Francisco Freixinos manages the 27 kilometers of the ‘La Vara Trail’ race, but is in last place
On many occasions, sport shows us that there are no physical barriers. This is one of those stories that inspire but most of all move. At the age of 67, Francisco Freixinos does not give up and continues to pursue his dreams: to participate in all possible mountain races as long as his body allows. It is clear to him that nature is his source of inspiration and that is why he puts on his shoes every morning and goes into the mountains and paths in search of peace.
His love of nature led him to enter ‘Trail running’ races, a sport that replaces tartan with mountainous areas. It is a passion that he passed on to his children from an early age and with whom he now shares careers. A few years ago, he decided to join the ‘100×100 Trail’ club, founded by a group of friends who welcomed him from the start as a true source of inspiration that they hope to keep for decades. On this occasion, Freixinos, together with his son Zeus, decided to register for the seventh edition of ‘La Vara Trail’, a race held last Sunday in Caravaca de la Cruz and in which he has participated since its inception.
Like a good veteran, Francisco, instead of being content with completing the 16-kilometer modality, plunged completely into the 23-kilometer category. While he knew it wasn’t going to be easy and he might finish last, giving up was not one of his options. “I have it very clear that my father would never give up a career unless he was fired,” Zeus assured. He wasn’t worried about his position in the standings, nor about the number on the stopwatch: “I’m going slow, my goal is to get there,” he confessed before starting the march.
The reality is that he doubled the age of many, even tripled it to a few others, but of all the runners who took part in the “trail”, one number in particular stood out, number 650, which belonged to Francisco Freixinos. All eyes were on his figure, regarded by all his circle as a great example to show that the generation gap is not an inconvenience when something is done with passion.
If anything is clear to him before every test, it is that his opponents do not intimidate him: “I play against myself, not against others,” he confesses to his club. It is for this reason that last Sunday, far from being deterred 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 stand as one more.
The first to cross the finish line did so in just 1 hour 57 minutes, a time far removed from Francisco, who arrived last at 6.5 hours, slightly bent over and accompanied by his trusty trekking pole. A result that increases with the passing of the editions: «Every year the route gets a little more uphill, it suffers a little more,» confessed Zeus. A matter that does not concern his father at all, since his prize is not to go 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 is. For the runner, the victory is locating the figure of his relatives as he approaches the finish line, who do not miss a single race.
However, his loved ones experience it from a different perspective. They are well aware that the years weigh and hinder the runner’s agility. “It is always an agony waiting for him to arrive, for nothing to happen to him, for him not to fall, because he has suffered injuries on other occasions,” Zeus acknowledged. But the reality is that Francisco always arrives, too late, but he arrives, with a big smile because he has completed one more race. There, his wife as well as his children and grandchildren welcome him with open arms, as a real winner. That is the true gold Freixinos wants to achieve: to receive the love and satisfaction of their loved ones with whom they can celebrate every “victory”.
Source: La Verdad
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
