it. He is clear that nature is his source of inspiration and that is why every morning he puts on his shoes and goes into the mountains and paths in search of tranquility.
His fondness for nature led him to sign up for ‘Trail running’ races, a sport that substitutes tartan for mountainous areas. A passion that he has transmitted to his children since they were little and with whom he now shares careers. A couple of years ago, he was encouraged to join the ‘100×100 Trail’ club, which from the beginning welcomed him as a true source of inspiration that they hope to keep for decades. Last Sunday, together with his son Zeus, he decided to sign up for the seventh edition of ‘La Vara Trail’, which was held in Caravaca de la Cruz and in which he has been participating since its foundation.
As a good veteran, instead of being satisfied with completing the 16-kilometre modality, he threw himself fully into undertaking the 23-kilometre one. Although he knew that it was not going to be easy and that he would possibly end up in last position, giving up was not among his options. “I have it very clear that my father would never abandon a career unless he was fired,” Zeus assured. He was not worried about the position he occupied in the classification, nor about the number on the stopwatch: “I’m going slowly, my goal is to get there,” he confessed before starting the march.
Francis during the race. /
The reality is that he doubled the age of many, even tripled it to a few others, but among all the runners who competed in the ‘trail’, one number in particular stood out, number 650, belonging to Francisco Freixinos. All eyes were on his figure, considered by his entire circle as a great example to show that the generation gap is not an inconvenience when something is done with passion.
If something is clear to him before each test, it is that his opponents do not intimidate him: “I compete against myself, not against others,” he tells his club. It is for this reason that last Sunday, far from being daunted by his opponents, he did not hesitate for a second to stand on the Camino del Huerto de Carava de la Cruz, the place where the starting gun was fired, to run as one more .
a special prize
The first to cross the finish line did so in 1 hour and 57 minutes, a time that was far removed from that achieved by Francisco, who arrived last after 6 and a half hours, slightly bent over and accompanied by his trusty trekking stick. A result that increases with the passing of the editions: «Every year the route becomes a little more uphill, it suffers a little more», confessed Zeus.
The classification is an issue that his father does not care about at all since his prize is not to return home with a medal on his chest or to frame a photo on the podium, he is aware that this image is not within his reach. For the runner, victory is locating the figure of his relatives when he approaches the finish line, not missing a single race.
However, his family experiences it from another perspective. They are very aware that the years weigh and hinder the agility of the runner. “It is always a suffering to be waiting for him to arrive, that nothing happens to him, that he does not fall, because on other occasions he has suffered injuries,” Zeus acknowledged. But the reality is that Francisco always arrives, late but he arrives, with a wide smile for having completed one more race. There, both his wife and his children and grandchildren welcome him with open arms, like a true winner. That is the real gold that Freixinos wants to achieve: to receive the love and satisfaction of his loved ones with whom he can celebrate each “victory”.
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