He was 40 years previous and had by no means run in his life, till he obtained divorced. “She may have given me up for one thing else,” says Diego Bautista, “however she gave me up for working.” And since then she hasn’t stopped. What she began as a pastime has change into an obsession… and the obsession, a legend: the legend of the ‘Correcaminos de Almería’.
His story begins on the seafront of his land. In entrance of the ocean he began strolling 34 years in the past. “I did a kilometer strolling and one other working,” she tells us. But little by little Diego stopped strolling and the whole lot was a race for him. Thus he entered the El Zapillo monitor workforce and started to compete.
His first race was the Almería half marathon. 21 kilometers that he did carrying Chirucas, mild boots that didn’t make it straightforward for him. “I did not have tennis or something,” confesses Diego, who counts amongst his biggest achievements having gained the Spanish Veterans Championship in 2009 that was held in Motril.
Diego Bautista in certainly one of his races.NIUS
He now not runs marathons. But he has managed to finish three full ones: Zaragoza, Málaga and Murcia… the final one on the age of 65. “Now at most I do a half marathon”, explains the ‘Correcaminos’ from Almería. The final time was final January in Santa Pola, in Alicante, the place he competed with greater than 8,000 folks. “I did it in 1:45”, says Diego, “however my calf went up and I needed to get better earlier than going to gather my medal”.
In his home the trophies are distributed on the cabinets. But they don’t seem to be all. “I’ve 16 containers stuffed with drinks,” says Diego. It is the results of greater than three a long time with out stopping working in competitions all through Spain. In complete, he has near 60 titles, greater than 100 medals and a number of other tributes that he has obtained in his profession.
Since he began, he has not solely gained titles, but additionally expertise. “Everything has modified,” says the ‘Road Runner’, who has seen the style for runners overtake him on the fitting. Now for working there are higher garments and footwear than earlier than and likewise. “And now there are extra girls working,” says Diego, “earlier than there have been at most one or two.”
Some of Diego’s trophies at dwelling.NIUS
Diego has simply turned 74 and continues to go working each different day. “You have to offer the muscle a relaxation day.” And he doesn’t forgive a single coaching. Not even through the pandemic did he cease working. “I’ve a really lengthy hall,” says NIUS, and he used it subsequent to the house on the roof of his constructing to proceed coaching and never lose form.
the final harm
So far this yr, he has participated in additional than 20 races along with his final workforce, Club Deportivo Guepardos Running Almería. “Running makes me very glad, I really feel superb, as if I had been on a ship,” says Diego, however that ship has been stranded for a month resulting from a thigh harm.
“When I bend over, it bothers me,” he tells us, however standing nonetheless bothers him extra. He desires to get better for his subsequent competitors, on January 23, once more in Santa Pola… And he shall be there “even when it is on one leg”, phrase of the ‘Roadrunner’ from Almería.