This month's runner is Oscar A. Quattordio, born in Avellaneda near Buenos Aires, he now lives in Mar del Plata (Argentina). Oscar is a 49 year old bank employer, and he works as a web designer and in publicity. He has been a runner for the last six years and belongs to a small running club with a little more than a dozen members.
He is a very active runner and keeps himself informed by reading specialized publications. He runs six days a week, usually ten kilometers each time, by himself or with other runners, but not always on the same course. He plans his training sessions and varies places and distances.
The night before a competition, Oscar eats a vermicelli pasta dish. There is no typical food that runners eat in Argentina before they run, besides meat.
In Argentina runners run in all types of weather conditions, the most difficult of which is snow and strong winds, found in the Patagonia region. Oscar prefers to run in the Spring warm climate.
While running he wears a shirt, shorts, air slippers and, in winter, wedge (cotton and nylon). Oscar owns three pairs of running shoes: one for daily use, one for running in the rain or in the mud, and one for competition. In long distance races he brings with him some extra running accessories, but he never listen to music while running.
Running in Argentina is an accepted activity and is becoming more and more popular among both men and women, although it is rare to see someone running with a dog. For a foreigner runner, Argentina offers no trouble.
In Mar del Plata the organized races are mostly between 7 and 10 kilometers, but there are also longer distances and even ultramarathons. The entry fee is usually around 5 U.S. dollars and Argentina has races for charities. Sometimes the participants are rewarded with a race packet containing a T-shirt or food, but usually the prizes are medals or trophies. Each race offers refreshment points along the course. "Some competitions though", warns Oscar who participate in many events, "lack water points".
Oscar has not run in a foreign country yet, but he completed several half marathons and the "Mar del Plata city marathon" in 1997 in four hours. This one was also his all-time favorite run for many reasons. First of all, the support of his wife Nelba and his sons Daniel and Javier, before and during the competition: "My wife and the young son gave me water and hurried me between the tenth kilometer and in the last seven kilometers my wife follow me with her bike. In some moments her tears came out for my state. The old son, Daniel was running the half marathon and when he finished he ran with me and hurried me to the end. I also have to give my regards to my personal trainer, Alexis Abot, who was with me at the end of the race; he was with his motorbike estabilishing points for me to reach each 500 meters to be able to finish the race. Sea sight was with me the whole race and I finished the competition with a sensation that only marriage make you feel, is a combination of happiness, emotion, personal growth. It is something that only one who runs could feel. I recommend runners to come to Mar del Plata because we have sea, rocky mountain range, lake, field and a lot of circuits to train the whole year and also a synthetic athletic track with stadium, where Pan-American Games in 1995 took place and the point of meeting of most of the athletics of the city".
Run The Planet would like to thank Oscar A. Quattordio from Argentina for taking part in the Planeteer Spotlight.
