Forums >General Running>Running in Chile - Santiago, Osorno, Temuco
The Irreverent Reverend
Hello all,
A few months ago a few of you offered advice on running in Colombia in advance of my 6 day trip there. Now I'm heading off to Chile for 10 days - where I last visited 19 years ago when I wasn't running. I'll be spending lots of time in Santiago, but also in Osorno and Temuco in the south.
Any advice on running in these cities, or on the running culture in Chile? When I was running in Colombia, I was impressed by the bicycling scene (saw hundreds of cyclists out during one of my runs), and I'm wondering if any of you know what the running/cycling/fitness scene is like in Chile.
I'm traveling to meet with pastors and members of the Lutheran Church in Chile. I'm going to have limited flexibility in my schedule, and I anticipate that I'll be doing most of my runs in the morning before our daily itinerary gets going. My Spanish is pretty good, and I could catch a cab or hop a bus - depending on schedule - if running from our hotel/guest house isn't a great option. As I'm inside 3 weeks until my second-ever marathon, I really do not want to skip my workouts if I can avoid it.
Thanks, all!
Husband. Father of three. Lutheran pastor. National Guardsman. Runner. Political junkie. Baseball fan.
i've never been, but it looks like altitude could be an issue:
Santiago 520m
Osorno 2652m
Temuco 360m
have a good 'un.
My leg won't stop mooing.
i think i've got a calf injury.
I used to live in Vina del Mar / Valparaiso, about 100 km west of Santiago. when I was there in the 90s there wasnt much of a running scene, but I ran (solo) all throughout both cities and some of the neighboring towns without a single issue (except a lot of diesel fumes). even then Chile was well developed and the people were great and mostly open minded...I can only assume this has continued to improve.
topography can be a challenge, so study your route to know what to expect...so can smog in santiago, so getting out early is a good idea.
check open street map for parks, bike paths etc. I find the "cycle map" layer is typically most useful. at a glance there arent great greenways there, so worst case find a park (eg Ohiggins) and square it out as many times you need to get your distance.
i travel a lot and share your pain with trying to fit something scheduled in when you're on the road. sometimes the hotels can be helpful in setting up a route, but even if you set your own its a good idea to go over it with someone from the hotel to ensure you dont run somewhere you shouldn't
you'll get your runs in. have a great trip and post back how the running goes.
just looked at the OSM map a little more, looks like theres some good distance to be had along the Rio Mapocho, with minimal traffic interruptions. check with your host/hotel on how to get there and ensure no issues, but I'd put money on it being a good place to log some flat miles.
Thanks, Lagwagon.
I spent 5 months in Temuco in 1995 (studying at the UFRO), and I went out jogging/running a few times and encountered those diesel fumes. Those were terrible. But I didn't do much running, so your perspective is very helpful. Thanks.