In addition to being good for the body, sport offers its participants new opportunities, which can be to make friends, establish life purposes and even discover new places. This is the case of nutritionist and physical education teacher Vini Sassone, who, despite living in the Botafogo neighborhood, in Rio de Janeiro, has never visited Christ the Redeemer.
This will change next Sunday (19), when, at 41 years of age, he will participate in the 5th edition of the Christ Half Marathon, a race that will bring together 1,500 runners in the Tijuca Forest.
“To this day, I don’t even know why I haven’t gone up there yet. I think it was because I saw him [o Cristo] almost every day it feels like something that is there and that I can go to whenever I want. And then time passes, and then you see, right?! When I saw the call for the race, I stopped immediately and thought: ‘it’s now and it’s going to be better shape, I’m going to get there running. Everything to do with me and my lifestyle”, declared Vini, who will complete 21 kilometers in the race.
In this test, the nutritionist and physical education teacher will find two new features. The first is the route and the second is the distance. Used to shorter races, of five and ten kilometers, Vini is dedicating himself to the Cristo Half Marathon: “Climbing training is challenging. As much as I have physical conditioning, I have been doing some more specific training for climbing. I don’t want to do badly, especially because he [o Cristo] will be there with open arms upon arrival.”
The Cristo Half Marathon, which will have two races (ten and 21 kilometers) will take place in the Tijuca National Park, the 2nd largest urban forest in the world. For the 21 kilometers, the start is on Estrada da Vista Chinesa, through the Tijuca National Park entrance, in Horto (Botanical Garden), passing through Vista Chinesa, Mesa do Imperador, Alto da Boa Vista, Paineiras Visitor Center and arriving at the foot of Christ the Redeemer. After ten kilometers, the start will be in Alto da Boa Vista, at the entrance to the Park via Estrada do Redentor, passing through the Paineiras Visitor Center, Alto da Boa Vista and arriving at the foot of Christ the Redeemer.
